The way home

The zipper on my suitcase groaned in protest as I shoved another armful of clothes inside.

"You're seriously doing this?" He asked, sounding as stupid as he looked.

I ignored Felix. A sweater followed. Then a pair of jeans. Then another sweater. The suitcase was already full. I didn't care. I'd buy another one if I had to.

Behind me, Felix sighed loudly. The sound scraped against my nerves. "You spent the entire night away from the house, Annika."

I kept packing.

"You didn't answer any of my calls."

Another shirt disappeared into the suitcase.

"Annika."

Still nothing. This morning, I had chosen silence as my favourite weapon. Mostly because every time Felix opened his mouth lately, I liked him less. A lot less.

"You've had almost twenty-four hours to calm down."

That finally made me pause. Slowly, I turned. Felix sat in the armchair near the window. He was annoyingly comfortable for a man whose wife had caught him cheating the previous day. "You think this is about me calming down?"

His jaw tightened. "I think you're overreacting."

I stared at him in disbelief. Because there was no way he'd just said that. Then again, this was Alpha Felix. The same man who had cheated on me and somehow managed to act inconvenienced by my reaction. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised.

"Right." I turned back to the suitcase. "That's exactly what's happening."

"Don't start," he warned.

A laugh escaped my lips. It was purely humourless. I don't think I'm the one who started this, Felix. Overreacting? Really?"

The talk disgusted me. He disgusted me.

"Annika—"

"No, let's hear this." I folded my arms. "You cheated on me..."

"It happened once," he cut my flow

The lie came so easily that it almost impressed me. But I had more up my sleeve.

"Sophia practically stayed here through the night."

His expression darkened. I stared at him. Then at the coffee mug sitting on my nightstand. It was not mine or his. The woman was apparently comfortable enough to leave her things in my bedroom. Well, it was no longer mine. I was done last night.

Felix followed my gaze.

"Still think I'm exaggerating?" I asked. Then, I resumed packing.

"So what's the plan, Annika?"

I rolled my eyes. Here we go. "I'm going to my father's funeral."

"You'll stay a few days and come back?" He asked hopefully.

If I didn't know better, I would have thought he genuinely liked me.

I stopped folding my shirt. Felix genuinely thought I was coming back. I zipped the suitcase shut. Then looked him straight in the eye. "No, Felix. This is the last time you'll ever see me."

I watched to see his expression shift only slightly. But I saw it.

"What do you mean no? You live here, Annika."

"Not anymore," I said. “I meant it when I said I wanted a divorce, Felix. The next person you'll hear from would be my lawyer.”

"So what about the rest of your stuff?" he reluctantly asked, still processing my words.

I shrugged. "Keep it. Most of them are furniture, Felix." He wouldn't expect me to carry couches and kitchen utensils, right???

"Your clothes?"

"I packed what I wanted. You can donate the rest, including my books."

"Annika—"

"What?"

A knock sounded against the open bedroom door, adding to the tension. I didn't need to look to know who. The scent of vanilla perfume arrived already.

Sophia. Of course.

I clenched my jaw as she stepped into the room carrying a mug of coffee for Felix. How thoughtful.

Her gaze immediately landed on the suitcase. Then on me. The smug satisfaction in her eyes made me want to throw something.

"You're leaving?"

I stared at her. "What gave it away?"

She ignored the sarcasm, or maybe she was too stupid to recognise it. It was hard to tell. "I didn't think you'd actually go."

"Funny." I retorted as I grabbed another bag. "I didn't think you'd actually sleep with my husband."

Apparently, shame wasn't one of her stronger qualities. Felix stood up. "Annika, you really have to watch—"

"No." I held up a hand. "I'm done listening to both of you."

I picked up my luggage, brushed past them and headed for the door. Because if I stayed any longer, somebody would end up with a suitcase wrapped around their head.

They followed me closely behind. I wondered why, but I didn't care much. The moment I reached the front door, Sophia spoke.

"I'm sorry, Annika,” she paused, “About your father."

My hand froze on the doorknob. For a second, I thought she was apologising for the other thing. You know, sleeping with my husband on my matrimonial bed? I would have been shocked.

Now, I still considered ignoring her. Then I looked back at the woman who had helped destroy my marriage. She would probably be living here before the week was over.

I looked at her for a while, and suddenly, I felt nothing. There was no rage, no anger, no emotion at all.

"Thank you."

The words surprised all three of us, including me. Then I opened the door and left.

***

Three hours later, I was on the highway leading toward Silver Ridge.

Home.

The word felt strange, and the road even stranger. The radio played softly in the background, but I wasn't listening to it. My thoughts were louder. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. A memory surfaced without warning.

I was twelve, standing beside a motorcycle that looked twice my size. Jonas stood behind me, laughing.

"Stop looking at it like it's going to eat you."

"It might." I cried out.

"It doesn't have teeth."

"You don't know that."

His grin widened. Get on."

"I don't want to."

"Get on."

"I don't—"

“Leave her alone, Jonas. She'll get on when she's ready,” Father's voice echoed from the porch where he'd been sitting all along.

I turned to look at him, thankful, but the memory faded before I could see his face. Gosh. Jonas had always been impossible.

The three of them had been. Julian was worse, in fact. He had literally put a frog in my bedroom, and the result was chaos. I had chased him through the entire pack house while Father laughed so hard he nearly cried.

A lump formed in my throat, and the smile I had on quickly disappeared. I tried to focus on the road, but another memory arrived anyway.

It was Jakob this time, quietly sitting beside me after a group of older girls made fun of me. He hadn't offered advice or asked questions. He'd simply sat there until I stopped crying.

I sniffed, bringing myself back to reality. I turned the radio off completely and started humming to distract myself.

Unfortunately, another memory surfaced at the sight of a flower by the roadside. It was one I didn't want.

White flowers, music, rows of guests, with three men standing at the altar. They were waiting for their mate, Elise.

I remembered standing among the crowd, smiling and pretending while dying inside. It was the day I finally accepted something I'd spent years denying.

I was in love with my stepbrothers, but they would never be mine. A few months later, I'd married Alpha Felix, and four years after, everything had fallen apart.

A road sign appeared ahead.

WELCOME TO SILVER RIDGE TERRITORY.

I was minutes away from home; the place where I'd left my heart.