Chapter 2

I pushed open the door to my dorm room. It was empty.

My roommates were still at the festival, still buzzing from the "amazing show."

I walked to the bathroom mirror.

The reflection made me freeze.

My once-glorious golden hair was now a butchered mess.

Patches were sheared down to the scalp, leaving nothing but prickly stubble.

Other strands hung in long, awkward clumps, dull and lifeless under the lights.

I looked like a pathetic, ridiculous clown.

My stomach churned. I gripped the cold sink, took a deep breath, and forced the nausea down.

Fighting the urge to cry, I opened my closet and pulled out my largest duffel bag, laying it on the floor.

I started packing.

One item.

Then another. And another.

Clothes, folded neatly.

Books, stacked evenly.

Toiletries, packed into a waterproof pouch.

My movements were steady and methodical. Just like the countless times over the last eighteen years I’d cleaned up Damon's messy rooms and picked up his discarded training gear.

I had blocked our mind link. Now my phone started vibrating nonstop on my desk.

It was Damon. I didn't answer.

Then came the texts.

"Why did you just leave? The festival isn't over."

"It was just a game. You're not gonna be petty about this, are you, my little moon?"

"Me and Chloe, it's just for a pack alliance. Don't overthink it."

"Why aren't you answering, little moon? It was just a game."

A game.

He kept calling it a game.

I stared at the words on the screen and suddenly wanted to laugh.

Eighteen years of a fated bond was, in his eyes, just a prop he could use for a game whenever he wanted.

I went into my phone and silenced his name.

Then I went back to packing.

In my desk drawer, I found a yellowed acceptance letter.

Moonlight Academy of Design. The top art school for wolves in the North.

Two years ago, they had offered me a spot. Full scholarship. They promised me the best mentors and resources.

But I turned it down. To go to the same academy as Damon.

He'd said, Elena, we're mates. The Moon Goddess chose us. I believed him.

He'd said, Elena, I'll be there at the Academy. No one will dare touch you. I believed that, too.

He'd said, Elena, I have a surprise for you tonight. I was filled with joy.

How ridiculous it all seemed now.

The bag filled up quickly. I zipped it shut and stood it by the door.

The dorm room door opened and my roommate came in.

She saw me, then the bag by the door, and froze.

"Elena, what... what are you doing?"

Her eyes fell on my hair, a flicker of pity and awkwardness in her gaze.

"Nothing," I said calmly. "Just going home for a bit."

"Oh... well, your hair... do you want someone to fix it?" she asked carefully.

"No, thanks," I said. There was no point.

I slept soundly that night. No dreams, no tears.

The next morning, I was awake before dawn.

At 8 a.m. sharp, I knocked on the Dean's office door.

The Dean was an Alpha in his fifties, highly respected, with a high standing among the wolf packs.

He flinched when he saw me.

My new haircut must have shocked him.

"Elena. What brings you to me so early?"

"Dean, I'd like to withdraw from the academy." I stood and handed him the withdrawal form I’d filled out last night.

The surprise on the Dean's face turned to shock.

He took the form and frowned.

"Withdraw? Why? Elena, you just started a month ago! And your bond with the future Alpha..."

"Personal reasons."

"Is this about last night?" he asked, his tone softening. "I heard what happened. Young Alphas can be impulsive sometimes, but it doesn't mean anything."

I just looked at him, saying nothing.

"Elena, you and Damon are fated mates. A sacred bond like that is not a game," he continued, trying to persuade me. "And he will be the Alpha of his pack one day. Your departure will affect the pack's stability."

"Dean, my decision has nothing to do with anyone else," I said, my voice as cold as ice. "Including Damon."

"But—"

"This is my decision," I cut him off. "Please respect it."

The Dean was silent for a moment before finally signing his name.

"I must remind you, once you withdraw, you will no longer be under the pack's protection or have access to its resources."

"I understand."

For the next two hours, I went from office to office across campus.

Severing my pack registry. Settling fees. Returning library books. Processing paperwork.

Every staff member looked at me with the same shocked expression, but no one dared to ask questions.

At ten o'clock, I had the final approved withdrawal form in my hand.

As I was leaving the main hall, I saw Damon with Chloe. He was laughing, his head bent close to hers.

They saw me, too. Chloe's gaze lingered on me for a second, filled with undisguised contempt, before she looked away.

Damon's expression was complicated. He started to walk toward me, but Chloe pulled him back.

I didn't stop. I walked right past them without a glance.

Standing at the Academy's main gate, I looked back one last time at the building I had once loved.

The red brick walls glowed in the sun. Ivy crawled up the ancient spires.

It held my best memories, and now, my worst.

But from this moment on, this academy, which once held all my hopes, had nothing to do with me anymore.