Chapter 4: Shadows of Departure

            Amelia was weary as she walked out of the hospital. She had got what she wanted – Gabriel had rejected her and their mate bond was broken. So why did she feel so sad?

           She walked towards the woods with a heavy heart. She was fatigued and tired beyond belief from the Wolfsbane poison. Each step she took drained her of the last remaining vestiges of strength, but she pressed on. The woods beckoned to her, offering her solace and sanctuary in their ancient depths. She knew she had to get far enough away from the pack’s territory. Then she could do what she needed to do.

         

          She was fueled by determination as she delved deeper into the wilderness.

          

          Finally, when she was far enough away, Amelia reached out through the mindlink.

"Pick me up. I will go with you." For the first time in the past two years she sent the message, with the last of her strength. As soon as she sent it, consciousness slipped away, and Amelia succumbed to darkness.

         Amelia lay motionless on the forest floor, which was a dangerous place to be for a lone she-wolf. But she wasn’t alone for long. Soon, there was a blur of motion, and a swift and elusive shape that looked like nothing more than a shadow, darted through the woods. It found Amelia, and it lifted her, cradling her fragile form with tender care. It whisked her away towards the sprawling human city, away from the Stormfang Pack where she had served as Luna for the past two years.

          Meanwhile, Gabriel stood rooted to the spot, his gaze fixed on the door that Amelia had just walked through. He had just rejected her! Their mate bond was broken. He was free to choose another Luna. If he was being honest with himself, he had never really felt that Amelia was a rightful Luna. When the Moongoddess had chosen her, wolves in the pack had talked behind his back. She was a rogue! And he was a powerful Alpha. But he had obeyed the ancient rule and had ignored all the comments. Deep down, though, he had never really respected her fully as Luna.

          And now their bond was broken. A tumultuous mix of emotions surged within him. For a brief moment, he thought about chasing after her. Amelia was a rouge, after all, and even though she was no longer Luna, he still cared about her.  

         Sophia’s voice interrupted his thoughts. Her voice carried a hint of condescension and a tinge of possessiveness as she spoke. "She doesn't deserve you or your love, Gabriel. Now you are free to choose another Luna, one that is worthy.”

        Gabriel turned to Sophia, annoyed. "True, Amelia might not be a rightful Luna, but she has dedicated herself to my pack and my family for the past two years," he responded.

        “But you deserve so much more,” Sophia said. “You deserve a Luna that respects you, not that filthy rogue.”

        “ENOUGH!” Gabriel said, rage filling his eyes. He was overtaken with emotion. It was complicated, too complicated for Sophia to understand. “Amelia is no longer Luna, but I won’t have you talk about her like that!”

          Sophia shut her mouth, her eyes wide with fear. She said nothing; she only watched as Gabriel stormed out of the room, leaving her alone in the hospital.

          Gabriel made his way back to the pack house. He figured he would find Amelia there. Since she was a rogue, she had nowhere else to go. He hadn’t spent a lot of time with Amelia in the past few years, but he knew her well enough to know that she wouldn’t go wandering into the woods at night fall.

          Would she?

          He arrived at the pack house and expected to find Amelia in the main room. But she was nowhere to be found. He checked all the rooms, growing more frantic by the minute. Where was Amelia? He came across his mother in the kitchen.

        “Mother, I’m looking for Amelia. Have you seen her?” he asked, his voice tight.

         But Vivenne only shrugged. “I haven’t seen her, Gabriel,” Vivenne said. “She certainly isn’t where she SHOULD be,” Vivenne continued.

        “And where is that?” Gabriel asked, annoyed at his mother and her constant belittlement of Amelia.

        “Why, here, of course, Gabriel. She should be here, looking after you. Looking after the pack. She’s such a useless Luna, I can barely-“

          “Stop it, Mother,” Gabriel said, cutting her off. “Amelia has done her very best for this pack. I don’t want to hear you say anything else about her. Just tell her I’m looking for her, okay?” Gabriel told his mother, and then walked away.

          Where could she be? Gabriel thought to himself. He looked outside and saw that it was getting dark. A rejected rogue, alone in the dark woods…Gabriel shook his head to get rid of the terrible thoughts.

          He went to Amelia's room. Her closet was full of human clothing, and her jewelry spilled from the box on her dresser. It was all stuff he had given her.

        The werewolf world had embraced human society in the past few decades. The powerful Alpha King of the Eclipse pack, Magnus Moonstone had been the first werewolf to do so, and he had paved the way for werewolf success in the human world. He had created a massive, very successful empire and he was filthy rich because of it. In fact, Magnus was the most powerful werewolf in the area.

        Gabriel had always coveted Magnus’ success; he wanted to surpass Magnus’ wealth and power. And he just might, too! He just needed more time. Gabriel had seized the opportunity to do business in the human world and he was excelling. His company was doing very well – not as well as the mighty Magnus Moonstone – but better than most. However, success comes with a price. Between managing a successful company and taking care of Sophia, Gabriel hadn’t come to the pack house in a very long time. He had ignored Amelia. In fact, he couldn’t even remember the last time he had come into her bedroom.

        He was shocked to see that Amelia hadn’t even touched the clothes he had given her. He ran his hand along the soft silk dresses. The jewelry still had price tags on it. These were the finest human clothes and jewelry – why hadn’t Amelia worn any of it?

        Most she-wolves would be pleased beyond the full moon to have such nice things. And Amelia, as a rogue? She would never see such nice things again in her life. Not now. Now since she’s been rejected. She should have enjoyed the human clothes and jewelry while she had the chance….

        Gabriel heard something outside. For a moment, he thought it was Amelia going for one of her evening walks around the yard. But when he looked outside, he saw that it was just a bird. Dark had fully descended now. Gabriel’s stomach turned. There were dangerous werewolves out there – packs known for violent and heinous acts.

      He tried to use his mindlink to contact her.

      Amelia, where are you?

    But he could no longer connect with Amelia to send the message; their mate bond was broken.