Chapter 1: Final Goodbye

The room was quiet, but Iris’s chest felt anything but still. Her fingers hovered above the clothes laid out on her bed, the same ones she’d grown up folding after school, the same blankets she used to hide under during thunderstorms. 

Now she was packing to leave them behind, this time for good.

Her suitcase sat half-zipped beside her. It wasn’t just reluctance slowing her down, it was grief… and anger.

She turned slightly, letting her eyes wander across the cracked windowpane. 

From here, she could still see the edge of the forest. Still imagine the smoke curling upward from the flames. Still hear the screams.

The rogues hadn’t just taken lives. They’d taken everything.

But she didn’t believe it had only been rogues.

No one said it out loud, but everyone knew their Alpha, her Alpha had enemies. Too many of them. Too many debts, too many tempers flared, too many pack wolves sacrificed in fights that weren’t theirs. 

The man had power, but no purpose. Strength, but no sense. And in the end, he brought ruin down on all their heads.

Her father included.

Her hand trembled slightly as she folded the last shirt.

If he hadn't tried to protect them that night,  if he hadn't risked his life for them…

A knock on the door broke her train thoughts.

Her mother stepped in, the lines around her eyes deeper than usual.

“You’re still not done?” she asked softly.

“I’m done,” Iris lied, zipping the bag.

Her mother looked around the room. “You’ve had this space since you were ten.”

“I know.”

She crossed the floor and sat beside Iris, brushing a curl from her face.

“We can’t survive another one, baby,” she said, her voice low. “If we stay… I’ll lose you too.”

Iris swallowed. She’d heard those words before, almost exactly. When the fighting had started. When her dad shoved them into the escape tunnel. When the door had slammed, and the smoke filled her lungs.

“I’m sorry,” her mother whispered. “I’m sorry we waited this long.”

Iris reached for her hand. “It’s not your fault.”

It had been 3 weeks since the incident, 3 weeks since she lost her precious dad. He was such a nice man, the best father any girl could ask for.

They sat like that for a while, holding on to each other, as if the walls themselves would collapse once they let go.

The room was quiet, sunlight slanting through the curtains as Iris melted into her mother's embrace. 

“I should keep packing,” she said softly, offering a small smile.

Her mother nodded, brushing a strand of hair from Iris's face. “Alright, sweetheart. I’ll go make breakfast.”

With one last gentle squeeze to her daughter's arm, she stepped out of the room, her footsteps fading down the hallway.

Iris turned back to her bed, where her half-packed bag lay open. She folded a few more clothes neatly and tucked them in. 

Then, from her nightstand, she picked up her diary, its corners worn from being flipped through too often and slid it into a side pocket.

Her eyes drifted to the bottom drawer of her dresser. She opened it slowly.

Inside were brightly colored bags of chips. Dozens of them, crammed in rows. Her favorites. 

Her dad used to buy them for her without fail every week, sometimes even in bulk when they were on sale. But now… now he wasn’t here, she had to get them herself.

She stared at the drawer for a moment before grabbing a handful and slipping them into the bag with a quiet rustle.

By the time she came downstairs, the scent of eggs and toast filled the air, and her mother was already dishing out breakfast at the table.

“Hope you didn’t overpack, sweetie,” her mother said without looking up. “You know someone’s coming to get us.”

After the incident with her pack, Moon stone, a pack known as Clawstone pack was taking them in.

Iris glanced at her bag, a bulge at the top where the chips strained against the zipper. She smiled quickly. “Nope. Definitely not.”

A second later, her mom stepped out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel. She narrowed her eyes at the bag.

“Iris,” she said suspiciously, “did you pack all those chips again?”

Iris shifted in place. “Well… only a couple of them.”

Her mother sighed and walked over. She bent down, unzipped the bag, and stared at the stash.

“This is a lot, Iris. We could buy chips over there. Put them out now.”

Iris let out a long sigh, crouched beside the bag, and pulled out two bags.

“More,” her mother said firmly, arms crossed.

Another sigh. Iris pulled out three more, muttering something under her breath as she did.

Once the bag was zipped again, she trudged over to the table and took a seat.

 Her mother placed a warm plate of breakfast in front of her, her tone softening.

“I know you miss him,” she said gently.

Iris didn’t answer at first. She just stared at her plate, then gave a tiny nod.

They ate in silence for a moment. It was comfortable, but tinged with unspoken things. 

Iris wondered how her life would change after moving to this new pack.

She had a heard alot about Clawstone, it was one of the biggest and strongest pack that ever existed.

And their Alpha?

He was young and cold, she heard.

She also wondered if her fated mates might had already died in the rogue incident 3 weeks ago.

Will she never get to meet him?

Then came the sound of tires crunching against gravel.

A dark SUV rolled into view, its windows tinted and scent unfamiliar.

Iris's pulse quickened.

They watched as the door opened and a tall man stepped out, clad in dark clothes, steady gaze, authority bleeding from every movement.

He didn’t need to growl to be intimidating. He didn’t need to shift to make her nervous.

He stepped up to the porch.

Them he knocked.

Iris opened the door.

“Iris Kade?” he asked, voice smooth and deep.

She nodded.

“We’re here to take you to Clawstone.”