The Alpha's Second Daughter, Silent Departure

The morning after the party, the estate was still buzzing. Everyone was getting ready for Aria’s grand send-off.

My father, Alistair, the Alpha himself, was personally loading Aria’s luggage.

My mother, Isolde, leaned out a second-floor window and called out,

"Aria! Do you have all five of your pack crests? Let me check again!"

Aria rolled her eyes, clutching her favorite stuffed animal, and yelled back,

"I have them, Mom! You've asked five times!"

I stood in the shadows of the grand hall. Still a ghost.

A faded backpack was slung over my shoulder. A battered canvas duffel sat at my feet.

That was everything I was taking to New York.

I stepped forward, trying to cut through the suffocating cheer, and said,

"Dad, my flight is at four. Should I leave now?"

Alistair waved a guard over to close the trunk, then shot me an annoyed look and said,

"Can't you see I'm busy? Figure it out yourself."

Isolde swept down the stairs in her heels, her eyes glancing coldly over my luggage as she spoke,

"We're about to leave. The house is a disaster from last night. You have time. Make sure the servants clean everything before you go."

I looked right at her and replied,

"Clean? I'm leaving today, too."

She ordered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Then change your flight."

She scoffed,

"It's just a human school. Going a day late won't matter."

My knuckles turned white as I gripped the strap of my backpack.

Change my flight?

My ticket was for 4:25 PM. Economy class to New York.

It was a one-way ticket I’d paid for with blood money—cash I earned getting beaten up as a sparring partner.

And Aria?

She was being escorted by the Alpha and Luna.

A motorcade led by a bulletproof Cadillac.

And to top it off, the three of them were going to spend a full week on vacation in the Lycan Capital near her academy.

I didn't argue.

Arguing was useless in this house.

Alistair hurried them along,

"Alright, let's go. Get in the car."

Isolde slid into the passenger seat, lowered the window, and tossed out one last order,

"Don't forget to water the wolfsbane in the greenhouse."

In the back seat, Aria looked at me.

A flicker of guilt crossed her perfectly made-up eyes.

She knew. She knew it was me who took the hit from that rabid bear at the trials.

She knew it was me who acted as her punching bag by day and her tutor by night so she could get into her precious academy.

She knew everything.

After a three-second pause, she spoke,

"Text me when you get there."

Before I could answer, the window slid up.

The motorcade sped away, leaving me alone in the vast, silent entryway.

Alone with my dirt-stained canvas shoes.

I turned, walked up the stairs, and pushed open Aria’s bedroom door.

Hanging on the wall opposite her bed was a massive "family" portrait.

In it, Alistair looked powerful. Isolde looked elegant. Aria was nestled between them, smiling like a true princess.

I wasn't in the picture.

It was taken two years ago.

I was sick that day, burning with a fever so high I’d collapsed on my bedroom floor.

The family went to the photo studio without me. Happy. Perfect. They never even noticed I was gone.

It wasn't until late that night that Isolde finally pushed open my door, only to scold me for being antisocial and never participating in family activities.

The memory of that bone-deep chill made me look away. I bent down to clear some trash off her carpet.

My hand brushed against her desk, knocking over a half-open jewelry box.

Clatter.

A pile of glittering trinkets spilled out.

And there, in the very bottom corner, lay a small, wolf-shaped silver pendant.

My heart stopped.

My grandmother had secretly pressed it into my hand just before she died. It was a gift for my tenth birthday.

It was the only thing in the world that was truly mine.

That same afternoon, Aria had run to me with red-rimmed eyes and begged,

"Cassian, I love it so much. Can I please just borrow it for one day?"

You have so many gifts, I’d thought. Why do you need mine?

But looking at her desperate face, I caved.

Placing it carefully in her hand, I said,

"Okay. Just for one day."

She promised.

She never gave it back.

When I brought it up later, she’d just shrugged and said,

"Oh, that? I don't know where I put it. I have too much jewelry. If you want something, just take it from my room."

Mom heard the whole thing and immediately jumped on me,

"See how generous Aria is? It's just a pendant. Are you really going to keep nagging her about it?"

I swallowed the hurt and told myself to forget it.

It wasn't the first time she’d taken something of mine.

But here it was. She hadn't lost it. She'd just tossed it in the bottom of her jewelry box to collect dust.

The silver was tarnished and black.

My wolf whimpered inside me.

I picked up the pendant.

The rough, grimy surface dug into my palm, but it finally, completely, severed the last, pathetic thread of hope I had for this family.

I clenched my fist around it, shoved it in my pocket, and walked out of that suffocating room.

1:00 PM.

I didn’t call a servant. I just used my phone to order the cheapest Uber I could find.

The second I opened the car door, my phone buzzed like crazy.

A text from Isolde. All caps, with angry exclamation points.

【ARIA FORGOT THE CUSTOM NECKLACE SHE'S SUPPOSED TO WEAR FOR THE OPENING CEREMONY! FIND IT AND FEDEX IT TO HER HOTEL IN THE CAPITAL! IMMEDIATELY!】

I stared at the screen. A cold, bitter smile touched my lips.

Find it?

I didn’t reply. I just silenced my phone and threw it into the bottom of my bag.

Three hours later.

The Boeing 737 taxied onto the runway.

A deafening roar. The force of acceleration pressed me back into the narrow economy seat.

Then, weightlessness. The moment the wheels left the ground, I finally broke free from the land that had only ever given me pain.

My phone screen lit up.

Aria:

【Did you send the necklace? And text me to let me know you're safe.】

I stared at the words, my thumb hovering over the "Block" button.

In the end, I decided against it.

Blocking her now would just cause rage and make them try to track me down.

It wasn’t time. Not yet.

I pulled my thumb back and shut off the screen.

The plane flew east, into a sea of churning clouds. I didn't bother to look.