Chapter 2: The Road Beyond His Pack

I refused to cry.

Not in front of Damon.

Not in front of Vanessa.

And definitely not in front of the pack members who had gathered outside the Alpha's residence to watch me leave.

I walked through the entrance with my small travel bag hanging from my shoulder. Every step felt heavier than the last, but I kept my head up.

The pack members whispered as I passed.

Some looked at me with pity. Others looked away, pretending they hadn't heard what happened.

I wondered how many of them already knew.

How long had Damon and Vanessa been laughing behind my back while I continued believing I was loved?

"Serena."

I stopped.

Vanessa stood a few steps behind me, wearing a beautiful smile. She had changed into a cream-colored dress, and her hair fell perfectly over her shoulders.

She looked like someone who had just won something.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Nothing. I just wanted to make sure you're leaving peacefully."

I stared at her.

"Don't pretend to care about me."

Her smile widened slightly.

"You know, I never thought you would make this easy."

I tightened my grip on my bag.

"Make what easy?"

"Leaving Damon."

I almost laughed.

"Believe me, Vanessa. I'm not the one who should be worried about losing him."

Her expression changed.

For a moment, the sweetness disappeared from her face.

Then she stepped closer and lowered her voice.

"You're no longer his mate. You have no place here."

I looked at her for a long moment.

"Then enjoy the place you stole. I hope it gives you everything you wanted."

I turned away before she could answer.

The gates opened, and I walked out.

Behind me, the pack that had once been my home slowly disappeared from view.

I didn't know where I was going. I only knew I couldn't stay there another minute.

The road was quiet, surrounded by tall trees. My phone had barely any battery left, and I had no one I wanted to call.

My parents were gone. My friends had turned out to be nothing more than familiar faces.

And Damon...

I pushed the thought away.

A strange pressure suddenly spread through my chest.

I stopped walking.

Something felt wrong.

My wolf had always been quiet, but now I could almost feel it moving somewhere deep inside me.

I pressed a hand against my chest.

"What's happening to me?"

There was no answer.

I continued walking, but my legs were beginning to feel weak. The rejection had taken more from me than I had expected.

By the time I reached a bend in the road, my vision had started to blur.

I tried to take another step.

Then my knees gave way.

My bag slipped from my shoulder and landed beside me.

I closed my eyes, hoping the dizziness would pass.

Instead, I heard the sound of a vehicle approaching.

A car slowed down nearby.

"Hey!"

A man's voice reached me.

I tried to lift my head, but everything was spinning.

Footsteps approached.

"Miss? Can you hear me?"

I wanted to answer, but my voice refused to come out.

The stranger crouched beside me.

"You're freezing."

He took off his jacket and placed it around my shoulders.

"Look at me. What's your name?"

I forced my eyes open.

A man with dark hair and sharp features was looking down at me. His expression was serious, but there was no cruelty in his eyes.

"Serena," I whispered.

"Serena, I'm Alexander."

He glanced at the empty road before looking back at me.

"Are you hurt?"

I shook my head weakly.

"Where are you coming from?"

I swallowed.

"Blackthorn territory."

His expression changed slightly.

"Blackthorn?"

I nodded.

He didn't ask another question immediately. Instead, he picked up my bag and helped me sit up.

"Can you stand?"

I tried, but my legs trembled.

Alexander caught my arm before I fell again.

"Easy. Don't force yourself."

"I can manage."

"I believe you," he replied calmly. "But you don't have to prove it right now."

For some reason, those words almost made me cry.

I looked away.

Alexander helped me into his vehicle and placed my bag beside me. Before getting into the driver's seat, he made a phone call.

"Maeve, I need you at the house. I've found someone who needs help."

He listened for a moment.

"Yes. I'll explain when I arrive."

When he ended the call, he looked at me.

"There's a healer where I'm taking you. She'll check that you're all right."

"I don't have money to pay you."

"I didn't ask for money."

"I don't even know you."

"That's true," he said, starting the engine. "But I know what it looks like when someone needs help."

I turned towards the window.

The trees moved past us as we drove away from the road where I had fallen.

After a while, I gathered enough courage to ask a question.

"Why did you stop?"

Alexander glanced at me briefly.

"Because you were lying in the middle of the road."

"Most people would have kept driving."

"Then most people made the wrong choice."

I didn't know what to say.

For the first time since leaving Damon's territory, someone had spoken to me without making me feel worthless.

I leaned my head against the seat.

But just as I began to relax, a strange warmth spread through my chest again.

My fingers tightened around the jacket.

A faint voice seemed to whisper from somewhere deep inside me.

Serena...

My eyes widened.

I looked around the vehicle.

"Did you hear that?"

Alexander glanced at me.

"Hear what?"

I stared at him, confused.

The voice came again, softer this time.

Wake up.

My breath caught.

I had spent my entire life believing my wolf was weak.

But whatever I had just heard did not sound weak.

It sounded like something that had been waiting for me.

And now, after all these years, it was finally awake.