Chapter 8

Anna's POV

The cloak was heavier than I expected.

Thick wool. Faded brown. My nose couldn't ignore the smell. It was a mixture of old herbs and pine, Yvonne’s usual comforting scent.

“It’ll help cover your scent,” she muttered, adjusting the hood over my head with her usual fussing. “I’ve packed dried meat, water, and salve in the pouch. Just enough to keep you till you leave this hell.”

I felt numb as I stared at the small brown satchel I held.

“Leaving like this never crossed my mind,” I said with a low tone.

Yvonne sighed, her eyes still fixed on me behind those skewed glasses, “Nothing ever goes the way we imagine.”

I swallowed hard. My chest felt tight.

“I hate this,” I murmured. “All of it.”

“I know,” she said in a low tone, holding my hand tight. “But you've almost arrived.”

Almost. How a word could feel like salvation and a curse baffled me.

She shifted from me and glanced out the window of the storage room we hid in, “Mattias is waiting outside the east wing. Once you cross the inner gate, keep your head low. No one’s gonna stop you. They don’t have the guts.”

I nodded slowly. I’d already said goodbye to what little life I had here. The ghosts of it still clung to me, dirty looks, bruised arms, the sting of rejection. I was ready to shed it like old skin. But of course, the past never let go so easily.

I hadn’t taken five steps into the outer corridor before I heard her voice.

“Oh? Well what do you know… look at the garbage that came back up.”

I stopped moving, curling my fingers into my palm. Laura. Obviously. I turned slowly, lowering my hood just enough to meet her eyes. She looked as perfect as ever. Dressed in a white fur wrap and her shiny Luna pendant, she stood like royalty in the hallway, even though her soul was trash.

“I heard rumors,” she said, smirking. “But I didn’t believe them. You? Leaving with him? How desperate can you get?”

I kept my gaze on her but I remained silent.

She tilted her head in a mocking gesture and said, “Running away to be a second-chance Luna now? After all that humiliation? It’s pathetic.”

I didn’t respond. I refused to give her the satisfaction.

She stepped closer, “Let me guess… he doesn’t know you’re damaged goods yet, does he?”

I stiffened, my hands curling into fists beneath the cloak.

“He’ll find out soon enough,” she hissed, leaning in. “And when he does, he’ll leave just like Gunner did. No one wants a rejected omega slut who couldn’t even keep her first mate.”

“Say another word,” I growled, my voice shaking. “I dare you.”

She smirked, lips parting to speak. But she didn't leave it to chance. A growl, deep and guttural echoed down the corridor. It was low, cold, and carried an edge of pure dominance. Laura's smile cleared from her face.

I turned to see Mattias emerging from the corridor shadows and my heart beat increased. It wasn't ordinary anger, but a lethal look evident on his face. His green eyes radiated the intensity of a growing flame as he came towards us slowly, each step felt like the counting down of the second hand of a clock.

“Get away from her. Now! ” he commanded, with a no-nonsense tone.

Laura backed up the next second, and I saw her lips twitch.

“She was just about leaving,” I said, with a flat tone.

Mattias didn’t even look at me. His gaze stayed fixed on Laura like she was a thorn in his sight.

“You’re lucky I’ve chosen to restrain myself,” he said, with a low tone. “But if you say one more word to her, I'll make sure I'd remind this pack what true fearsome power feels like.”

Laura wanted to say something. Her mouth was already open but no words came out and she shut it again. Smart girl. She didn't speak again. Instead, she turned and walked away till she was out of eye range.

When I exhaled, I realized I was holding my breath. Mattias' gaze stopped tailing Laura and fell on me, his gaze was softer, but no less intense.

“Ready?” he asked.

I nodded in silence. He extended his arm, and I took it. We walked together. Not hurriedly, not like fugitives. But calmly, like we were meant to. As we walked through the central courtyard, the people around looked at us. Pack members were rooted to the spot, with expressions of disbelief.

I saw them. The ones who used to trip me in the halls. The ones who called me names. The ones who told me I would never be anything but a lowly omega. Now, they could only watch silent, as I walked side by side with the Alpha who owned the largest pack in the country.

The man with the power to level cities. The man who chose me.

Gunner was nowhere to be seen. Coward. Of course he wasn’t here. He probably couldn’t stomach the sight of me leaving on my feet instead of crawling.

Each step toward the gate felt like freedom hammering in my chest. Ava was near purring in the back of my mind, her voice warm and smug.

‘We’re finally free,’ she whispered. I nearly cried.

As we reached the outer gates, two guards stood aside without a word. Not even a nod. No one dared stop us.

The air outside was colder. Crisper. The forest loomed just beyond the horizon, dark but full of promise.

Mattias turned to me, “You sure?”

I looked back one last time. The pack. The pain. The betrayal. The ghosts. And then…

“I’ll return one day,” I whispered. “But not like this.”

He raised a brow.

“I’ll take everything. Everything they tried to bury me with.”

And just like that, I turned my back against my pack.

And didn’t look back again.