A collective gasp ripples through the lodge, yet I stand motionless, stunned shock freezing me in place.

We’re promised to each other. In spite of our differences, in spite of my restless anger, we are loyal to each other.

Or so I thought.

"Leave now," Ethan commands, turning away from me, the finality in his posture severing our bond as promised mates.

I rear back as my understanding snaps in place.

No longer does he consider me his.

I’ve been cut off.

For the first hour, I sob my way through the woods of Whispering Pines like a broken pup, my arms wrapped around my waist, unable to believe my actions led to this.

I’ve lost everything.

The cool night air embraces me, the familiar scents of pine and earth offering small comfort. I pause beneath the towering evergreens, their branches whispering secrets to the moon above.

"Where do I belong?" I whisper to the night, my eyes stinging with more tears waiting to be unleashed. The grandeur of Luna's Veil, which has always been my sanctuary, now seems a vast and alien landscape—one where my defiant spirit roams without a pack, without a home.

"Am I destined to be an outcast, even among my own blood?" My voice cracks, breaking the silence with the vulnerability I rarely allow myself to show. I have fought so fiercely for the right to carve my own path, yet now that path leads away from everything I know.

I feel the gnawing ache of my solitude, a reminder that strength and defiance, while powerful, are not enough to fill the void of belonging. I can't help but wonder if my journey is one of self-discovery or if I am merely a lone howl lost in the night.

Even as my spirit buckles under the weight of exile, something else ignites. The tiny recognition that nothing shackles me.

No one shackles me.

I draw to a halt.

Ethan cut me off. I’m no longer promised to him.

I’m free.

Free from traditions that suppressed me.

Free from Ethan, who I don’t desire to spend my life with.

Something more awaits me. Something bigger.

And now I’m free to find it.

My boots crunch over the frosted underbrush as I venture deeper into Luna's Veil, a world away from the rigid structure of the Blackwood Pack. With each step, the stinging chill of the night air seems to cleanse the remnants of my heated confrontation with Ethan. Here, in the heart of the forest, the moon's ethereal glow filters through the canopy, casting dappled patterns on the ground that dance like spirits welcoming me.

The scents of pine and earth mingle in my nostrils, grounding me in the present moment. I breathe deeply, letting the wildness of the wilderness infuse my lungs, my bloodstream, my very being. The calls of nocturnal creatures are a chorus that speaks of life continuing unabated, regardless of the pettiness of pack politics.

Ethan gave me a chance. He didn’t know it when he let me go, but he’s given me the opportunity to do more. To be more.

Here, there is no one to question my worth, no traditions to bind my fierce heart. The only expectations are those I set for myself.

The terrain grows rugged the farther I push into the forest, and I welcome the test to my body’s limits. Muscles flex and extend with grace, honed by years of survival training. A fallen tree bars my path, its massive trunk a testament to a battle lost against the elements. I vault over it, landing softly on the other side.

I pause at the edge of a stream, its silver ribbon of water reflecting the moon's soft luminescence. Droplets fling into the air as the current clashes with rocks.

Energy pulses through my limbs, and I lower myself into a crouch before breaking into a run. My breaths come in heavy clouds, my heart pounding a wild rhythm against my ribs. The forest around me is alive with nocturnal whispers, the cool touch of night air caressing my heated skin, the soles of my boots gripping the earth beneath.

I stop in a clearing bathed in moonlight, chest heaving, and let out a raw, primal laugh. My voice echoes, mingling with the calls of distant wolves.

Other wolves. I’m close to our territorial boundary.

A rustling from the shadows catches my attention, and I spin around, but I catch his scent before I see him.

Ethan Blackwood. My alpha.

My former mate.

He’s the embodiment of what I fight against, his blue eyes reflecting the moon's glow with an intensity that matches my own.

“Did you follow me?” I growl, and my lips pull back in a snarl.

Running brings out the wolf in me.

Not to mention the wild male scent rolling off him.

“Lyla.” He exhales. “I acted without thinking.”

“Like you always do,” I shoot back. “Exactly like an Alpha should not do.”

He doesn’t acknowledge my insult. "Come back to the pack." His voice rumbles, a plea wrapped in the cloak of command.

For a moment, I tilt toward him. Not even an hour ago, all I wanted was my place back with the pack.

But something changed.

"No." My response is not just a word; it is a declaration.

He glances around us, at the forest, the stream, and his eyes narrow. “You’re too close to Nightshade territory. Do you even realize where you’ve wandered?”

My face flushes hot. In truth, I wasn’t paying attention, and I can’t believe my emotions got in the way of my caution. What an adolescent, rookie mistake.

But I won’t admit that. “It doesn’t matter where I go. I’m free.”

“The Nightshades won’t know that. They’ll kill you if they find you.”

“I’ll take my chances.”

Anger mixed with guilt flashes behind his stoic exterior. "Dammit, Lyla! You would turn to the enemy over your own pack? You belong with us—with me," he insists, striding closer, the air between us crackling with unspoken desire.

"Not anymore," I shoot back, my voice laced with passion, my body unconsciously leaning towards his despite my resolve.

“Don’t make me beg,” he growls, and he grabs my arm and yanks me to him.

I snarl at his touch as heat flames through my body. In a heartbeat, our argument erupts into a primal longing that consumes us both. Ethan grasps my face in his hands, his lips crashing against mine in a frenzy of need. My response is just as fervent, my fingers urgently pulling at his shirt, craving the heat of his skin against mine.

He released his claim on me. Why do I still feel this?

Our kiss is a blend of punishment and absolution, each movement stoking the fire of our connection. I can feel Ethan's inner turmoil through the intensity of his touch, his desperation for me both heartbreaking and intoxicating. I know I shouldn't want him like this—I’m supposed to hate him for all the pain he’s caused me—but I can't deny the pull between us.

As we break apart for air, Ethan's eyes search mine with an intensity that makes my heart skip a beat. "I can't lose you," he breathes, cupping my face again.

Emotional attachment is not part of this game. I try to push him away, but he pulls me closer to him, our bodies pressing together once more. “Don’t leave me,” he says.

And then he kisses me.

I groan against his mouth as his fingers migrate down my thigh, stroking me through my pants. I’m powerless to stop this. Damn you, Ethan! I think. Our kisses are feverish and urgent, the taste of each other filling our mouths as we consume one another with desperate hunger. Each taste is a heady mixture of want and need, driving us both into a frenzied state. His teeth nick my lip, and I snarl, my claws coming out and tearing the shirt from his back.

An almost metallic taste lingers in my mouth, a combination of the sweat and blood that seems to be pouring from me as I surrender to the raw desire pulsing through me. Ethan's hands fall on my hips, tearing my pants away as he hauls me to the forest floor, and then his mouth is between my legs, his tongue working its way between my folds, pleasuring me while I moan, clutching his hair, giving in to the magnetic pull of his body.

I writhe beneath him, completely lost in the sensations coursing through my body. Every touch from Ethan is like a jolt of electricity and I can't get enough, yet I know I should sever the bond between us. But I am helpless under his touch.

Ethan's mouth moves with expert precision, each flick of his tongue bringing me closer and closer to the edge. I hear him growling with pleasure against me, and it only makes me want him more.

Finally, with a cry of ecstasy, I reach my peak. My entire body shakes as waves of pleasure wash over me, and I cling to Ethan desperately. He continues to pleasure me until I come down from the high, kissing his way back up to meet my lips.

My nails dig into Ethan’s back as he positions himself above me.

I can’t let him have me. It’s the one thing I’ve kept from him. He would think I accept him, that I’m coming back to the pack, that I am willing to be his mate.

“No,” I say, pushing him back and kneeling between his legs. My fingers deftly find his throbbing cock and pull it from his pants. “I have something else in mind.”