Elaine walked out of the Alpha’s office, her chest tight with the weight of everything she had just endured. Every step felt heavier than the last, yet her mind was clear. She wanted to leave. Not just the office, not just the suffocating walls of the pack house, but the entire pack itself. She longed to turn her back on all of it, to disappear into the wilderness where no one could find her. But she couldn’t—not yet. Too many eyes, too many obligations still bound her to this place. For now, all she could do was escape the pack house.
Her footsteps echoed against the polished floors as she moved through the long halls.
Members of the pack passed by, their eyes flickering toward her before quickly looking away. None of them dared to stop her. None of them spoke her name. They didn’t need
