The full moon was cruel in its beauty—too bright, too still, casting everything in silver that felt more like silence than light. The forest held its breath. Somewhere in the distance, the pack howled, their voices rising in waves that crashed and swirled above the treetops.
Aria stood alone near the edge of the clearing, one hand braced against the rough bark of a pine, the other curled into a trembling fist by her side. She had no plans to join them tonight. Not after everything.
They wouldn’t notice she was missing. Not really.
A week ago, she might’ve stood among them, her pulse in sync with theirs, her place beside the fire, even if always a little to the side. Now, she was just a name they didn’t speak aloud. A vacancy they’d quietly let happen.
Her resignation had been handed in
