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1474 Words
Clarissa started howling the moment I stepped out of Ethan’s mother’s office. I wasn’t used to having a wolf inside me, and her cry caught me completely off guard.
“What’s wrong with you? Shouldn’t I be the one crying right now?”
“How can you leave him? He’s our mate! You can’t do this!”
I rushed to the car without looking back and was deeply grateful it started with a fingerprint sensor—because there was no way I was going back upstairs, where she was, just to grab my keys, let alone pack clothes. All of that could go to hell.
“I can, and I’m doing it,” I told Clarissa. “You heard it yourself—I rejected him. The only thing that matters to me now is going to get my parents.”
Clarissa didn’t take my answer well.
“If you’re not going back to him, then you can forget about having me around too.”
The last thing I needed at that moment was to deal with my wolf, especially when what I needed most was her support. But apparently, she was on Ethan’s side—and I couldn’t entirely blame her. Clarissa had come to me the moment Ethan recognized me as his mate. In a way, she was like his daughter, like a part of him living inside me.
“If you think you can manipulate me like that, you’re wrong. I lived twenty-one years without a wolf—I can live another twenty without your presence.”
“If that’s your answer, Nellie, then so be it.”
As the engine roared to life, Clarissa’s howl also fell silent. The vehicle started moving, and in the rearview mirror I caught sight of Ethan, standing in the doorway—and a moment later, I saw her step out and grab his arm.
I nearly crashed into the outer gate, overwhelmed with rage at that sickening image—but at the same time, I felt a burden lift from my shoulders as I finally drove away from the pack house.
I won’t lie—driving to the city wasn’t easy. I went through all the tissues in the glovebox, and by the time I reached my parents’ apartment, my eyes were so swollen they could’ve easily believed Ethan had hit me.
“Sweetheart, what—?” my mother exclaimed when she opened the door, startled.
I couldn’t hold back. I threw myself into her arms, soaking her new blouse with my tears.
“I rejected him, Mom,” I said when I could finally speak through the sobs. “It’s over. My brief fifteen minutes of happiness are gone.”
I explained everything that had happened, and my mother’s face shifted through at least twenty expressions—surprise, anger, sadness, shock, anger again, and finally… understanding.
“What are you going to do now?” she asked gently.
“We have to leave,” I said. “We need to get out of the pack. I can’t live as an ex-Luna—much less under his roof, watching them together at official events. That would be unbearable.”
My mother understood completely and promised to support me.
My father walked in just then, and we filled him in—but to our surprise, he already seemed to suspect something.
“That explains what happened at the plant today,” he said grimly. “I got a call from the company president informing me I’d been fired.”
“What?” I gasped.
My father gave us a weary look.
“I reacted the same way, sweetheart. I asked him why—I’ve only been in the position for a few weeks, the one they gave me after your wedding to the Alpha—but he refused to explain. He just said it was a direct order from one of the offices at the pack house.”
I went pale instantly.
Only one name came to mind: Claire.
It had to be her. What other offices existed in the pack house besides mine and the one created for Ethan’s mother? And I hadn’t given that order.
“In any case, sweetheart, if what you want is for us to pack up and leave the pack, then that job wouldn’t have done me any good anyway,” my father said. “If we’re leaving, we should go soon—before they decide to block us from getting out.”
My chest tightened.
“Block us? What do you mean, Dad?”
I saw my parents exchange a heavy glance.
“You can’t just walk away from a pack, sweetheart,” my mother said. “Not when you’re omegas.”
I held my breath.
I’d never had to confront that truth before—not because I didn’t know it, but because I’d always thought of leaving from the position of Luna. Not as the ordinary omega I’d been just weeks ago.
“Do you think…? Do you think Ethan would go that far?” I asked.
They both shrugged.
“I’m just saying it’s a possibility,” my mother explained. “And if they were already willing to fire your father, it means they’re determined to punish you for what you’ve done.”
“They’re Alphas, dear,” my father added. “Maybe we don’t think that way, but they do. You wounded their pride—and to an Alpha, even a Beta, there’s nothing more painful.”
“But Ethan…” I began, only to realize just how little I truly knew him.
That morning, I would’ve sworn on my life that he’d never betray me. Anyone suggesting he’d sleep with his Beta, I’d have called a liar—or jealous.
“In that case, let’s not waste any time. Let’s pack only the essentials. I’ve got some savings, and an emergency fund they gave me when I became Luna. We’ll start with that—wherever we go. Later, we can arrange to sell the apartment remotely through an agency.”
My parents agreed, and without wasting another second, we started packing whatever clothes we could fit into a single travel suitcase.
“Anything we’re missing, we’ll buy on the road,” I said, helping my dad close the overstuffed bag. “Let’s go.”
We were just stepping out of the apartment, dragging the heavy suitcase toward my car, when two men in black suits blocked our way.
I recognized them immediately.
They were from the pack’s security team.
“Miss Moore,” said the taller of the two—a Gamma who had opened the door to my office just that morning. “You need to come with us.”
The first thing that struck me was that he hadn’t called me Luna—but I let it slide.
My dad moved as if to drop the suitcase, but I tightened my grip and kept walking as if the Gammas weren’t even there.
“Excuse me, Robert. I’m leaving. I don’t have time to go anywhere with you.”
Neither of them moved.
“We have orders to bring you with us, miss—and to prevent your parents from leaving,” Robert insisted.
“What’s your problem? Have you forgotten I’m the Luna of this pack? You can’t forbid me from anything,” I snapped, though I was starting to feel their Gamma aura press against me—and I didn’t have my wolf.
Even so, I saw the discomfort in their eyes. I knew that, for them, this wasn’t easy. I could use that.
“Come on, Robert, I helped your daughter get an invitation to the pair-bonding gala. Are you really going to do this to me? To your Luna?”
Sweat broke out across Robert’s forehead. I could tell that, if it were up to him, he’d step aside right now. But something—or someone—was stopping him.
I didn’t have to wait long to find out who.
“You’re no longer the Luna of this pack,” said a voice I recognized immediately.
The sound of her steps made me nauseous. The way she walked—as if the earth owed her reverence.
“Ethan told me what happened in his mother’s office. After your rejection, she’s once again our rightful Luna.”
Serena’s eyes sparkled with more than just smug satisfaction as she approached.
Robert and his companion stepped aside for her.
“So, omega, obey your superiors and come with us. Now.”
There was no point resisting.
My last hope of escaping Moon’s Fang had vanished the moment Serena appeared.
I swallowed hard and let go of the suitcase.
I wanted to promise my parents that we’d see each other again soon—
but I knew, deep down,
it was probably a lie.
- Writer
