Chapter 3: Leaving the Pack Lands
1253 Words
The black SUV ate up the miles in silence, the only sound the low hum of the engine and Sofia’s occasional shaky breaths. Dawn painted the sky in soft pinks and golds, but there was nothing soft about the way her heart felt—like it had been shredded and stitched back together with rusty wire. Every bump in the road sent fresh echoes of pain through the broken mate bond.
She kept one hand pressed to her stomach, protective, almost reverent. The tiny spark inside her was the only thing keeping her from falling apart completely.
“You’re all I have now,” she whispered so quietly the driver couldn’t hear. “Just you and me, little one.”
The driver was a human contact she’d paid extra to ask no questions. Smart man. He kept his eyes on the road and his mouth shut as they crossed the invisible border that separated Blackwood territory from the neutral lands. Sofia watched the pine trees thin out, replaced by open fields and then the first signs of human civilization—billboards, gas stations, power lines. Each mile felt like another stitch sealing her old life shut.
Back at the pack house, chaos was probably just beginning.
Julian Blackwood stood on the balcony of the Alpha suite, knuckles white as he gripped the railing. The morning light did nothing to warm the ice in his chest. His wolf paced restlessly inside him, snarling and howling in a loop that refused to stop.
She’s gone. Our mate is gone.
“She was never going to be enough,” he muttered to himself, but the words tasted like ash.
Heavy footsteps approached. Marcus, his Beta and closest friend since they were pups, stepped onto the balcony. The big man’s face was tight with disapproval.
“You really did it,” Marcus said flatly. “In front of the entire pack. You rejected your fated mate like she was nothing.”
Julian didn’t turn around. “The pack needs strength. Valeria can give us that. Sofia… she has no wolf. No power. She would’ve been torn apart the moment enemies smelled weakness.”
Marcus let out a bitter laugh. “You keep telling yourself that, Alpha. But I saw your face last night. I heard your wolf howl like someone was killing it. You’re already regretting this.”
“I don’t regret doing what’s necessary.” Julian’s voice came out sharper than intended. “The bloodline has grown weak. No True Alphas in decades. If I don’t secure strong heirs, this pack will fall. Valeria’s lineage is pure warrior stock. She’s already proven herself in battle.”
“And Sofia?” Marcus pressed. “The woman who stood by you for two years? Who loved you even when you were at your coldest? You’re just going to pretend she never mattered?”
Julian’s jaw clenched so hard it ached. He could still feel the warmth of her body against his car last night. The taste of her tears. The way her eyes had burned with hurt and defiance.
“She’ll be fine,” he said, more to convince himself. “I’ll have scouts check on her periodically. From a distance.”
Marcus shook his head. “You’re a fool, Julian. The Moon Goddess doesn’t make mistakes. And something tells me you just threw away more than you realize.”
The Beta walked away, leaving Julian alone with the howling in his head and the strange emptiness spreading through his chest.
Sofia arrived at the regional bus station just as the morning crowd began to swell. She bought her ticket with cash, keeping her head down and her ruined white dress hidden under a borrowed hoodie from the SUV driver. The bus to Silverhaven would leave in twenty minutes. Twenty minutes until she truly disappeared.
She found a quiet bench in the corner and sat down, legs trembling. The bond pain was getting worse again—deep waves that made her vision blur. It felt like someone was slowly pulling her insides apart.
Just breathe, she told herself. For the baby.
A strange warmth bloomed in her chest, different from the pain. It spread through her veins like sunlight breaking through clouds. For a split second, her senses sharpened. She could hear the couple arguing three benches away. Smell the coffee cart fifty feet down the platform. Feel the exact rhythm of the pregnant woman’s heartbeat sitting across from her.
Sofia’s eyes widened.
Was that… her wolf? Had the rejection somehow unlocked something that had always been dormant inside her?
The moment passed as quickly as it came, leaving her dizzy and drained. She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, trying to steady herself.
“Miss? Are you alright?” An older woman with kind eyes paused in front of her.
Sofia forced a small smile. “Just a little travel sick. I’ll be fine once I’m on the bus.”
The woman nodded and moved on, but Sofia’s heart raced. She couldn’t draw attention. Not here. Not when Julian might still send people after her.
She closed her eyes and tried to focus on memories. The good ones. Julian’s rare smiles. The way he’d trace patterns on her bare back after making love. The promises he’d whispered under the stars.
All lies.
Anger began to mix with the grief, sharpening it into something useful. She would not be broken. She would not let their child grow up knowing his father had thrown them away like garbage.
The bus pulled in with a loud hiss. Passengers began boarding. Sofia stood up, clutching her small bag, and joined the line.
Halfway up the steps, another wave of pain slammed into her. This one was vicious. Her knees buckled. She grabbed the railing, biting back a cry. The driver glanced at her with concern.
“Ma’am?”
“I’m okay,” she gasped. “Just… need to sit down.”
She made it to a window seat near the back and collapsed into it, forehead pressed against the cool glass. The bus filled up slowly. Families. Students. People starting new chapters, just like her.
As the engine rumbled to life, Sofia allowed herself one last look toward the direction of Blackwood territory. In the distance, she thought she saw dark vehicles moving fast—maybe pack enforcers?
No. She was being paranoid.
The bus pulled out of the station. Sofia exhaled shakily and placed both hands over her belly.
“We’re free,” she whispered. “We’re going to be okay.”
But freedom came at a price. The mate bond pain intensified with every mile, like invisible chains trying to drag her back. Her vision started spotting. Cold sweat broke across her forehead. The new warmth in her chest flickered again—stronger this time—almost like something inside her was fighting back against the pain.
She fought to stay conscious. The world tilted. Voices around her became muffled.
A single thought cut through the haze:
They’re coming.
Her eyes fluttered open just enough to see a black luxury vehicle speeding up behind the bus on the highway. Tinted windows. Blackwood pack plates.
Julian’s people.
Sofia’s heart stuttered. She tried to sit up straighter, but another brutal wave of pain ripped through her. Her hand tightened protectively around her stomach as darkness crept in at the edges of her sight.
The last thing she saw before passing out was the vehicle pulling alongside the bus, windows rolling down.
- Writer
