Episode2
1381 Words
I wasn’t just packing clothes—I was packing up my entire life for the next two months. And it felt like a death sentence.
I sighed as I yanked yet another dress from my closet, tossing it onto the chaotic pile of clothes in my suitcase. The knot in my stomach tightened with every piece of clothing I folded.
I wasn’t ready for this.
I didn’t want to be ready for this.
Each dress I folded, every sweater I stuffed into my suitcase—it all felt like I was preparing for a prison sentence. Two months away from my pack. Two months away from everything I knew.
And for what?
Some political nonsense my father wanted me to be part of.
I sighed, grabbing another stack of clothes from my closet, shoving them into the suitcase with far more force than necessary.
“You know,” Lily said from her comfortable position on my bed, “you could at least pretend to have a good attitude about this.”
I turned, narrowing my eyes at her.
She looked completely unbothered, sprawled across my bed like she didn’t have a single care in the world. Her long raven-black hair cascaded over my pillows, and her cat-like green eyes sparkled with amusement as she twirled a loose strand of hair between her fingers.
It was infuriating.
“Why should I?” I muttered, turning back to my suitcase. “I already know this is going to suck.”
She hummed, completely unimpressed by my dramatics. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
Her lips curled slightly, like she was holding back laughter.
Of course, she wasn’t worried.
She had Asher.
Her mate. Her perfectly fated other half.
Of course, she was fine with leaving. She wasn’t being ripped away from the people she loved.
Lily had been ready for this trip from the moment she heard about it. But I knew why.
It wasn’t because she was excited about Castle Draven. It wasn’t even about the Manixa witches she might get to train with.
It was because she got to be with Asher.
She had no reason to dread leaving when the one person she couldn’t live without was coming too.
I turned back to my closet, grabbing another handful of clothes, trying to channel my frustration into packing.
The mate bond was something I understood, but watching it up close made me physically ill.
Lily and Asher had been together since she turned eighteen, and they were still disgustingly in love.
But what really unsettled me?
Asher had known she was his mate for years before she had even turned eighteen.
He had waited—watched over her—never crossing a line. Just… waiting.
It was strange to outsiders, but in our world, it was normal. Werewolves aged differently, so relationships like theirs weren’t unusual. My father was nearly twenty years older than my mother, after all.
Now that Lily was marked, she would age like a werewolf. If she had never found Asher, she would have withered away like a human, dying decades before us.
Witches, unlike werewolves, had human lifespans—unless they were mated.
Then, and only then, would their aging slow to match their mate’s.
I supposed that was a blessing in disguise. At least Lily wouldn’t grow old and die while I still looked like I was in my thirties.
She would age with me now.
The witches of her bloodline—the Cloverian witches—were powerful. But even they had limits.
I knew she was excited about the chance to train at Castle Draven. The Manixa witches had worked alongside the Royal Family for centuries, making them the strongest witches alive.
Lily’s mother, on the other hand, was an entirely different story.
She was powerful, yes. But she was also cold. Detached. Impatient.
Lily was the opposite. She had compassion, patience, and kindness. She had always been more powerful than she realized—stronger than her mother would ever admit.
And now, with the right training, she might finally become the witch she was meant to be.
That was what she was looking forward to.
Me?
I had nothing to look forward to.
I shoved a pair of boots into my suitcase, trying to silence the intrusive thought clawing at my mind.
What if I found my mate at Castle Draven?
What if he was someone I couldn’t leave?
What if, in the span of two months, my life was ripped away from me, just like that?
I hated that thought.
I hated it more than the idea of leaving.
Lily let out an exaggerated sigh. “You’re impossible, you know that?”
I rolled my eyes. “And you’re annoyingly optimistic.”
She chuckled, but before she could retort, my bedroom door slammed open, and Sarah stormed in, her face twisted in fury.
“You b***h!”
I didn’t even flinch. “What again?”
She folded her arms, standing stiffly in the doorway. A storm waiting to explode.
“You get to go to Castle Draven for two months. That’s what.”
I sighed. “Ah. So that’s what this is about.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why do you get to go, and I don’t?”
I smirked. “Maybe because Dad actually trusts me not to embarrass the entire pack?”
Lily snorted. “She’s got a point.”
Sarah growled under her breath, looking ready to pounce.
But I knew she wasn’t really angry. Not deep down.
This was just Sarah being Sarah.
We had always fought—clawed at each other with words and insults—but at the end of the day, we were sisters.
And the truth was… I was going to miss her.
More than I wanted to admit.
She huffed and threw herself onto her bed, glaring at me across the room.
We had shared this space since we were born. We could have moved into Williams’s old room when he left, but we never did.
And now, for the first time ever, I would be sleeping somewhere else.
The realization settled uncomfortably in my chest.
I wasn’t ready.
And I hated that I had no choice.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
After dinner, as I zipped up my suitcase, I heard voices downstairs.
Mom and Dad.
Arguing.
I stepped into the hallway, my heart beating faster.
“…I just don’t think she’s ready,” Mom’s voice was tight, filled with uncertainty.
“She has to be,” Dad responded. “This isn’t just about her. It’s about the pack.”
Mom’s voice rose. “She’s our daughter first, Edward!”
I froze.
“She’s reckless,” Mom continued, voice cracking slightly. “She’s stubborn and hotheaded. What if she… What if something happens?”
Dad let out a slow exhale. “She’ll be fine.”
Silence.
Then, a whisper from my mother.
“…And what if she finds her mate?”
My stomach dropped.
Dad hesitated. Then, softly, he said, “Then we lose her.”
I backed away.
It felt like the air had been sucked out of my lungs.
If I found my mate at Castle Draven…
I wouldn’t be coming home.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
That night, I couldn’t sleep.
Mom’s words replayed in my mind like a cruel, inescapable loop.
"What if something happens to her?"
"What if she finds her mate?"
"Then we lose her."
I tossed. I turned. My wolf grew restless.
I needed air.
So, I snuck outside.
The night air was cold against my skin, but I barely felt it as I stepped into the woods.
Without hesitating, I stripped behind a tree and let my wolf take over.
A sharp crack echoed as my bones shifted, muscles stretching and reforming.
In seconds, I was no longer human.
My fur bristled, catching the moonlight as I stretched, shaking off the last remnants of my transformation.
Then, I ran.
I pushed myself faster, paws pounding against the earth, dodging trees as I tried to outrun the weight in my chest.
But no matter how far I ran…
No matter how fast I moved…
The truth followed me.
Tomorrow, my life would change forever.
And something in my gut told me… my parents sure knew a lot more than they were letting on.
- Writer
