***Ella***
The evening before we were set to head back to Exton, I found myself feeling unexpectedly downhearted.
It had only been two weeks, but in that short time, I had grown to love this place. The thought of leaving it behind left a dull ache in my chest.
Today had been particularly emotional. While Austin was cooped up in his dad’s office, buried under the weight of pack responsibilities, I had spent the day with Annabelle and Will.
I hadn’t known that Annabelle ran a club during the holidays, one open to all the kids in the pack. The principle was simple but powerful: leave rank at the door. Here, for a few hours, no one was an Alpha’s son or a Beta’s daughter—just kids, spending time together, free from the invisible weight of hierarchy.
I often wondered what had driven Annabe
