Chapter 3: The Final Goodbye
923 Words
Lena’s POV:
The night air was thick with tension, pressing against my skin like a suffocating blanket. The moon hung heavy above the treetops, casting pale light over the Shadowfang Pack’s territory.
My home. At least, it had been.
Not anymore.
The duffel bag at my feet felt heavier than it should. It wasn’t the clothes or the belongings stuffed inside—it was the weight of what I was leaving behind.
My family. My friends. The life I had spent years building. All of it is erased by six words spoken by the one person I thought would always stand beside me.
“I, Alpha Killian Blackwood, reject you.”
I sucked in a breath, my fingers tightening around the strap of my bag. I wouldn’t cry. I refused to shed another tear over him.
A creak on the porch steps made me turn. My father, Ex-Beta Gregor Calloway, stood there, his grizzled face partially shadowed by the dim lantern light.
He didn’t speak right away, only watching me with those sharp eyes that had seen too much. Eyes that had watched me break apart over the last few hours.
“You’re really going,” he said finally, his voice rough.
I nodded, my throat too tight to speak.
He exhaled heavily, stepping closer. “Lena, I won’t stop you. You’re a grown woman, and I know why you need to do this. But I need you to understand something before you go.”
I swallowed hard. “What?”
“If you leave now, there’s no coming back.” His gaze was steady, filled with the quiet authority he had always carried.
“Leaving the pack, especially under these circumstances, means forfeiting your place here. You won’t be granted the same respect or protection if you ever return.”
I clenched my jaw. “I know.”
His expression darkened. “Do you? Do you really understand what this means? You won’t just be leaving Killian behind—you’ll be leaving your rank, your status, your entire history. The wolves outside this pack will see you as a rogue. They won’t care that you’re my daughter.”
I squared my shoulders. “Then I’ll make them care.”
A flicker of something crossed his face—pride, maybe, or sorrow. He sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. “You’re strong, Lena. Stronger than most. But strength won’t shield you from the dangers out there.”
“I’d rather face danger than stay here and watch him move on,” I admitted, the raw truth slipping from my lips before I could stop it.
My father’s shoulders sagged. “I failed you.”
“No,” I said quickly, shaking my head.
“You did everything you could. This isn’t your fault. It’s mine for believing in a bond that was never meant to be.”
For a long moment, we stood in silence, father and daughter, warrior and Ex-Beta. Then, finally, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small dagger, its hilt wrapped in worn leather.
He pressed it into my palm.
“This was your mother’s,” he murmured. “She carried it when she left her own pack to be with me.”
I curled my fingers around the blade, my chest tightening. “Dad—”
“Take it,” he said firmly. “Not just as a weapon, but as a reminder."
You are more than this pack, Lena. More than Killian’s rejection. You are Calloway blood. And Calloways do not break.
A lump formed in my throat. I threw my arms around him, burying my face against his shoulders.
“I love you.”
He hugged me fiercely before stepping back. “Go. Before I change my mind and lock you in your room.”
I managed a watery smile before slinging my bag over my shoulder and stepping off the porch. Every step away from my home was a battle against the instinct screaming at me to turn back.
But I didn’t. I kept moving, even when my wolf whimpered in my mind, even when my heart begged me to stay.
By the time I reached the pack’s border, I knew there was no turning back.
I inhaled deeply, then stepped into the unknown.
And just like that, Lena Calloway of the Shadowfang Pack was gone.
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Killian’s POV:
The whiskey burned as it slid down my throat, but it did nothing to dull the ache in my chest. I sat alone in my office, staring at the flickering candle on my desk, drowning in thoughts I didn’t want to have.
“She’s leaving.”
Marcus’s words from earlier wouldn’t stop echoing in my head. I should have been relieved. This was what I wanted, wasn’t it? For
Lena to move on, to forget about me and find a life beyond the Shadowfang Pack.
Then why did it feel like my wolf was clawing to break free, howling at me to stop her?
I clenched my jaw, gripping the edge of my desk. This was for the best. She would find a new path, and I would fulfill my duty as Alpha.
So why did it feel like I had just made the biggest mistake of my life?
I didn’t move. Not when the clock struck midnight. Not when the scent of her—wildflowers and rain—began to fade from the pack lands.
And definitely not when my wolf whispered the one word that threatened to break me completely.
Mate!!!!!.
- Writer
