My fingers clenched around the phone as I replied, “Browse the pack’s chat if you want to know what I mean. You’re a regular celebrity there now.”
Before he could respond, I hung up. My hand shook as I placed the phone down, but I didn’t let myself dwell on it. I’d made my decision, and I wouldn’t let him waver it. I looked around his apartment—no, it was never really ‘our’ home, just a place I’d existed in, trying to hold on to someone who never fully belonged to me.
The foods I’d prepared were now cold. I packed them into containers, then gathered my things, knowing I didn’t want to wake up here anymore. The life I’d clung to was as empty as this apartment now.
I left without looking back, heading straight to my parents’ old place on the edge of pack territory. My small, isolated home—a gift they’d given me after I’d graduated—felt like the only haven I had left. Desar had convinced me to leave it behind to be closer to him, but it was all a lie, just like his promises.
That night, the silence of the house felt comforting. I hadn’t realized how stifling it was, living under his shadow, in his space, until I was back here on my own. I lay down, feeling a strange, heavy emptiness, but also a small spark of relief.
That quiet night didn't end silent after all. The coming of age year is also when I'm shifting for the first time. Without my mate next to me, the shift was so painful to the point that I could die.
There were a few cases where female wolves died, anda rare case of them surviving the shift without a mate.
My bones cracked and twisted in unimaginable positions. My sight turned all black until it got clearer and became ten times better.
The next thing I heard was my voice screaming at the top of my lungs until it sounded like a howl under the full moon.
The next morning, I woke up in my room, my clothes folded neatly on top of my study table. I knew my mom prepared it for me.
I am one of the rare cases of a female wolf that survived the shift without Desar.
I couldn't remember what happened that night, but what matters was I survived.
After putting my clothes on, I checked my phone and saw Desar’s messages were waiting for my reply.
‘What’s gotten into you?’
‘Come back when you’re ready to stop being so difficult.’