But now? I see things clearly.
I looked at my phone and set a countdown timer. Seven days. Seven days, and I’d be gone.
For good.
From now on, I wouldn’t disturb the three of them anymore. And they could keep their little moonflower.
Allison’s POV
I closed my bedroom door quietly, clicking the latch into place.
The house had fallen into a strange lull after the chaos of the party downstairs. The scent of wolves in heat from dancing, the tang of alcohol, the faint burn of moon-blessed candles — all of it still lingered in the air, even up here.
I crossed to the corner table and dropped the heavy vinyl onto the turntable. A low scratch, then the calming hum of strings and wind instruments filled the room, drowning out what little noise still drifted up from below.
This was how I survived nights in the Hawthorn Pack. With the door locked, the music loud enough to blot out their laughter.
Now that I’d decided to go back to Plum Blossom and marry as my parents wished, I knew I’d have to resign my post here. Being Alpha Caden’s war strategist had been my bargain to remain in Hawthorn — my claws and my mind in exchange for safety.