As I unpacked, my mind kept drifting back to Lukas’s words—his promises, his lies. And then, suddenly, the weight of the betrayal hit me again. This time, though, it wasn’t crushing. It was fuel. My anger, my pain, all of it turned into fire. I could feel my wolf stirring, sensing the power in the shift.
I grabbed my phone, my fingers trembling as I typed a message to Selene. “I’m ready. Set it all up. I’m leaving everything behind.”
Before I could second-guess myself, I hit send. I had no room for doubt. No room for fear.
Lukas’s call came an hour later. I let it ring, knowing full well it wasn’t going to change anything. When it finally stopped, my phone buzzed again. A voicemail.
“Ayla…” Lukas’s voice sounded different, strained. “Please don’t do this. I—I don’t know how to fix this, but I can. You’re not nothing. You’re my everything. Don’t leave me.”
I stared at the message, my chest tightening. I had been his everything once. Those lies. But now, I am someone else.
There was no going back.
Two days later, Merryl called with the details. The interviews, the job offers, the city—the possibilities stretched out before me like a new dawn.