Instead, she began preparing her departure.
Quietly, without informing Nathanie, she sent an application to the Northern Territories’ Healing Corps—a role assigned to wolves who traveled beyond their homeland to treat injured packs in conflict zones.
It was dangerous work. Far from the safety of their borders.
But distance was exactly what she needed.
When the Alpha Council’s seal arrived approving her transfer, she felt neither relief nor triumph—only a steady calm.
She would leave this territory.
Leave the manor.
Leave him.
And when the time came, she would not look back.
---
She stood before Elder Rowan, the head of the Healing Council, her spine straight despite the weight in her chest.
“Elder, I am requesting deployment beyond the Western Sea. I wish to join the Border Relief Pack as a field healer.”
The elder’s brows lifted in surprise.
“With your standing and skill, Adriana, you would thrive here. Your mating ceremony is set for the next moon cycle. Leaving now will cause talk.”
Adriana understood what he truly meant. An engaged Luna abandoning her territory was more than gossip—it was scandal.
But her wolf was tired.