Sienna's POV:
Dawn had barely broken when I started moving. Gray morning light filtered into the room, finding me already awake, already decided. No hesitation. I pulled a nondescript suitcase from the closet and began packing methodically, passing over the racks of couture gowns and designer handbags Leo had bought—not gifts, but a uniform. The costume of Sienna Everly, the Alpha's mate. I wasn't her anymore.
I packed only a few simple, comfortable outfits I'd bought for myself. Jeans, a soft cashmere sweater, a plain white t-shirt. Things a real person would wear. Then I carefully placed the box of design sketches inside. It was the heaviest thing in the suitcase—my past and future, all in one.
At Aiden's bedroom door, my hand hovered over the knob. The room was empty; he was with Leo. Just as well. A sharp pang shot through my chest, an instinctive ache for my child, but I pushed it down. How do you face a son who calls another woman "Mommy"? I didn't have the answer yet.
Suitcase in hand, I crept down the grand staircase. The house was silent; the staff wouldn't be up for another hour. But in the main foyer, a figure stood by the door. Mrs. Kowalski, the head housekeeper. Her silver hair was neatly pinned, her uniform immaculate even at this hour. The only person in this cold estate who'd ever shown me genuine warmth.
"Madam," she said, her eyes falling to my suitcase with gentle concern. "Are you going somewhere so early?"
My heart seized. I forced a calm, practiced smile. "Mrs. Kowalski. Yes, a last-minute business trip. The bank is sending me to Chicago for a few days." The lie felt slick and ugly. "Leo knows, of course. It was so sudden I didn't have time to inform you."
She looked at my single small suitcase, then at my pale face. I saw doubt in her eyes, but her loyalty was to the house, and I was still, for now, its Luna. She didn't press. "Travel safely, Madam. Shall I have a driver bring the car around?"
"No, thank you. I've already called a car." I couldn't risk a Sterling driver. No trail.
When I stepped out the massive front doors, the crisp morning air felt like a baptism. I dragged the suitcase behind me, the wheels noisy on the pristine cobblestone driveway. I took a deep breath—the first breath of my new life. It tasted like freedom.
I opened the Uber app and typed in an address in Brooklyn, a small one-bedroom apartment I'd leased months ago under a false name. A desperate contingency plan I'd never truly believed I would use. When the black sedan pulled up, I took one last look at the magnificent prison I'd called home for eight years. No sadness, no nostalgia. Only goodbye.
As the car pulled away, I watched the estate shrink in the rearview mirror until it was gone. Sienna Everly is dead, I told myself. Today, I am Lyra. A designer.
My phone vibrated. A text from Clara: "10 a.m. My office. I'll have the full suit of armor ready for you." For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, a real, genuine smile touched my lips.
The Uber stopped in front of a modest brownstone apartment building, worlds away from the opulence of the Upper East Side. It was perfect. The apartment was small, but the morning sun poured through the large windows, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. It felt real.
I dropped my suitcase on the hardwood floor. The first thing I took out wasn't my clothes—it was the box. I knelt and spread my sketches across the floor. Dresses, coats, gowns—a riot of color and form and passion. They instantly brought the empty room to life. Brought me back to life.
In the small bathroom, I looked at my reflection. A pale, tired woman with haunted eyes stared back: the docile Luna. I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on my face. When I looked up again, the fear in my eyes had been replaced by something hard and sharp.
I went back to my suitcase and pulled out a dress—a simple black sheath with an asymmetrical neckline I'd designed and sewn myself years ago. I put it on. The fabric settled over my body like a second skin. An armor of my own making. The transformation had begun.
