Lucas’s eyes widened in shock as he urgently called out, "Ava, what are you doing? It’s too cold! Stop now!"
I threw the empty cup to the ground and flashed him a smile.
"Ava, what have you done?" Lucas's voice was laced with a mixture of anger and worry, but I knew it was all an act.
I tried to speak, but my voice was barely a whisper. "You... lied to me, Lucas. You knew the truth about my mother's death, and you lied."
Lucas's expression faltered for a moment, and I saw a glimmer of guilt in his eyes. But it was quickly replaced by a mask of indifference. "Ava, you're not thinking clearly. The cold in your veins has affected your mind.”
My wolf, filled with anger and resentment, lost its control, and I had to shift, though my form was only half and looked very disturbing. Lucas chuckled, he immediately said, “Stop shifting, Ava. You will exhaust the moonstone in your chest. Don’t shift, please.”
Lucas reached out to grab me, but Ember quickly stepped in his way.
"Uncle, I'm feeling a little off. I think it's because Auntie's wolf is so unstable..." Lucas’s eyes lingered on my retreating figure for a moment, his hesitation palpable, but he didn't chase after me.
That night, Lucas never came back. I packed up all my things and left our den, watching as the trees disappeared into the distance.
It wasn't until the next day that he finally called me through the enchanted stone,"Ava, I was wrong yesterday. I know your inability to control your shifts is a deep wound, and I shouldn't have said those things."
"But Ember is still traumatized, having watched you like that. I'm worried something will happen to her, and I won't be able to protect her. As her uncle, I need to take care of her."
I replied, my voice cold and distant, "It's okay. I was impulsive yesterday. You should take care of her."
"You've been struggling to control your shifts, so you must be exhausted. I'll arrange for you to meet with the pack's elder tomorrow. She'll help you learn to control your wolf."
"Okay."
But the next morning, Lucas didn't show up. It didn't matter. Not every goodbye had to be spoken in person. I placed the divorce papers on the table and walked out the door.
At the forest's edge, Lucas called again, his voice full of regret. "Sorry, Ava, I have a pack meeting that ran late. I won't be able to meet with you until tonight. I'll send someone to pick you up."
"Tomorrow is the full moon. After the pack's run, I'll perform the ritual and change the moonstone in your chest."
It was the perfect excuse, one that could easily cover up a lie. What Lucas didn't know was that he was still wearing the pink gem pendant that I gifted him on our wedding anniversary, the same as I wore around my neck. It could share our location to each other whenever we wanted.
Tracing his location through my pendant, I knew Lucas had taken Ember to the pack's sacred hunting grounds, a place reserved for mates and family.
"Okay, I was actually planning to give you a gift, too." I said.
"Really? I can't wait to see it."
After hanging up, I took one last glance at the forest, then walked away without a second look back, took off the pink gem pendant and crushed it under my legs. Lucas, goodbye.
On the other side, after sharing the hunt with Ember, Lucas took her out for a candlelit dinner. Only after that did they rush to Lucas's ritual chamber to prepare the herbs required for transplanting another stone in my chest.
He waited for a long time, but I didn't not show up. Worried, he tried to contact me with the enchanted stone, but couldn't catch up. His heart began panicking as he knew I desperately needed my moonstone exchanged with a new one. As if remembered something only now, he took out his pendant in haste and tried to trace my location. But unfortunately, it wasn't working either.
“Ava…” he whispered in a hoarse voice, “Time is slipping, where are you?”
