Ava POV
I wrenched my arm free.
The Alpha Command pressed down on me like a physical weight, but my rejection had fractured the hold. He couldn't fully control me anymore.
Ethan staggered back, blinking, stunned that I hadn't crumbled to my knees.
"I am terminating your proxy over my affairs," I said, my voice shaking but resolute.
I reached into my bag and retrieved the document I had printed at the library earlier.
"This is my resignation," I said, slamming it onto the small table between us. "And this is a declaration of financial severance. I am waiving my right to the Luna stipend. I am waiving my right to Pack housing."
I grabbed a pen and signed my name at the bottom. The ink was black and permanent.
*Ava Miller.*
"There," I said. "I'm nothing to you now. Just a rogue passing through."
Ethan stared at the paper. He looked like a child whose favorite toy had just broken itself. "You... you can't survive out there. You have no money. You have no protection."
"I'd rather die free than live as your pet," I spat.
He opened his mouth to argue, to threaten, maybe even to force the Command again.
Suddenly, a shrill scream shattered the tension.
"Ethan! Ethan, it hurts!"
Chloe burst into the cabin. She was clutching her arm. There was no blood, no visible wound, but she was sobbing hysterically.
"My arm! The rogue... I think the rogue scratched me! It's burning!"
It was a lie. I had watched the rogue attack. Her skin was unblemished. She just couldn't stand that he was with me, even if he was yelling at me.
Ethan’s face changed instantly. The anger vanished, extinguished by panic.
"Chloe!" He rushed to her, wrapping his arms around her. "Let me see."
"It hurts so much, baby," she whimpered, burying her face in his neck, shooting a smirk at me over his shoulder.
"I've got you," he cooed, lifting her into his arms. He turned to the door, carrying her out.
He stopped at the threshold and looked back at me. For a second, he looked at the resignation papers, then at me.
"Leave," he said coldly. "If you're still here by sunrise, I'll have the warriors hunt you down as a trespasser."
He walked out into the night, whispering soft words to the woman who was faking an injury to control him.
I watched them go.
And just like that, the last thread snapped. Not the mate bond—that was already gone. But the bond of history, of friendship, of hope.
I didn't cry. I just felt lighter.
I finished packing. It took ten minutes. I took my badge, my clothes, and a few sketches. I left the furniture. I left the clothes he had bought me.
I walked out of the cabin and didn't lock the door.
A few days later, I was miles away, staying in a cheap motel on the outskirts of human territory. I logged onto a public computer to check the Pack news feed—a bad habit I needed to break.
Ethan had posted a statement.
*Alpha Ethan Reed is proud to announce his official courtship with Chloe Vance. A new era for the Moonstone Pack.*
Attached was a photo. They were sitting under the Laurel tree. *My* Laurel tree. Ethan was looking at her with that same adoring gaze he used to give me when we were kids. It was a perfect imitation of love.
The comments were flooding in.
*So happy for you, Alpha!*
*She's so much prettier than the historian.*
*Finally, a real Luna.*
I stared at the screen. I waited for the pain. I waited for the jealousy to claw at my throat.
But there was nothing. Just a vast, empty silence.
It was like looking at a photo of strangers.
I closed the browser. I stood up and walked to the window. The sun was rising, painting the sky in hues of orange and gold.
I pressed a hand to my chest. My heart was beating. Slow. Steady. Wholly mine.
I was empty, yes. But an empty cup can be filled.
I picked up my bag. I had heard of a pack in the north, the Silver Lake Pack. They valued art. They valued history.
I wasn't Ava of the Moonstone Pack anymore.
"I am Olivia," I whispered to the empty room, testing the weight of the syllables. "Olivia Carter."
I opened the door and stepped out into the morning light. I didn't look back.
