My parents stared at me with worry. “Honey, is there a problem?” my mom asked me.
I choked back the tears that threatened to slip from my eyes. “I’m so sorry but…” I cried. “I want to leave the pack.”
The room went deadly quiet, the only sound in the room being the news playing on the television in the background. “What?” my father asked, his eyebrows creased with confusion. “I’m not sure I heard you correctly.”
“I want to leave the pack,” I repeated, wringing my fingers nervously.
My father pressed his lips together, thinking of why his heir had suddenly decided to leave home.
My mom let out a sigh of frustration. “But everyone is here. Your family, your pack and title, Thane…does your mate know?” I shook my head. “Are you running away from Thane?”
My heart clenched as I remembered what he had done and my wolf howled in sorrow before retreating to the back of my mind. Slowly, I lifted my shirt up and showed them the bruises I had woken up yesterday with.
My little brother, Andrew, sprang out of his seat, looking ready to run out the door. “Did he hit you?” he asked calmly. Andrew was always easily annoyed. Knowing him, he would go to Thane at the slightest chance to try and beat him up.
“That’s not it,” my mother whispered, her eyes widened with shock. “With who?”
“Julia. When I was in the hospital, he…”
“He cheated on you with the Gamma’s daughter?” Father asked.
I nodded, unable to speak because of the tears choking my throat. “He…he might force his mark on me.”
My dad’s expression became cold. Forcefully marking someone was one of the most painful things you could do to a wolf. “I see…if you want to leave, I won’t stop you.”
I glanced at his calm expression to check if he was serious. He smiled and nodded at me. My heart soared. “Thanks, Dad.”
He waved his hand as if swatting a fly away. “I’m a little concerned. Where will you go?”
I glanced back at Mom. “W-Well, I was thinking of joining Aunt Maggie.”
Mom raised an eyebrow. “You want to be a wandering hunter?”
I nodded. “It’ll be winter soon. No pack would want an extra mouth to feed unless the said extra mouth is contributing to the food.”
Suddenly, the somewhat light mood in the room plummeted. “You'll have to escape in the middle of the night,” Mom whispered so lowly that I had to strain my ears to hear her.
“What of the Alpha?” I asked worriedly.
“We'll cover for you. In the meantime, we'll start training Andrew to take your place,” Dad added. I glanced at Andrew. He nodded with a nervous smile.
Despite the reassuring words, I could see them fidgeting. It wasn't just going to blow over when Alpha found out. He might punish them or worse, have the whole pack looking for me. Tears filled my eyes at the willingness to take the fall. “Are you sure? If it will cost you that–”
Dad patted my head. “We're your parents. Allow us to worry about you.” I nodded. “Tonight won't be too early, will it?”
I shook my head. “I want to leave as soon as possible.”
