Dravina POV

Morning arrived slowly, slipping through the curtains in pale shafts of light that cast long, creeping shadows across the room. But even in the light, Cassian's presence clung to the air heavy, suffocating, inescapable.

The shrill buzz of his phone broke the silence.

He answered it briskly, his tone flat but clipped with irritation.

"Arixen," he said, and my stomach twisted instantly.

Why was Arixen calling him?

Panic surged beneath my skin, my heart hammering against my ribs as I strained to catch whatever I could from the conversation. Cassian's voice cooled with each passing word, the sharp edge of anger curling into it like a blade.

"I see," he said darkly, his eyes snapping to mine cold, accusing, and unreadable.

My chest tightened beneath the weight of his gaze. It was as though he could see straight through me. As though every secret I held had suddenly turned transparent.

"Thanks," he said curtly, ending the call.

He set the phone down with precision, then turned fully to face me, the intensity in his stare enough to rob me of breath. His expression was thunderous.

"Did you really think Arixen would side with you?" he asked, voice low and lethal.

I went still, terror clamping around my throat. What had Arixen told him?

Cassian stepped forward, his smile sharp and cruel.

"Throwing yourself at him to get what you want," he spat, his laugh bitter and hollow.

"You really thought you could use him to beg for your parents' safety? You must think very little of him if you believed offering yourself would work. Do you not understand yet, Dravina? I own the West. Every man, every wolf answers to me."

"No," I said quickly, my voice shaking. "I didn't do that, Cassian. You saw he came to me. I only danced with him because I thought you were okay with it. I just asked him about my parents nothing more."

A lie. A fragile one. But a necessary one.

My voice faltered, thick with fear, praying he wouldn't hear the truth buried beneath the surface that I had gone to Arixen, that I'd begged for help. But Arixen had clearly twisted the narrative to save himself, and now I was left to bear the fallout alone.

Cassian stared at me, unmoving, unreadable. The silence stretched, growing heavier, until it became unbearable.

"Please, Cassian," I whispered. "I can't take any more."

For a fleeting second, something shifted behind his eyes regret? Uncertainty?

But whatever it was, it vanished just as quickly, swallowed by the familiar storm of rage.

"You're lucky I have a meeting," he muttered at last, turning away from me.

Relief hit me like a wave but it was fleeting, shallow. I knew this was no pardon. Only a delay.

His fury still smoldered just beneath the surface, waiting for the right moment to burn through again.

He dressed quickly, every movement sharp with tension. Even when his voice was calm, that eerie stillness in his eyes unsettled me.

He crossed the room to his safe. I watched from the bed, every muscle wound tight as he pulled out a stack of documents. The heavy door slammed shut with a metallic finality that echoed through the room.

That safe had always drawn my curiosity. And today, it burned hotter than ever.

I had memorized the combination long ago one small act of rebellion he would never suspect. A silent triumph I'd claimed in the dark.

Cassian gathered his things and strode out, the door clicking shut behind him. As the echo faded, I slipped from the bed, forcing my face into a mask of control even as chaos raged inside me.

I wasn't to blame for the torment he inflicted but the guilt, the shame, the fear... they clung to me like skin. Still, today, I would uncover the truth.

I crossed the room, my breath uneven, my heart thundering. My fingers found the dial. I turned it with precision, each satisfying click a defiance against the cage he'd kept me in.

The door creaked open, revealing rows of meticulously organized folders and stacks of cash.

I sifted through them, hands trembling, until one folder stopped me cold.

My name was printed on the tab.

My pulse spiked.

Why would Cassian have a file on me?

I pulled it free, heart racing, dread coiling deep in my stomach.

Inside, I expected something awful. But nothing could have braced me for what I found.

A bill of sale. My name written across it like a brand.

A contract. A transaction. A price.

I stared in stunned disbelief, breath stalling as the realization hit.

My parents... they weren't my biological parents. They'd sold me to Cassian. Traded me off like a commodity. As if I were furniture. As if I were nothing.

The receipt was cold, clinical, absolute.

The truth struck like lightning. The people I had loved, trusted believed were protecting me had sold me into this nightmare.

It wasn't just the adoption. It wasn't even the lie.

It was the betrayal.

The knowledge that, for six long years, I had clung to Cassian's threats his taunts about my parents' safety believing it meant something.

But it meant nothing.

They had handed me over willingly.

And whatever they gained from that sale had likely funded the peaceful lives they were living now far from the hell that had become my reality.

My knees gave out. I collapsed, the folder tumbling to the ground as a sob tore from my chest.

Tears streamed freely, hot and blinding. The grief, the fury, the heartbreak it all came at once, a storm I couldn't contain.

"This isn't the time," Blue snapped from within, her voice cutting through the noise like a blade.

"This doesn't make you weaker it frees you. Let go. Let them go. It's time to run."

Her fury burned just as fiercely as mine. She was right.

There was nothing left for me. No ties. No loyalty. No more lies.

I wiped my face, swallowing my cries, and forced myself to stand.

The look in Cassian's eyes before he left it hadn't just been anger. It had been a warning. A countdown.

His wrath hadn't disappeared. It was waiting, growing, sharpening its teeth.

I'd tried to escape before. Failed. But this time... this time was different.

Because now the chain had snapped. Now the illusion was gone. Now there was nothing left to hold me here.

Not duty.

Not fear.

Not even hope.

If I stayed, it would destroy me.

And I wouldn't give Cassian that chance.

Not this time.

Dravina POV

There was no time left to second-guess. No space for hesitation or doubt. I had been building toward this moment for years three long, brutal years spent quietly planning, preparing, and waiting for the perfect time to break free.

Every failed attempt before this had come at a devastating cost.

To Cassian, my attempts to escape weren't mere disobedience they were betrayals, each one a challenge to his dominance. And each failure had been met with a wrath that left me bruised, broken, and hollow.

He didn't just punish my body. He fractured my soul, carved away pieces of me until only splinters remained.

But this time would be different.

This time, I wouldn't fail.

Some might have told me to turn to his family. But they were no refuge. They were just like him cold, calculating, and cruel. They never saw me as one of their own. I was the outsider they had tolerated, judged, and quietly hoped would disappear.

And now I understood why. I hadn't been chosen. I had been bought.

I wasn't their Luna. I was a possession. A transaction sealed with ink and cruelty.

Cassian, when he wanted to, could wear the mask of a prince. There were days when he could charm the world, even charm me, into forgetting who he really was beneath the surface. But those days were fleeting. And when the mask cracked, what emerged was a monster that made even nightmares seem merciful.

His remorse was as false as his love. His apologies were poisoned. His affection came wrapped in control.

I had stopped seeing him through the eyes of the girl I once was. Now I saw clearly he was dangerous. Unstable. And worst of all, he believed he loved me.

For years, he had held my parents over me like a blade, knowing that fear would keep me obedient.

But that weapon was gone now.

The truth had torn it from his hands.

The people I had bled to protect, the ones I had wept for and begged him to spare... had sold me. Like an object. Like I was something to be passed off to the highest bidder.

They hadn't loved me. They hadn't cared.

They had traded me for comfort.

And that knowledge freed me.

I no longer owed them loyalty. I owed Cassian nothing. I was done paying for sins that weren't mine.

This time, fear didn't have a hold on me. Guilt had no voice. I wasn't staying.

Because staying meant death. And I wanted to live.

No title, no mate mark, no illusion of power was worth my life. I had to leave. And I had to do it now.

I packed quickly, slipping the bare essentials into a single small bag no clutter, no hint that I was planning to disappear. I knew the packhouse was full of eyes, and many of them belonged to wolves loyal to Cassian. One wrong move, one raised suspicion, and it would all be over before it began.

I took only what I needed to vanish. A small stash of cash from his safe insignificant to a man of his wealth, but enough for me to get out. Far away. Somewhere nameless. Maybe I'd open a little bakery in a town where no one knew me, where no one looked at my mark and asked questions.

And if they did? I had an answer.

"My mate died," I would say.

A lie. But a necessary one. And maybe, one day, it wouldn't be a lie at all. Though knowing Cassian, even death felt like too merciful a fate for him.

My hands didn't shake as I moved. My heart pounded, yes, but my resolve was steel. I had no more room for fear.

The plan was simple: get out of the house. Get to the tree line. Then run. Run until I could breathe.

Freedom was so close now I could almost taste it.

I was twenty-five. No longer the wide-eyed girl who had once believed his promises to change. That girl was long gone. Cassian's lies had killed her slowly, over years of suffering.

But this version of me this woman was done.

I had studied every failure, every misstep, and learned from each one. My plan had been sharpened by pain and trial until there was no room left for error.

Don't reach out to family or friends.

Don't overpack only what you can carry.

Avoid main roads. Use the woods.

Don't speak. Don't stop. Don't look back.

This was my mantra. A whispered prayer. A vow.

And as I moved through the motions every zipper closed, every drawer left untouched I said the words again and again in my head.

Each syllable was a step toward the life I deserved.

A life without chains. Without cruelty. Without him.

This was it.

And I wouldn't waste it.

Dravina POV

I carried everything I could manage and slipped out of the house, each step a raw reminder of last night's punishment. My body throbbed with pain, every muscle tight with bruised defiance, but I forced myself to walk naturally. I couldn't afford to limp not today.

I silently begged the fates to keep me from crossing paths with anyone.

The pack crawled with loyalists watchdogs devoted to Cassian, always watching, always listening. One wrong glance, one wavering step, and it would all come undone. Years of silent planning would collapse in seconds.

I reached the packhouse door when a scent hit me like a wall familiar, unmistakable.

Andariel.

My stomach turned. Of all the people, it had to be her.

Andariel wasn't malicious, but that didn't make her trustworthy. Not when her loyalty still leaned toward Cassian, or worse, toward someone who might turn me in to save their own skin.

I forced my breath into an even rhythm, steadying my pulse. If I bolted, she'd know. If I faltered, she'd question. I had to be calm.

"Dravina!" she called, her voice carrying more concern than I was ready to believe.

I turned slowly, forcing neutrality into my expression. A smile would only raise suspicion what did I have to smile about?

Everyone in the pack must have heard Cassian's fury echoing through the halls last night. His rage had never been subtle, and neither were the bruises.

"I'm surprised you're up," she said, stopping a few feet away. Her eyes flicked over me, reading too much with too little effort.

"Andariel," I murmured, exhaling heavily as I met her gaze.

She bowed her head slightly, the ingrained hierarchy of our world guiding her movements. Even after all his cruelty, Cassian demanded respect for me as Luna a twisted show of possession more than protection.

"There's no need for that," I said quietly. "Cassian isn't here."

She straightened a bit, but the cautious look in her eyes remained.

"How are you holding up?" she asked, her voice softer, lined with something close to pity.

I didn't answer. I didn't have to. My silence said everything.

Her lips pressed together, then parted again. "Honestly? When I heard you were going to be Luna, I was jealous. Thought you'd won the dream. But now... I just feel sorry for you. He's not right in the head."

She wasn't wrong.

Cassian might've fooled others with his charm, but behind closed doors, there was no fairy tale just scars. Just fear. Just the echo of who I used to be.

I nodded faintly, afraid that if I spoke, I'd unravel.

Her eyes dropped to the bag in my hand.

"Market trip?" she asked casually, too casually. Her gaze sharpened. "Seems like a lot to carry just for groceries."

I stiffened, gripping the strap instinctively.

My wolf stayed quiet, holding herself back so I could keep control. But the tremor in my breath, the flutter in my chest it gave me away.

Andariel's eyes narrowed, watching me too closely now. Suspicion hung in the silence between us.

My mouth opened, reaching for a lie, but no words came. Just a shallow gasp I hadn't realized I was holding my breath.

And then it happened I saw it.

Recognition dawned in her expression.

Tears welled in my eyes before I could stop them, hot and fast, blurring my vision. I'd failed. Again.

She stepped closer, and I braced for betrayal. But instead of raising an alarm, her voice slid into my mind through the pack link, quiet and firm.

"You better get going now if you want a decent head start. I'll tell anyone who asks that you went to the market. Just... make sure he doesn't catch you this time."

Relief hit me like a crashing wave.

I exhaled sharply, my voice breaking with emotion. "Thank you," I whispered.

Andariel gave a single, hard nod. "Go. Now."

I searched her face one last time for doubt or deceit, but all I found was resolve.

"Thank you," I sent through the link again, pouring everything I felt into those two small words.

She turned without another word, and I wiped my tears away, straightening my back. My legs moved before my brain could fully process it out the packhouse door, down the path, into the world that didn't yet know I was running.

The compound buzzed with life. People passed me, caught up in their routines. No one looked twice. It was perfect.

My pace remained steady, unhurried. Every step deliberate.

I reached the edge of the woods, and the breath I'd been holding finally escaped.

Surrounded by trees, shadows, and wild air, I felt something I hadn't in years: possibility.

I dropped to the forest floor, yanked off my dress, folded it quickly, and shoved it into my bag. The cold air grazed my skin. I welcomed it.

Then I surrendered.

The shift rippled through me muscle stretching, bone snapping, my body reshaping into something stronger, faster.

Relief surged through every fiber of my being as I gave in to Blue, my wolf. The bruises faded into the background, replaced by power.

Grabbing the bag in my teeth, I launched forward.

My paws struck the earth in rapid rhythm, lungs full of pine and wind and something dangerously close to hope. Branches blurred past. The forest opened to me like an invitation.

With each bound, I whispered silent prayers whether to the Moon, fate, or something beyond I didn't care.

Let me be free. Let me stay free. Give me the strength to never return.

I didn't know where the road would take me. I didn't need to.

All that mattered was that I was running and for the first time in years, I wasn't looking back.

Not this time.