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.