Chapter 5: A Moonlit Goodbye
Leaving the cemetery, I felt the cold wind. of the night biting into my skin, the full moon casting eerie shadows as I clutched my mother’s urn tightly. The blood in my veins thrummed with the energy of the hunt, but I pushed it down.
Tonight was not for the wolf; it was for my mother. The house where Scott and I once lived stood silent, a ghost of life I thought I wanted.
I stepped inside, the familiar scent of the place triggering memories of a life spent trying to be someone I wasn’t. The urge to shift was strong, but I still couldn‘ t.
I needed to pack my things, to leave behind this chapter of my life. Most of the clothes in the closet were ones I had bought to please Scott, to fit into the image of the perfect mate he had in mind. But they were never truly me. I tossed them aside, a growl of frustration rumbling in my chest as I
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discarded the remnants of that old life.
As I prepared my things, I felt the primal energy within me simmering, begging to be unleashed. My wolf was aching to come. out and rip everything on her way. I concentrated and took deep breaths but my wolf‘ s pain was clenching every part of
my nerves.
“If I transform now, I might not survive. I need my pack to help me out, but I have no pack in here. Not in this place, at least.” My wolf seemed to understand and calm down after a while.
I was almost done when I heard the soft thud of footsteps behind me. The familiar scent of oakmoss and wood filled the room. It was Scott’s scent.
He appeared in the doorway, his eyes tired, shoulders slumped. “Ariana,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I brought your favorite jackfruit.” He held it out like a peace offering, but I could smell the fear coming from him.
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The wolf within me growled in response. “I don‘ t like jackfruit,” I said flatly and turned to face him. “I only ate it because you liked it. You don’t know me at all, Scott. This… this is over.” My words were firm, laced with the finality of a howl that ends the night.
The seven years we had spent together seemed like a distant dream, one where I had tried so hard to be the perfect mate, to change myself so he would notice me. But now, as the wolf, I could see clearly. I had lost myself in the process, and I hated that more than anything.
Scott stepped closer, his hand reaching out, but I could see the hesitation in his movements. “Ariana, didn’t you say your greatest wish was to marry me? Don‘ t leave. I’ll marry you tomorrow. I’ll make you the happiest bride in this city.” His voice was soft, pleading, but it grated against my senses.
“The happiest bride?” I repeated, a bitter
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Chapter 54 Moonlit Goodbye
laugh escaping my lips. “Scott, that is too ironic. You had never understood me. You had never loved me. You only loved the idea of me.” My words were harsh, but they were the truth. The wolf in me could smell the guilt on him, the desperation. But I had no more patience for it.
He blinked, his hand freezing in mid–air. “I know I was wrong.” he said, his voice breaking. “I’ve realized my mistakes. I’ve told Winona that I won’t see her again. I’ll make things right between us.”
“Make things right?” I echoed, shaking my head. “Scott, you don‘ t have to try to make up for your mistakes. It s too late. We re done.” I turned away from him, the wolf within me urging me to leave, to run under the moon and maybe feel the wind in my fur. But I forced myself to stay calm. to leave with dignity.
After what happened, my wolf kept
wanting to come out. I’ve heard stories about werewolves transforming out of rage.
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They went rogue, and I don‘ t want that. I just want a peaceful life away from Alpha and his pack.
“No,” Scott’s voice was filled with panic now, his eyes wide as he reached for me again. “Ariana, please don‘ t go. I don‘ t want to lose you. I want to be with you. Please, don’t do this.”
His words tugged at something deep inside me, but I knew it wasn‘ t love. It was the ghost of what I thought love was. “Goodbye, Scott,” I said, my voice steady, cold. “We’re over.”
As I walked out of the house, the night air hit me like a wave, the moon calling to me, urging me to run, to embrace the wolf within. I looked back one last time, seeing Scott standing in the doorway, his face. pale, his eyes filled with regret. But it was too late. The time for second chances had passed.
Love, I realized, was the most elusive thing in the world. Once it was gone, it was gone.
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for good. And now, all that was left was the moon, the forest, and the wolf within me.
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