Days had passed since Kimi fled from the Arcane Phantom Pack territory, leaving behind everything she thought she knew about herself and her destiny.
The harsh buzz of her alarm clock shattered the early morning silence. She didn't bother hitting snooze or stealing those precious extra minutes of sleep that might have offered her some respite. Instead, she forced herself upright, her movements mechanical and deliberate as she silenced the persistent noise.
Pale sunlight filtered through her bedroom window, casting long shadows across the unfamiliar space. Another dawn had broken, another day stretched ahead of her like an endless road she had no choice but to travel.
The weight of her decision pressed down on her shoulders. She had abandoned her mate without a word, without explanation, without even the courtesy of a goodbye. The betrayal cut both ways now. Kolton had shattered her trust, but she had wounded him in return by vanishing into the night like a coward.
