Under the cover of darkness, Cassandra slips away from everything she's ever known.
The forest is heavy with silence, save for the distant rustle of night creatures and the rhythmic pounding of her heart. The old border stones loom like silent sentries, marking the edge of her past and the beginning of whatever comes next.
John walks beside her until the edge of the boundary, his hulking form unusually quiet. Though age has turned his beard silver and stiffened his joints, he moves with the lethal grace of a seasoned warrior. He says little on their walk, but Cassie feels his presence like a shield around her, steadying her every trembling step.
When they reach the clearing, three wolves emerge from the shadows, two towering males and a tall, lean female. They don't move until John gives a subtle nod. Only then do they step forward, silent and watchful.
John turns to her, his expression softening. He pulls her into a fierce hug and kisses her temple, lingering for a breath longer than usual. "You were the best daughter I could have ever wished for," he murmurs, his deep voice thick with emotion. "You've made me proud every single day."
Cassie sobs, gripping his coat like a lifeline. "I don't want to leave you and Abby," she whispers, the words catching in her throat.
He cups her face in both hands, weathered thumbs brushing away her tears. "You have to, little wolf. I can't protect you here anymore. You're not safe. Andrew will obey his father, whether he wants to or not, and once the Alpha has you, no one can save you."
Cassie glances back at the figures standing behind her. They're intimidating, tall, muscular, and silent. She feels like a fragile thing among them. A mouse among wolves. Still, none of them radiate hostility. Only alertness. Caution.
"They'll keep you safe," John says, tilting his head toward the strangers. "You can trust them."
The woman steps forward and offers a quiet smile. "I'm Sasha," she says gently. "We'll guard you with our lives."
Cassie nods, voice trembling. "Cassandra," she replies, then glances nervously at the two men. One has pale blond hair, braided and tied back. The other is darker, broader, and less expressive.
"The tall, broody one is my mate, Aidan," Sasha explains softly, catching Cassie's curious look. "Lead warrior of our pack. The other is Michael. He doesn't talk much, but don't take it personally. He likes you already, he's just thinking in full sentences."
Cassie lets out a small, surprised laugh. It's shaky, but real.
John clears his throat, visibly holding back tears. "Be well, my little girl." He hugs her one last time, and this time, he doesn't let go immediately. Then, without warning, he steps back and shifts into his wolf, a massive silver-grey beast with a scar along one flank and bolts into the trees, vanishing into the shadows.
Cassie stands frozen, staring after him.
She doesn't cry again. There's no sound left inside her. Only an aching stillness. Her wolf whines low in her mind, mourning the separation from the only father figure she's ever known.
Sasha nudges her shoulder gently. "Come. We need to move."
Cassie nods mutely and shifts. Her wolf form is lean and elegant, fur a soft silver that catches glints of moonlight. She glances back once, howling softly, a farewell carried on the wind.
Then she turns and runs with them, heading north. Toward safety. Toward the unknown.
They travel for three days, barely stopping except to rest and hunt. In wolf form, they cover vast stretches of terrain, from dense pine forests to rocky ridges, across the river of Black Hollow and through ancient hunting trails long forgotten by modern packs.
Cassie feels the bond to her old pack fading the farther she runs. On the first day, it's a dull ache in her chest. By the second, it's a gnawing emptiness. And by the third, the link to her birth pack snaps completely, silent, clean, and final.
There's no more tether to the minds she grew up with. No mental links brushing hers. No familiar presence in her soul.
She is untethered.
And not yet bound to the new wolves she runs with. The lack of link is isolating. She can't speak to them in thought, only follow their gestures, their movements, the rare glances that say this way, or rest now.
It's the quietest three days of her life.
By dusk on the third day, something changes. The three wolves ahead of her begin to howl, deep, triumphant calls that echo through the trees. Excitement. Arrival.
Sasha slows her pace and moves beside Cassie, brushing her flank reassuringly, a silent assurance...
We're close.
Cassie's nerves jolt awake. Her wolf's ears flick nervously. What if they don't accept her? What if they see her as a burden, an outsider running from scandal?
She slows slightly, uncertainty stealing into her stride, but Sasha remains at her side.
Finally, they break through a thicket of moss-draped trees and into a vast clearing. Before them stands a massive structure, part lodge, part fortress. Built of honey-toned timber and stone, the packhouse blends into the natural beauty of the forest. Warm lights glow from within, casting a golden welcome over the clearing.
But it's not the house that makes her wolf tense in recognition.
It's the woman standing at the entrance.
Flanked by two guards in human form, the woman is radiant. Tall and elegant, her posture commands attention even at a distance. Her aura is magnetic, calm but powerful, a current of ancient magic pulsing just beneath her skin. Her long silver-black braid swings over one shoulder like a warrior's banner.
Cassie and her wolf instinctively bow their heads in submission.
The woman walks toward them with a slow, graceful stride, her smile warm but laced with authority. She stops in front of Cassie and reaches out to pat her gently on the head.
"Welcome to our home, Cassandra," she says, her voice rich and melodic, threaded with magic. It resonates in Cassie's chest.
She's more than a Luna, her wolf whispers. She's touched by the Moon.
Grace kneels slightly to meet Cassie's gaze. "Now," she says, placing a hand lightly over Cassie's shoulder, "as acting Luna, I formally accept you into our pack."
A soft pulse of warmth moves through Cassie's chest. A thread, light as a spider's silk but unmistakably present, winds itself around her soul.
The link. A new bond. Forming.
Her eyes widen.
Grace chuckles at her stunned expression. "Yes, it's real. It's one of the perks of being an Alpha Female. I don't wait for Elders to stamp approval. I make my own choices." She winks. "And no one dares challenge them."
Cassie shifts back into human form, blinking against the fresh night air. "Thank you," she says, breathless and unsure if she's dreaming.
Grace smiles and places a cloak over her shoulders. "Come, let me show you to your room. You'll need time to clean up and rest. I imagine this journey has been... a lot."
As they walk up the wide wooden steps together, Cassie feels the others slipping away behind her...Sasha, Aidan, Michael...moving to their own places in the pack.
She glances back once, her heart thudding with a bittersweet blend of grief and fragile hope.
She's not running anymore.
She's arrived.
And though she doesn't know it yet, the true story is only just beginning.