The world around Celeste felt muted, her body aching from the aftermath of her public humiliation. The sting of Kieran's indifference cut deeper than the physical pain. He had stood there, watching, unresponsive—just like the pack wanted him to. He had let them do this to her.
She didn't know how long she had been lying in the shadows, but when Rowan crouched beside her, his expression unreadable, she barely flinched.
"You need to get out of here," he said quietly, his voice edged with urgency.
Celeste didn't argue. She didn't ask why. A part of her already knew.
"They're not done with you," Rowan continued, glancing toward the packhouse. "This was just the beginning."
A chill ran down her spine. Of course it was. Humiliating her in front of the entire pack wasn't enough—they would keep pushing until she broke completely. And Kieran? He wouldn't stop them. Whether it was weakness or manipulation, it didn't matter anymore.
Celeste forced herself upright, wincing as her muscles protested. "What are you saying, Rowan?"
"I'm saying you won't survive if you stay." His golden eyes flickered with something close to pity. "You already know that."
She did. And yet, standing here, acknowledging it aloud, felt like another wound opening inside her.
Rowan exhaled sharply. "I can help you leave. Tonight."
Her heart clenched. Leave. The word should have scared her. For years, this pack—this life—had been all she had ever known. Even when they had turned against her, some part of her had clung to the hope that things would change. That Kieran would change.
But hope had only ever betrayed her.
Celeste met Rowan's gaze, the weight of her decision pressing down on her. "How?"
"I have a plan," he said. "But if you say yes, there's no turning back."
She didn't hesitate. "I'm done looking back."
Rowan studied her for a moment before nodding. "Then let's go."
—
They moved in silence. The escape had been planned carefully—no last-minute risks, no unnecessary delays. Rowan led her through a path that avoided the patrols, slipping through the dense trees until the lights of the packhouse were nothing more than distant specks.
Celeste didn't turn around.
Her heart pounded with each step, not from fear, but from the realization that this was it. She was leaving behind everything—the pain, the betrayal, the boy she had once believed would be her forever.
She had nothing.
No pack. No home. No future.
But for the first time in her life, she felt something other than fear.
Freedom.
As the last remnants of her old life disappeared behind her, Celeste kept walking, never once looking back.
The cool night air pressed against Celeste's skin as she moved through the dense forest, Rowan's steady presence beside her. Each step felt like shedding a layer of the past—the pack, the pain, Kieran. Her muscles ached, her body still tender from the humiliation she had endured, but she refused to stop.
Rowan led her with practiced ease, guiding her along an unmarked path where the trees stretched like silent sentinels around them. The only sound was the rustling of leaves and the rhythmic crunch of their footsteps on the damp earth.
"How much farther?" Celeste asked, her voice quieter than she intended.
"Not far," Rowan replied. "Once we cross the river, we'll be out of their reach. No one patrols that far."
Celeste exhaled, her breath shaky. A part of her had expected resistance—someone to stop them, some last-minute obstacle to make her question her choice. But the pack didn't care enough to chase after her.
They wanted her gone.
The thought settled deep in her chest, but instead of sadness, she felt something else. A dark, simmering fire. They had cast her aside as if she were nothing, and for too long, she had let them.
No more.
"You're quiet," Rowan noted, keeping his pace steady beside her.
Celeste glanced at him, then back at the path ahead. "I don't know what I'm supposed to feel right now."
Rowan hummed in understanding. "It doesn't have to make sense yet. Just keep moving forward."
And so she did.
Minutes passed before they reached the river—a wide, slow-moving body of water that shimmered beneath the moonlight. The current was gentle, but the water would be icy.
Rowan stripped off his jacket and tossed it to her. "Put this on after. You'll be freezing."
Celeste hesitated only for a moment before nodding. Together, they waded into the river, the shock of cold stealing her breath as the water rose to her waist, then her shoulders. She gritted her teeth and pushed forward, refusing to let even nature stand in her way.
By the time they reached the other side, she was shivering. Rowan handed her his jacket, and she pulled it around herself, the fabric still warm from his body.
He scanned their surroundings before exhaling. "We did it."
Celeste followed his gaze. The land beyond the river was unfamiliar, untouched by the scent of her old pack. She was free.
She should have felt relief. Maybe even triumph.
Instead, she felt hollow.
"What now?" she murmured.
Rowan hesitated before saying, "That's up to you ."
Celeste stared at the dark horizon.
For the first time in her life, her future belonged to her alone.