The moon hung high in the sky, casting a soft, pale light over Silver Hollow. The once lively village, surrounded by forest, lay in silence. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and the lingering smell of blood that hadn't been fully cleaned up, haunting reminders of the lives lost in the brutal attack by the enemy pack.
It had only been three days since that night. Luna still remembered it clearly, the night that changed everything.
She had been having dinner with her parents when the enemy pack attacked without warning, wild, violent, and full of rage. One moment, the village was peaceful and alive. The next, it was fire, screams, and chaos. Her father had fought alongside the other alpha villagers, while her mother, a healer, did what she could to help the wounded.
They won the battle, but it came at a terrible cost: the lives of Luna's parents and many others.
The funeral was held the next morning, quiet and simple, as her parents would have wanted. They were buried in the forest, at the sacred burial site. Luna stood there, surrounded by grieving villagers. Her eyes were dry, but her heart felt broken.
That evening, the village chief and the elders gathered to speak of her future.
"You can't stay alone. It's not safe for your health or for the village. You must marry," they had said.
What they really meant was this: she was a young, unmated beta who couldn't transform into a wolf. In their world, that made her weak, vulnerable, and a risk to the balance. She needed someone to claim her, to protect her.
So, the elders chose Zane, the chief alpha's son and her best friend, to be her husband.
They didn't ask for her opinion, or Zane's. They expected them to accept it.
But Luna had already made her decision.
As she walked through the quiet village, the cold wind touched her skin. She wore her black cloak, the one her mother had made, and pulled it tighter around her. The night air stung her cheeks, but it was nothing compared to the emptiness inside.
Her legs ached with each step. She carried her bag, heavy with only the essentials. But her heart felt the heaviest.
She stopped in front of the Frostclaws' house. The wooden frame stood tall, one of the few homes untouched by the flames.
She set her bag on the ground, then reached into her cloak and pulled out a folded piece of paper, a letter. Short, but honest. She bent down and placed it on the doorstep, weighing it down with a stone to keep the wind from carrying it away.
Her fingers trembled as she stood again. She grabbed her bag, looking at the door one last time.
"I'm sorry, Zane," she whispered.
She prayed he would understand.
Then she turned and walked away.
The paths of Silver Hollow were quiet and dark, but the moonlight guided her steps. She passed familiar places, each one filled with memories. Taking a deep breath, she knew she had made her choice.
Staying meant living in grief, haunted by a life that was gone. She hoped her parents would understand. She wasn't just running from her pain, but from a future others tried to impose on her. She didn't want to be told who to marry or raise cubs with. She wanted to choose her own path, just as her parents had.
Even if it meant walking into the unknown.
When she reached the edge of the village, she stopped. The forest ahead was dark, deep, and dangerous, but she had to cross it. Beyond the trees lay the city where her mother had been born. Her mother had always described it as a place of freedom, where traditions didn't bind you, and everyone, regardless of gender or rank, whether alpha, beta, or omega, was equal.
Luna had always dreamed of going there. Her parents had promised to take her one day.
Now, she was going alone.
She turned back and looked at Silver Hollow one last time.
She first saw the full moon, large and bright in the sky, casting its pale light over the village. Below were the familiar homes, her own house hidden among them. Her parents had built a life here, in the village where her father was born. A lump rose in her throat. She tightened her grip on her bag with one hand and held her cloak closed with the other, shielding herself from the sharp wind.
"I'll come back one day," she said quietly. "But not until I'm stronger."
With that, she turned and stepped into the woods. Her cloak flowed behind her like a shadow.
She didn't know where she was going.
But she knew this was the only way to save herself.
To heal, she had to leave everything behind.
Even the village that had once been her whole world.