Chapter 4
The next three days passed in a fog.
I rarely left my bedroom, spending every waking moment planning my escape.
With everyone distracted by alliances and matches, no one would notice me leaving.
I packed a small duffel bag with clothes, food, and every dollar I had saved.
I had no destination in mind, but anywhere was better than Blackthorn.
I bought a new phone and saved Stella’s number, but I dared not send a message.
I stood in front of the gas station staring at the phone for a long while, then climbed back into my Ford and headed home.
After endless inner turmoil, I came to realize running away on impulse out of pain would never ease my suffering in the slightest.
More importantly, if I fled, the pack would hunt Stella down for answers.
Silence was the only way to keep her safe.
On the third night, the moment I had been waiting for was here.
I stood before the full-length mirror, fingers trembling as I pulled up the zipper of my emerald green silk dress.
It was the most expensive thing I owned, yet wearing it made me feel like a fraud.
Lila studied my work. “Now you look like someone of standing, not a charity case.”
Just then, Mother rapped on the door and called us to the living room.
“We travel to the Silverveil Pack territory in Idaho for the annual Lunar Gala tonight,” my father said flatly.
Anxiety crawled under my skin, but I kept my face calm.
My father’s gaze locked onto mine. “Audrey. This event matters greatly for our family.”
“Yes, Father.”
Lila stared unhappily at her fingers. Eli watched me with his usual detached coldness.
The marks faded, but pain still throbbed inside me.
I clenched my fist under the table until my knuckles whitened.
The drive from Oregon to Idaho was completely silent.
My parents and Lila rode in the luxury SUV, while I sat in the passenger seat of Eli’s pickup truck.
We passed rolling hills and entered the dense mountain forests of northern Idaho.
My thoughts drifted to Stella. Would she ever forgive me for disappearing without a word?
“You’re not planning anything foolish at the Silverveil Gala, are you, Audrey?”
I jumped at the sound of his voice. I forced myself to stay calm.
“Of course not. Father made his expectations clear. I would never risk angering him.”
Eli grunted. I could not read his thoughts.
I envied how easily all other shifters could sense one another’s emotions.
I glanced out the window casually.
“Gavin has agreed to take you eventually,” he said, as if discussing a simple arrangement.
“You will not be his official mate, but your children will be provided for.”
A violent shiver ran through me at Gavin’s name.
“As long as they inherit a wolf, you mean.”
“Naturally.”
Bitterness slipped into my tone before I could stop it.
He knew exactly what Gavin had done. And still, he expected me to be grateful for such a fate.
I fell quiet, my gaze fixed on the view outside.
I took a slow, steady breath, mapping out the Silverveil territory in my mind.
This pack’s lands were far larger than our small Oregon town.
Dread and hope tangled tight in my chest.
This gala was my one and only shot at freedom.
I glanced at Eli’s unyielding face and buried the warm memories of the brother I once knew.
“Sentimentality would only get me caught.”
I repeated the phrase silently, over and over.
I’m getting out. I have to.