"It means I’m done playing nice," I said, my voice low and steady. "You think you’ve won? Think again."
She opened her mouth to reply, but I didn’t give her the chance. I dropped the necklace onto the vanity and turned to leave.
"You’re pathetic," she called after me. "That’s why he’ll never choose you."
I paused in the doorway, my wolf snarling. Slowly, I turned back to face her.
"You’re right," I said, a cold smile spreading across my lips. "He won’t choose me. But when I’m done, neither will you."
Back in my quarters, I started packing. Seven years of my life reduced to a single suitcase. The rest—the clothes, the jewelry, the memories—I left behind. They belonged to the Ayla who had let Lukas walk all over her. That Ayla was dead.
As I zipped up the suitcase, my phone buzzed. A text from Selene, my best friend and the only person who had ever told me the truth about Lukas.
About time you woke up. My pack’s doors are open. Come home.
Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them away. I didn’t have time to cry. Not yet.
The sound of footsteps outside my window made me freeze. My wolf bristled, her senses sharp. I moved to the window and peered out.
A shadow moved in the distance. A rogue.