Her fingertips trembled against the token's smooth surface. Somewhere along the way, the moon cycle she'd given herself to prepare had slipped past unnoticed. And now, finally, her new life was about to begin.
She stood there watching the wind lift fallen leaves from the ground, spinning them away into the distance. The weight she'd been carrying in her chest—that crushing stone—cracked and crumbled. For the first time in longer than she could remember, the future looked clear. Bright.
Her passage through the border crossing was already arranged. Her traveling pack was ready. She could leave right now.
But before she did, there were places she needed to visit. A proper goodbye to the past that had tangled around her for over a decade.
Seven hours before departure.
She ran in her wolf form to the place where she'd first met Fenris.