---- "No, milady," the guard shook his head. "The sound came from the east, at least ten miles away. He's just calling out, he doesn't know our exact location." Another howl ripped through the air, this one more desperate. It was an ancient call - the cry of an Alpha who had lost his mate. The pain in that sound nearly took my breath away. "We need to pick up the pace," I decided, forcing myself to ignore the stirring in my heart. "No rest tonight, we keep moving." Late that night, resting by a campfire, I quietly took out a small silver box. Opening it, I looked at the lock of fur Kaelen and I had exchanged on our bonding day - wolf fur as black as midnight, a symbol of Kaelen's shifted form. I should have destroyed it during the Moon Eclipse severance, but I just couldn't bring myself ---- to do it. Was it weakness? Or was there still a tiny part of me that couldn't let go? Whatever it was, it didn't matter now. We had chosen different paths. I carefully tucked the silver box back deep into my pack and looked towards the horizon. Moonshadow Sanctuary was still three days away. That would be my new beginning, and the place where Id finally say goodbye to my past. And Kaelen Nightfang, no matter how powerful or persistent he was, would have to accept it: he had lost me forever. At least, that's what I told myself. Until a gust of wind brought a familiar scent - Kaelen's unique smell, a mix of forest and tobacco, and... blood? ---- Was he hurt? lalmost shot to my feet but quickly reined myself in. It wasn't my responsibility anymore. His pain, his struggles, were none of my business. But why did my heart still ache? Under the moonlight, a pair of golden eyes seemed to be watching us from the distant forest.