Episode 5

I was ready to leave the familiar comfort of home, but the knot of panic in my stomach had nothing to do with distance. The fear was simple: Was I ready to meet my mate? Not just the predestined soul who would anchor my eternity, but the man crafted specifically for my existence. I craved that connection—the completion—yet the shadow of rejection kept whispering, What if he doesn't want the destiny shackled to me?

“Stop wallowing! He’s ours. He’s waiting for us!” Ariana, my wolf, snarled, her voice a sharp, impatient sound scraping against the edges of my mind.

I forcefully pushed her back, burying her instinctive certainty beneath my human rationale. Though we share a body, my consciousness is the rudder, and right now, I needed silence to face the inevitable.

I looked at my mother, trying to project a confidence I didn't possess. "As ready as I'm going to be," I managed, yielding a smile that felt brittle.

My parents and Asher stood slowly. Mom crossed the distance and enveloped me in a hug that was less a greeting and more a fortress of scent—pine, lavender, and absolute protection.

"Be careful, my little shadow. Check in the moment you reach the first pack," she murmured against my hair.

I just nodded, clinging tighter. This departure felt bigger than a few months; it felt like a severance.

"Honey, she’ll be fine. A few months, and she’ll be dragging that mate of hers back here to meet us," Dad interjected, his voice firm, designed to calm Mom.

She finally pulled away, her eyes glistening. I immediately turned to Dad, burying my face in his chest, inhaling the scent of steel and worn leather that had been the background scent of my life.

"Stay with Asher at all times. Never drop your guard. Never be alone," he commanded, his words vibrating through his strong chest.

"I won't," I choked out, blinking fiercely to stop the sudden burn behind my eyes.

"I love you, Princess." He kissed my forehead, a final benediction.

Retrieving my travel bag, I hurried toward the door, desperate to escape before they saw the tears threatening to spill. They were my constants, the unbreakable structure of my universe. I hadn't spent more than a handful of days away from their safety in my entire life.

I turned to Asher, my guardian and oldest friend, who waited patiently. Dad walked up to him, and the handshake they shared was a declaration of war disguised as respect.

“You know I trust you, Asher, but understand this,” Dad said, his voice dropping to the low, dangerous rumble of a protective Alpha. “Friendship ends where my daughter's safety begins. If a single hair on her head is damaged, I will find you, and I will tear your throat out with my own teeth.”

Asher met his gaze, his face grim but resolute. “She’ll come home safely, Alpha.”

Dad’s expression shifted instantly, the threat vanishing, replaced by a quick, bright smile. “Good. Now go. Have fun.”

A final, quick embrace with each of them, and I walked out the door, Asher right behind me.

We slid into the car. "We'll be staying with each pack for no more than three nights," Asher informed me, pulling onto the road.

I leaned my head against the cold window, trying to surrender to sleep. Impossible. My mind was a relentless reel of questions about the unknown man: Was he an Alpha? Did he have scars? Was he kind, or was he going to be disappointed by me? It wasn't the details that mattered, but the terrifying reality that my future was about to be decided by a stranger. I sighed, giving up on rest.

"We have another hour until we hit the Red Moon pack lines," Asher called back.

I shifted, settling cross-legged in the seat, pushing the anxiety down until it felt like a fist cinching my lungs. "The Red Moon pack is first, then?"

The engine hummed steadily beneath us, carrying me toward a destiny I was still not sure I wanted.

The journey had begun.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***