Leaving

                Quickly I grab my suitcase from the walk-in closet and throw it on the bed.

Earlier I had selected the clothes I wanted to take with me and sorted them in a drawer.

Casual and formal wear, some stilettos and gym shoes and everything on my dressing table I slide into the suitcase in one jerk. When it is so full that I can barely zipper it up, I pick it up and put it at the door. I grab my purse and check that all my official documents and personal credit card are still in it. I leave the card Jasper gave me on the clean dressing table.

               Looking around, my eyes capture a picture of Jasper and me on the wall. It was taken during our mating ceremony three years ago when we were so confident about our future together.

I walk over to it, unsure if I should take it with me. With my departure, I want to draw a line under everything related to this pack. I will remember only my family, but I won't contact them for the time being. In a letter to them, I've explained everything. I will put it in their mailbox before I go.

               I also have a letter for Jasper telling him about my motive for giving him back his freedom.

Yes, I know I am cowardly withdrawing from our bond now that he is millions of miles away for pack business. But please understand, telling Jasper all I've written in the letter to his face is impossible. My emotions are on top, I know I will succumb if he asks me to stay and work with him to solve our problems.

I turn from the picture and put the envelope for Jasper on the bed.

Tears stream down my cheeks; this is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. But I can't be selfish, Jasper deserves better than a barren human Luna. I walk to the door, grab the suitcase, but as I peek one last time at the room, my eyes fall back on the picture. My happy face smiling at my mate who stares back at me adoringly. Before I can change my mind again, I run over, yank it off the wall and put it in my bag.

               Now there is no time to waste.

It's midnight, everyone in the packhouse is in a deep sleep. I lift the suitcase to make as little noise as possible and head for the elevator. When I am downstairs, I quickly walk out of the packhouse to the parking lot where I have already prepared the Bugatti. I throw my purse and suitcase into the trunk and get behind the wheel. This time I drove slowly until I got close to the huge metal gates. There I turn on the car lights and move the short distance to the gates where the border patrol is waiting.

               "Luna!" the warrior exclaims in surprise when he recognizes me. "Where are you going this late?" he asks. I fake a sheepish smile on my face. "I want to go to the lake and swim there for half an hour to de-stress," I inform him. He looks dubious, not really convinced by my story. "How long would you stay there then?" he inquires. "At most an hour or two. I want to enjoy the panorama and I'll return as soon as my mood improves," I tell him. He looks straight at me now. "Then why are you alone and don't have Rachel or Louise with you?" he asks again.

               Now I can't contain my anger.

"Warrior, I demand that you open the gates for me NOW! And if I find that you've raised the alarm just because I've gone to the lake, I won't spare you when Jasper returns," I intimidate him. This startles him. He, too knows that my mate always takes my side in disputes. I only need to pass Jasper my wishes and it is done. "No, Luna. I only carry out the standard procedure for the pack's outgoing traffic. It's nothing personal," he stutters, taking the remote out of his pocket. A moment later, a gate slides open, and after casting a chastising glance at the man, I drive on. As soon as I am out of sight of the border guard, I increase my speed. I don't want to take any chances in case the warrior still wakes Jasper's Gamma or Beta and they notify Jasper.

               After my last conversation with Jasper an hour ago, I turned off my phone and planned to dump it in the lake. I know the GPS makes me easily trackable and for now I don't want to talk to or meet anyone from Storm Forest. Without any delay, I arrive at the airport and park the Bugatti in a secluded corner. I seize my suitcase and purse from the trunk, lock the car and keep the key in a compartment under the vehicle, a repository that the Gamma has instructed all of us to use in case of an emergency.

               I bought my ticket online so I could go straight to the check-in desk for my boarding pass. Once I have it in my hand, I breathe a sigh of relief. I look back once more and say a mental goodbye to the place where I have spent my entire life. But circumstances force me to leave and start a new chapter in my life.

               With the hoodie over my head, I confidently step into the waiting room.

I say a little prayer that no wolf is present to recognize me. I choose the farthest corner where I can survey the entire room. This time the Moon Goddess favors me and only humans are around me. Ten minutes later, my flight is called and I stroll to the counter. For a moment I panic, my heart pounding like crazy in my chest. Leaving Jasper behind hurts. But when my name is called loudly as the only missing passenger, I drag myself to the counter, hand the friendly lady my boarding pass and board the plane.

               As we fly over the pack area, I stare down until it entirely disappears.

It is final.

Now I am Rain, the human in Human Town.

I throw my head back, mentally exhausted I fall into a deep sleep...