Thirteen

As Yasmin and Raz made their way up north, Yasmin realized this was the first time she’d ever left the Moonbeam Pack. That Pack had been her entire world—every face, every place, all so familiar yet stained with painful memories. Now, she was finally leaving it all behind: the loneliness, the sadness, the struggles. She was starting over, not just for herself but for the little life growing inside her, the unexpected gift that gave her a new purpose.

Their journey was mostly quiet, but Yasmin didn’t mind. Each day, she felt a sense of freedom, like she was seeing the world for the first time. She’d never really thought about what was beyond the boundaries of Moonbeam, and now, each new landscape and face felt like something out of a dream. She wasn’t involved in Raz’s supply trades with the other Packs, but she kept her eyes open, taking in everything around her.

As the days stretched into weeks, and then into two months, she felt herself changing. The scenery constantly shifted—fro