Callie POV...
I heard him come in almost an hour ago. A part of me hoped that he would come to my room but I knew that had more to do with my wolf. She was against my decision to run away, but we had been here for far too long.
It was only a matter of time before Kameron spoke to Damien, and then he would come looking for me. I had been safe within Kameron's boundary lines for some time, but now, I overstayed my welcome.
If Arianna's words were to be trusted, he was engaged to marry someone else and there was no need for me to stay.
Regardless of him being my mate, he was still choosing to marry someone else.
'Don't leave,' my internal voice tried to fight me-but I didn't listen.
My room was on the second floor of Kameron's impressive house and the jump wasn't too far. Now that I was healed enough, I knew I could make it to the next town without stopping.
I pack the last few items of clothing Rex brought for me in the duffel bag I found under the bed. I could carry it both in wolf and human form. There were also a few sanitary essentials in there and some of the pain killers that Rex had left me.
I looked around the room, searching for the bandages that I found under the kitchen sink, and saw them on the white vanity in the corner of the room. I picked up the bandages and then looked up and caught my reflection.
I looked different. My red hair looked more vibrant and healthier than it had been. The shower I took did me some good. My eyes had a sparkle to them that had not been there before. It was faint but it was there.
My once sunken cheeks were full and rosy from the warm blood rushing past them.
I looked healthy. I had put on a few extra pounds of weight, much to Rex's joy. He did wonders for me. I had been on the verge of malnutrition and death, and he healed my wolf and my body back to near perfect health. I owed him a lot and I had no way of truly thanking him.
My heart stung at the fact that I was leaving behind all these kind people. Rex and Arianna-although I had known them for a short time, I grew attached to them.
Even the pack lands themselves. Although I had only seen the healing centre and Kameron's home, I grew attached to the surrounding area. There was something comforting about being here, even though I had anxiety about Damien finding me.
Because you are meant to be their Luna, my inner voice said. I tried to brush away that thought, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't. Part of me felt like I was abandoning them. It was crazy to think I could feel such a way for wolves I had never even met before.
I drew my eyes away from the mirror and went back to the bag. They already had a Luna and she was on her way to them. I was not needed here, nor was I wanted. Jorge made that very clear at every chance he got.
I was an outsider. I would never be accepted.
A single droplet of water fell onto my hand as I stuffed the bandages into the bag. I looked up to see if there was maybe a crack that had caused a leak, but there was nothing. I then brought my hand to my cheek and felt the moisture touch my fingertips.
I was crying. I brushed away the stray tears that fell from my eyes and tried to blink away the remaining droplets that were pooling in my eyes.
"Why am I crying?" I wiped away the tears angrily.
There was no reason for me to be sad. I was doing the right thing. I knew I was. But why did it feel like my heart was breaking? If that was the case, wasn't I meant to feel relieved that I was finally going to get out of here and I was going to be free' once more?
I knew the answers to those questions, but my mind refused to go to those places. I didn't want to admit that the reason my heart was breaking was that I was losing Kameron. After I left, I would never see him again. I would never touch him again. I would never smell him again. And those thoughts hurt me more than words could ever explain.
"Why did you do this to me, Moon Goddess? Why couldn't you have just made me mateless so that I would never be forced to break my own heart?" I sniffed and brushed away the last few tears that spilt from my eyes.
I allowed myself 10 minutes. 10 minutes to mourn the loss of a premature relationship that never got to see the light of day. 10 minutes to feel every part of my heart breaking as the gravity and reality of the situation weighed on it. 10 minutes to allow this place to hold me captive in its grip.
I stood over the bag and allowed my tears to flow. I allowed myself a break. I had to clasp my hand over my mouth to keep my whimpers from being heard.
The only time I ever experienced a heavyweight of pain like this before was the day my parents were murdered.
At the thought of my parents, it all came rushing back to me. The fire. The guards.
The panic in my mother's eyes. The wolves running after me. Then my eyes snapped open.
"I'm leaving," I finally said, my pity party coming to an early end.
No matter how much my wolf wanted to be near Kameron, I had to do what was best for us. And what was best for us was leaving this place.
I zipped up the bag and sighed with relief. Stage one was done. Now I just needed to get past the guards outside Kameron's home and the patrol wolves that roamed the forest during the night. I counted three guards on this side of the house.
I couldn't creep out through the door because my room was too close to Kameron's room. He would wake up if he heard me and then this entire plan would go to sh*t. My only option was going to crawl out the bedroom window when the guard walked into a blind spot where he couldn't see me.
Are you sure this is what you want to do?
my inner voice tried to reason with me yet again. I had been pushing her further and further to the back of my mind, but she kept making a reappearance.
"If I leave, it will not only make my life easier, but it will also make Kameron's life easier. With me gone, he will be able to focus fully on his fiancée and I won't have to see it."
I didn't know if I was trying to convince my wolf or to convince myself. Possibly both. From what I learned about mates, the reality was some had fated mates and some had chosen mates. This Florence person was going to be Kameron's chosen mate, which meant an oath would have had to be taken for the union to be sealed. He gave his word to this woman that he would marry her and she would be his Luna.
In our world, the word of an alpha was as good as a legally binding contract. If an alpha was to ever break his word, then he would lose respect from his fellow alphas, his pack, and sometimes even his beta.
Leaving would make everything easier for everyone involved.
"I'm sorry," I whispered into the empty room.
I didn't know to who I was apologizing to. I didn't know if it was to Kameron, to Rex and Arianna, or if it was to myself. Possible all of the above.
I shouldered the bag and walked over to the window. I stared down to where the guard was standing and counting to 90. He always moved positions every 90 seconds. When I finished counting, he moved and made his way around the corner.
I wasted no time at all and used the gutter that was screwed to the side of the house as a makeshift pole to help me to the ground. I had only 90 seconds to time this correctly.
I slid down the gutter, making sure not to make any sudden movements, or there would be loud noises, and this plan would've been over before it started.
When my feet were planted safely on the ground, I took off running in the opposite direction of the guard. Stage one was done now, it was onto stage two. I was riding on pure grace from the Moon Goddess and a whole lot of luck.
I hadn't tried to change into my wolf because I wasn't even sure if I could manage to. Shifting had always been difficult and painful for me. My mother had died before she had taught me how to make the shifting process easier. I had to learn on my own and had struggled-and still struggled to this day.