Violet
[Present Timeline]
I had less than twelve hours before Damon would summon me for the banishment the following day. I wasn't going to wait.
The pain clawed at my insides as I cleaned up the mess my vomit made. The rejection bond was severed, and the betrayal hurt with the physical pain. I needed to try my best and at least stabilize myself before I head out into the wild.
I could have my revenge later.
After cleaning up the blood, I pressed a hand to my aching chest and looked at the dim room. Moonlight peeked through tattered curtains. Leaving at the crack of dawn would be best. The wolves of the pack were more active at night and in the later hours of the morning.
My body screamed in protest as I moved to the bed. I stopped and my vision swayed slightly. I sat on the soft surface, weak, drained, and hurt. The hurt was still there despite the anger.
I laid down on the bed, brushing off the sensation. I was too weak to do anything yet. I closed my eyes and focused, drawing on that strange power I had felt. It was there. I just needed to safely tap into it. I had no idea how, but for some reason, it felt so straightforward.
It was a slow draining process. I slowly grew weaker, but still remained conscious. The sensation swept through me in nauseating waves. Each pulse of the current through my body was so uncomfortable I nearly stopped.
Before I knew it, I passed out.
[___]
I darted upright, my neck stinging as I sharply jerked my head to look around. My heart thrashed in my chest and I leapt off the bed. I pulled aside one of the curtains. It was still dark outside.
But still, I didn't know how much time I passed.
Without a second thought I rushed to the corner of the room where I kept my few belongings and started packing.
Warm clothes. Dried meat and bread wrapped in cloth. A dull knife which was better than nothing. Then, I saw it. The pendant had slipped out of one of my clothes and clattered on the floor. The metal on the thin chain was tarnished, but the silver pendant still looked pristine. A gift from my grandmother before she passed away when I was a child.
I hesitantly picked it out and ran my fingers over the faint engraving outline of a crescent moon and an overlapping sun.
'"Child of Moon and Sun... Your time has not ended."'
My breath caught as I remembered that voice.
I went still. I just realized that I was no longer in pain. It was strange. Even if I recovered from the rejection, the pain should not have gone this quickly. I then felt a faint thrumming in my chest. It resonated with my heartbeat.
I caressed the pendant, a strange feeling settling over me.
Did any of this have something to do with my bloodline?
I wore the pendant around my neck despite the rusty chain. I then continued packing. Even if I wanted to get answers from my parents, there was no time. They would not even talk to me.
I was dead to them.
Once I was done, I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
At the crack of dawn, I left the pack.
The sun climbed higher as I raced through the trees. I was still in the pack's territory and I needed to get away as fast as I could. My lungs started to burn, but I still pressed on while carrying my belongings.
Things were different. They had to be. I had left earlier, avoided the paths likely to be patrolled, and I wasn't as tired as the last time. But I still felt a strange dread. The patrol wolves could still easily catch up to me.
The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth. My shoes had finally worn out, so I resorted to continue barefoot. Trying my best to move quickly and quietly, I kept to the shadows. The only uncomfortable sensations were my throbbing legs and the aching pain through my ribs.
I might have healed a bit, but my body was still paying the price. I also did not understand what force I had accepted into my body.
The edge of Shadowpine territory soon appeared a short distance away. I looked back like I had done multiple times throughout the journey, expecting to hear the excited howls of the patrol wolves chasing after me.
I had heard nothing.
'They're not coming.'
The thought should have made me feel safe.
Instead, it made me uneasy. And I wasn't sure why.
'Keep going…'
'Just a little further. Just to the border.'
The neutral forest stretched endlessly before me. I kept my eyes trained on it. No matter how much my body screamed in agony, I had to get there first. The neutral territory began where Shadowpine's ended. Once I crossed that line, I would be outside Damon's reach. Outside the pack's reach.
I'd be alone.
A lone wolf.
The trail narrowed, and the forest grew thicker and darker. The sounds changed. Fewer birds sang and there was more rustling in the bushes.
Then I saw it.
A line of stones, half-buried in the dirt, marking the border.
I crossed it without hesitation.
The moment my foot touched neutral ground, something inside me loosened. The tether to Shadowpine, one I hadn't even realized I still felt, snapped.
I was free.