Chapter 5
Sia's POV
"I'll always protect you, Sia. You're my little sister."
The memory hit me like a slap as I tossed my diary into the fireplace.
Sister. Once, that word felt like armor. Now it was a cage I'd never escape.
Fire swallowed seven years of pathetic, one-sided love in seconds. The edges curled black, my handwriting dissolving into ash.
Next went the bone carvings. The dried flowers. Every stupid wooden trinket Cain had ever given me—I threw them all into the flames without blinking. Samara was moving into this house tomorrow. No way in hell was I leaving anything behind for her to laugh at.
Outside, the pack buzzed with celebration—music, laughter, the chaotic hum of tonight's grand engagement feast. Inside my room, there was only the quiet crackle of everything burning.
I zipped my backpack shut, the ruined stuffed wolf buried at the bottom, and walked out without looking back.
The sunrise hit my face as I made it to the front gate.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?"
A dark shadow blocked my path.
Cain's sharp grey eyes locked onto my backpack, then narrowed dangerously.
"I'm leaving, Cain," I said flatly.
"Leaving? Today?" He moved closer, and I could feel the anger rolling off him. "Sia, this is literally the biggest day of my life. The whole Southern Alliance is here. Stop playing these pathetic attention games and get back inside."
"I'm going North."
Cain froze. A flicker of panic crossed his face. "North? Are you out of your damn mind? You can't just run off into the wilderness because you're throwing a tantrum—"
Then he paused. Blinked. Like something just clicked.
"Oh. Wait." His face softened. "Your dad's anniversary is next week, right? You're going up there to visit his grave."
I said nothing.
"Okay, look. I get it. You're going through something." He pulled out a fat stack of cash and tried to hand it to me. "Here. Take this. Be safe. Stay as long as you want, but when you come back, you need to have your shit together."
I didn't move. The bills dropped into the dirt between us.
Cain's face darkened instantly. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"I don't need your money, Cain."
The Northern Lycan Academy waived tuition for orphaned warriors' children. I didn't need a single cent from him.
"Fine. Throw your tantrum." He leaned down, his breath hot against my ear. "I'll forgive you for that pathetic love letter you wrote. But you need to let go of your obsession over a toy. Samara is about to be my wife. When you get back, you will respect her. You will treat her like family. Understood?"
His words just bounced off. I felt nothing.
Instead, I reached into my jacket and pulled out the obsidian brooch. It was heavy, expensive—I'd blown every cent I'd saved for six months on this thing. I grabbed his hand and shoved the cold stone into his palm.
"Wedding gift," I said quietly, meeting his eyes one last time. "Hope you guys are happy. Hope you get everything you ever wanted."
I didn't wait for him to answer. I turned, walked straight to the cab, and got in.
The engine started. As we pulled away, I rolled down the window, stuck my head out, and screamed as loud as I could:
"CAIN! GOODBYE!"
Goodbye, Blackrock Pack.
Goodbye, to the guy I wasted seven years loving.
Cain's POV
The engagement party was perfect. Everyone was drunk and cheering. Other Alphas kept raising their glasses to me.
But I felt like I was suffocating.
I couldn't stop seeing Sia's face at the gate. That dead, empty look in her eyes. The way she screamed goodbye—not "see you later." Goodbye.
The noise was driving me crazy. I snuck off to the back lounge to clear my head.
That's when I heard them.
Muffled giggling came through the wall from the dressing room next door.
"Oh my god, do you seriously think that little leech is coming back?"
Samara. She was talking to her bridesmaids.
"Please! She's so screwed!" Samara cackled. "I found out weeks ago—she's going to the Northern Lycan Academy. Can you imagine? A useless Omega trying to survive up there? I almost feel bad. Almost."
Everything stopped.
My blood went cold. My brain just—blanked.
Northern Lycan Academy.
She wasn't going to a grave. She was never coming back.
