Last Goodbye

        Celeste found herself wrapped up in a satin black gown with a matching satin cloak that perfectly sat over her head in the middle of her chamber before dawn can paint the sky an alluring red and golden. 

       She glanced sideways at the wooden clock on the wall, its big hand stayed on ten. There are still ten minutes for it to reach twelve and mark the fifth hour of the day. The start of their journey. 

       When she got to the Packhouse everyone was already on the outside and the carriage that was bound to take them to the palace was ready. Her eyes went round when they landed on the mares. The white fur of the mares lit up the darkness around them. 

       She has never seen an animal emitting light. What on this planet is this?

       Hesse beamed ear to ear on spotting Celeste in the courtyard as she slipped out of the front door. She jogged toward Celeste, wrapping her arms around her and squeezing her in a tight embrace, the sweet scent of jasmine invading Celeste's senses as it fogged between them.

        Hesse pulled away and looked right into Celeste's blue eyes, "Please come back safely, my Cel. I will be waiting." 

           What?

     "Are you not coming with me?" Celeste's voice was small and uncertain, almost defeated. 

        "Sadly, no. We all can't just show up at the palace. It's just you, Father, and the councils along with the pack beta. I'm afraid it's more than enough, already." Hesse huffed out a laugh. 

        Her words brought Celeste back to her own Palace. Indeed it is disrespectful to show up at the palace threshold unannounced and top of it all with so many people. "That's true." 

          The faint sound of  Hesse humming an agreement was overpowered by the approaching footsteps behind them. 

      "Ready to go?" Kelen's voice filtered through the rapidly blowing wind which threatened the hood on Celeste's head to stay down. 

      Celeste, despite being nowhere near ready, nodded her head with the faintest of smiles on her pink lips. 

         Kelen stepped forward, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Stay safe, my dear. Seha and Ayz will be here at sunrise." 

      "Have a safe journey, father." Hesse smiled, leaning into his touch as he cupped the side of her cheek and dropped a kiss on her forehead. 

        Celeste watched as the maids strolls back and forth from the house to the carriage, loading it with the needed supplies of food and water. 

        Hesse gave one last solace embrace to Celeste as the guard called out that it was time for them to go. 

         Celeste couldn't have helped the tears that welled up in her eyes. She couldn't have helped the tilt of her head, eyes wandering all over the pack house, every edge of it. The enormous trees and lawns she and hesse had wandered through with the cattle. 

        Then her gaze cut to Hesse again, trying to intake every single detail that made her. She had no idea how she had grown so close to this girl. But she never thought— she just didn't think she would have to part ways with her this quickly. 

        Celeste breathed in the sweet scent of jasmine deeply for the last time, filling her lungs with it. "Please tell Seha and Ayz that I will miss them, so much. And I miss you too, already. Thank you, Hesse… for everything." A croaked laugh escaped her lips, it was wet with sorrow. 

      Hesse's brows hunched downward, confusion swimming in her dark orbs which twinkled in the rays of moonlight. "Why do you sound like you're saying your last goodbye?" Her hand that was closed over celeste's forearm tightened, "I don't like it." 

      "Sometimes, what we like has nothing to do with our fortune, Hesse." 

      Hesse's hand flew to celeste's mouth, "Stop it, please. You are scaring me." 

        Celeste allowed her lips to stretch into a melancholic smile underneath the soft skin of Hesse's hand. Celeste's cold fingers closed around her wrist, making her gasp and twist her hand out of Celeste's hold as if her touch burnt but she knew it was not the case; it was the coldness that nestled underneath her skin that scared Hesse off. 

        Celeste stepped back. "I will miss you." 

      Before Hesse could open her mouth to say something back to her, Celeste turned around, the ends of her black gown swaying with the impact. 

       She walked over to the carriage where Kelen was standing and talking to some guards. Lines formed on his forehead, brows drew together and lips pursed. 

       "—okay, that will do. For the coming three days, Seha will be your Alpha— oh, Cel!" 

       "Oh no, I didn't mean to interfere." 

    "You didn't, we were done talking." Kelen said, smiling down at her. The man that was conversing with Kelen took a step back and placed a hand on his chest, tilting his head down to the ground as he bowed. Kelen gave a curt nod his way as he walked off to the other guards that were now watching closely to the wild gestures the pack beta was making. 

          Kelen held out his hand for Celeste to hold on when she got on the carriage, but she acted as if she had failed to see his stretched out arm, and climbed into the carriage.   

She doesn't want to touch him with her cold hand and scare him off, too…

          To her relief, Kelen was called by the beta. She tipped her head back on the wooden surface of the arch inside the carriage. A long sigh pushed past through the slight crack of her lips. 

      The voices and shuffles of the men getting into the carriage had filled the quiet air, and mares made sounds of excitement about their upcoming journey, or that was what it sounded to Celeste's ears. 

         Kelen took the seat next to her when the councils— Jordan, and the other man— along with the beta sat parallel to them. 

       The wheels of the carriage rattled beneath them as the mares started walking forward. Celeste stuck her head out of the carriage, eyes wandering over to Hesse who was still standing in the courtyard. And she liked to think it wasn't her hallucination when she found Hesse's gaze wet.  

        A wind blew and wrapped its invisible arms around Celeste, whispering condolence in her ears as it dropped a kiss on her cheek as a last goodbye.