Alpha's Regret

Draven:

I hadn't stepped outside since Friday night.

Since I walked away from her.

Since I stood in the middle of the cottage, with her scent still lingering in the air and my heart torn between wanting to pull her close and running away.

And I had chosen the coward's path. I ran.

Now it was Monday evening, and I was still holed up in my safe house like some damned fugitive. Not from enemies, but from myself. From everything I was feeling. And from her.

I was sitting in the dim living room, the only light coming from the fireplace that had long turned into a dull ember glow. My phone had buzzed countless times since the weekend started - River, Kieran… my friends, even Professors. But not her.

There wasn't a single message, not a single missed call. Nothing.

Not that she ever reached out first, but some stupid part of me… some desperate, selfish part of me had hoped she might, just this once.