Chapter 13

Rain's POV

The Road to the Unknown

I was wide awake, but barely hanging on. My body felt like it had been dragged through hell. Everything hurt—my shoulders, my legs, even my skin burned. I couldn't remember the last time I felt this weak. But my mind? It wouldn't shut off.

Eric carried me on his back. I was limp—completely useless—but my brain kept fighting. I was too tired to walk, too restless to sleep.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked. My voice was cracked, dry, like it had been scraped raw from the inside.

He didn't miss a step. "I owe your dad. He told me to look after you."

I blinked. My dad? I hadn't heard that name in years—not like it meant anything anymore. He'd been gone so long, I could barely picture his face.

"You knew him?"

Eric nodded. "Yeah."

I wanted to ask more, but my throat was tight, and my stomach rolled every time he moved. I swallowed, breathing through the dizziness.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, softer this time.

"You'll see."

That wasn't what I wanted to hear. Not now. Not when my entire body felt like it could give out at any second. I shut my eyes and tried to steady my breathing. My cheek rested against his back. I could hear his heartbeat. It was steady. Unbothered.

Mine was racing.

Minutes passed. Or maybe hours. I wasn't sure.

Then something changed.

The air smelled different. Bitter. Cold. Like rust and smoke and something I couldn't name. It made my skin crawl. Eric slowed down. I opened my eyes.

He stopped.

Gently, he lowered me down. My feet hit the ground and gave up immediately. I fell to my knees.

"Shit," I breathed, hands digging into the dirt. My arms trembled as I tried to push myself up.

Eric crouched next to me, ready to help, but I waved him off. I didn't want to be helped—I wanted to stand. I needed to.

I forced my legs to lock, and I stood. Barely.

Then I looked ahead.

What I saw didn't make sense.

Dead land. Dry, cracked ground. A place that looked like it hadn't seen life in years. The sky felt heavy above it—like even the clouds were holding their breath.

I turned to Eric, my stomach twisting. "Is this… the boundary?"

He didn't answer.

"Eric." My voice broke. "Tell me this isn't what I think it is."

He looked at me. Quiet. Steady. "We have to go. It's the only place they won't follow us."

I stared at him, disbelief hitting me like a punch to the chest. "You want me to walk into that place? Like this?"

"You won't be alone."

I let out a breath that was supposed to be a laugh but sounded more like a broken wheeze. "This is insane," I muttered, shaking my head slowly. "You know what? Just take me back to the Well of Misery. I'd rather die in there than here."

"I can't." Eric's voice was firm. "You can't die. Not yet. You have a great destiny to fulfill."

I scoffed, "And I need to go in there to fulfill it?"

"Yes," he said simply.

"Well, fuck destiny," I shot back. "I want to reconnect with my mom and dad in the great beyond. Not die in the wasteland and have my soul sucked by whatever demons are lurking in there."

He didn't move. Just lowered his voice, like he was telling me a secret.

"Don't you want revenge?"

Everything in me went still.

That word landed hard—sank right into my chest like a stone. I could still hear Batista's cold, unfeeling voice when he ordered my execution. I could still see Victoria standing there, lying, watching me suffer.

And Dan—the bastard who drove his dagger into my stomach, watching the life drain out of me without a flicker of remorse.

My fingers started to shake. My throat closed. I couldn't look at Eric. I just nodded, barely.

Eric stepped closer. His voice was softer now, but no less sharp. "Come with me. I'll help you. They'll pay."

I looked up. For once, he didn't seem like some distant statue. He looked human. And serious. And dangerous.

I swallowed, my voice cracking. "And all I have to do… is cross that line?"

He nodded. "Yes."

I stared at the space in front of me. Nothing marked it, but I felt it—like pressure in the air. Like stepping off a ledge with no idea what was below.

My whole body hurt. My skin was burning, my legs were barely holding me. But I didn't move back.

I took a slow breath.

"…Okay," I said, barely louder than a whisper. "Let's finish this."

But Eric didn't move. His eyes didn't leave mine.

"There's one more thing."

Of course there was. "What now?"

"You have to renounce the pack."

I froze.

The world went quiet. Even the wind stopped.

Renounce the pack.

I felt cold all over. Not just on the outside. Deep down. My heart beat slower. My mouth was dry.

"If you don't," Eric continued, "Dan might still feel your energy. Everyone in the Supreme Blood Moon Pack needs to believe you're dead. It's necessary."

He wasn't wrong.

I was never important. Just the one they sent to fetch things. Clean things. Fix their messes. But walking away from that last thread… it felt like tearing out something I wasn't ready to lose.

Still, I nodded. I had to.

I forced my body forward, every step like dragging myself through mud. I stopped just at the edge of the invisible line.

And I said it.

"I, Rain of the Omega Clan… servant of the Supreme Blood Moon Pack… renounce my ties to the pack and sever all bonds that connect me to it. From this moment on… I am no longer one of you."

It hit me like lightning.

A surge of pain—fast and sharp—shot through my chest and exploded outward. My body arched, seized. I couldn't scream. Couldn't breathe. Every nerve burned. My heart felt like it was being torn in two.

I collapsed.

Hit the ground hard, shaking, gasping. Couldn't tell if I was alive or dying. My face pressed into the dirt. My hands clenched into fists.

Eric didn't move to help me. He couldn't. This was something I had to endure alone.

A choked cry tore from my throat as my body convulsed, my veins burning. I had been wolfless my whole life, but even I could feel the unnatural force being stripped from me, leaving me raw and empty.

Then, just as suddenly as it started—the pain was gone.

I wasn't part of anything anymore. I was just… me.

Eric knelt down. His voice was gentle. "It's done."

I didn't answer. I couldn't. My throat was raw. My arms felt like lead. My body was useless.

He offered his hand.

I pushed it away.

"No," I rasped. "I'm walking."

He looked at me. "You're barely standing."

"I don't care."

He didn't argue.

I dug my hands into the ground and pushed. My legs shook, my back screamed, my vision blurred—but I got up. Somehow.

One step forward. Then another.

Into whatever came next.

Eric walked beside me. Silent. Steady.

We didn't say a word.

But I knew something was watching us. Waiting.

And there was no turning back now.