I stared at my phone, my mother's desperate pleas still echoing in my ears. Something was wrong—terribly wrong. In all the years since I'd left, she'd never sounded so frightened. My hands trembled as I shoved clothes into my suitcase, my mind racing.
"I can do this," I whispered to myself, though my wolf whimpered inside me. "I can face him again."
Four years I'd spent building walls around my heart, creating a life where Rhys Knight couldn't hurt me anymore. And now, with one phone call, those walls were crumbling.
My bedroom door creaked open, and I jumped, half-expecting to see Rhys's imposing figure. Instead, my roommate Kira poked her head in.
"Are you really leaving?" she asked, eyeing the open suitcase on my bed.
I nodded, unable to meet her eyes. "My mom needs me."
"But what about..." She hesitated. "What about Orion?"
The question made my chest tighten. What about Orion? The man who'd given me sanctuary, purpose, and something dangerously close to love.