Seraphina’s POV
The frigid night air sliced through my clothes as I moved through the shadows behind Wyatt. Our footsteps whispered against the forest floor, barely audible above the rustling leaves overhead. Every step carried further from pack territory, further from everything I had known. My chest felt hollow, as if pieces of my soul were scattering behind us in the darkness. My pulse thundered so loudly I was certain Wyatt could hear it, but the rhythm had changed from terror to sothing else. Anticipation.
Wyatt cut through the trees with practiced ease, his lean fra moving like a predator born for this terrain. His eyes stayed fixed ahead, constantly scanning for threats, listening for sounds that didn’t belong. He rarely glanced back, completely confident that I would follow. After all, I was Luna. I could keep pace. That blind trust would be his downfall. He believed I was fleeing with him, not from him.
Sothing shifted in the air around us. The scent changed, becoming sharper, unfamiliar. Even the forest’s natural hum felt different. We had crossed into neutral territory, leaving Julian’s protection behind. My stomach clenched. This was the mont I had been waiting for.
Wyatt’s pace slowed slightly, his rigid shoulders dropping just enough to show his relief. He turned his head, studying the shadows around us with less intensity. "We’re close now," he whispered, his voice rough from the night’s tension. He thought we had made it through the worst part.
This was my chance.
I didn’t hesitate. The backpack containing my clothes and Julian’s money beca my weapon. Instead of swinging it at Wyatt, I hurled it sideways into a dense cluster of bushes to his left. The heavy pack crashed through the branches with a sharp crack.
Wyatt jerked toward the sound, every muscle in his body coiling for a fight. His head snapped around, eyes searching the darkness for whatever had made the noise. For one precious second, his attention was completely diverted.
I bolted right, away from our intended path. My legs pumped harder than they ever had, carrying deeper into the woods. My lungs burned as I pushed myself beyond exhaustion, beyond pain.
"Luna!" Wyatt’s voice cracked through the night like a whip. Shock and fury mixed in that single word. He knew. And now he was coming for .
I refused to look back. Every second spent checking his position was a second lost. I dove under low branches, twisted around massive tree trunks, used every natural barrier the forest offered. Behind , I could hear him crashing through the undergrowth, gaining ground with every stride. He was trained for pursuit. I was running on desperation alone.
Then I heard it. Faint but unmistakable - the distant rumble of traffic. A road. Civilization. My way out.
I threw myself forward with renewed energy, bursting through the final line of trees and stumbling onto rough asphalt. A narrow highway stretched endlessly in both directions, dark and empty except for the yellow lines disappearing into blackness. I could still hear Wyatt sowhere behind , his frustrated growls growing fainter. He wouldn’t risk following onto open road in wolf form. Too much chance of being seen by humans.
I ran along the shoulder, my boots crunching on loose gravel, until lights appeared in the distance. A truck stop, glowing like a beacon of hope.
Twenty agonizing minutes later, I reached the rundown facility. My body scread in protest with every step, but I forced myself to keep moving. I locked myself in the won’s restroom and splashed icy water on my face, watching dirt and sweat swirl down the drain. The mirror reflected a stranger - wild-eyed and desperate.
I changed quickly into clean clothes from my pack. Jeans, a plain shirt, a dark hoodie that would help blend in. I pulled my hair back severely and secured it. The roll of cash felt heavy in my hands, each bill a reminder of what I was leaving behind. But this was the price of freedom.
Outside, I found an ancient payphone that sohow still worked. I needed to get as far away as possible, sowhere no forest-dwelling wolf would ever think to look. Inside the truck stop, I bought a cheap phone and searched for flights.
New York City. The na jumped out at like destiny. A concrete maze filled with millions of people, the exact opposite of our quiet woods. Perfect. There was a flight leaving from a small regional airport in just hours.
The taxi ride felt like traveling between worlds. The airport was tiny and sleepy, filled with ordinary humans going about their ordinary lives. None of them had any idea they were sitting next to a runaway Luna.
The plane was cramped and noisy, but as we climbed into the sky, I pressed my face to the window and watched my old world shrink below. Houses beca dots, roads turned into thin lines, forests rged into dark patches. With each mile, the weight on my chest grew lighter. Julian, the pack house, all the expectations and pain - everything beca smaller and more distant.
Landing in New York hit like a physical force. The chaos of honking taxis, shouting people, and towering buildings was overwhelming and beautiful. Here, I was invisible. Just another anonymous face in an endless crowd.
I found a cheap motel near the airport, the kind with paper-thin walls and a flickering neon sign. I ate a tasteless sandwich while watching strangers pass by my window. No one knew . No one cared.
The next morning, I stepped into the living, breathing city. I bought a secondhand coat, hid my hair under a baseball cap, and walked for hours. At a small coffee shop, I sat watching the stream of humanity flow past. None of them sensed the wolf hiding beneath my human facade. None of them were searching for a missing Luna.
I was free. Guilt still gnawed at for leaving Julian behind, a constant ache I couldn’t ignore. But stronger than the guilt was relief, pure and fierce. I had found a place where no one would ever expect to look for . Here, I was just Seraphina - a human girl lost in the big city.
For the first ti in years, I could breathe. I could finally discover who Seraphina really was, separate from any Alpha, any pack, any role I was supposed to fill. This terrifying, wonderful anonymity was mine.
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