Fawn spent the entire day trying to summon the courage to act on her decision. Leaving the pack was not something she had ever considered before, but the agony of staying was becoming too much. She moved through her day mechanically, her mind elsewhere as she tended to her patients, Rowan and Kira occasionally exchanging worried glances behind her back.

By the time evening rolled around, Fawn had made up her mind. She couldn't continue living in constant pain, watching from the sidelines as Lucian moved on with his life, leaving her to deal with the shattered remnants of their bond. She deserved better than that.

After the last patient left the clinic, Fawn sat at her desk, staring at the small, potted plant Kira had given her when she first started working there. It was a simple thing, a token of their friendship, but it represented so much more. This clinic had been her safe haven, her home, her place of purpose. And now she was preparing to walk away from it all.

She was startled out of her thoughts by a knock at the door. Rowan poked his head in, his expression curious but tinged with concern.

"Hey, are you heading out soon? Kira and I were thinking of grabbing some dinner together. You should come with us."

Fawn hesitated. She loved her friends, and she would miss their warmth and camaraderie more than anything. But she knew that the longer she stayed, the harder it would be to leave. She had to go now, before she lost her nerve.

"I... I don't think I can tonight," Fawn said quietly, avoiding his gaze. "I have a few things to take care of."

Rowan raised an eyebrow, sensing something off in her tone. He stepped further into the room, leaning against the doorframe. "Everything okay?"

Fawn forced a smile, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Yeah. Just... a lot on my mind."

Rowan studied her for a moment, his sharp eyes picking up on the tension in her posture. He opened his mouth to say something but seemed to think better of it. Instead, he nodded slowly. "Alright. But if you need anything, you know where to find us."

"I know," she whispered, her heart aching. Rowan had been a pillar of support through all of this, and the thought of leaving him behind was almost enough to make her change her mind.

Almost.

As Rowan left, Fawn gathered her things, her movements slow and deliberate. She packed lightly-just the essentials. A change of clothes, her healing herbs, and a few keepsakes that held sentimental value. Everything else she left behind. She wouldn't need much where she was going, and she wasn't sure she could bear to carry too many reminders of her life here.

Once she was packed, Fawn stood in the middle of the clinic, taking in the familiar surroundings one last time. The soft glow of the lanterns, the rows of neatly organized herbs and medical supplies, the worn but comfortable furniture. This place had been her sanctuary, her refuge from the chaos of the pack. But now it felt suffocating, like a cage she couldn't escape.

With a deep breath, she turned and walked out the door, closing it gently behind her. The cool night air hit her like a shock, reminding her that this was real. She was really doing this. She was leaving.

As she made her way through the pack's territory, she kept her head down, avoiding the few wolves who were still out and about. The last thing she needed was for someone to stop her, to ask questions she wasn't ready to answer.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she neared the edge of the territory. The forest loomed ahead, dark and foreboding, but it felt more welcoming than the pack's lands ever could right now. Once she crossed that boundary, she would be a rogue, free from the rules and obligations of pack life-but also cut off from the safety and protection it offered.

Fawn hesitated at the treeline, her nerves fraying. Could she really do this? Could she really survive out there, alone? Her wolf stirred uneasily, sensing her hesitation, but Fawn knew there was no other choice. Staying here meant slowly withering away, her spirit crushed by the weight of the bond that refused to let her go.

She took a step forward, crossing the invisible line that marked the pack's territory. The moment she did, something shifted inside her. It was subtle at first, but then the bond-what was left of it-seemed to stretch thin, like a tether being pulled to its limit. The further she walked, the weaker it became, until it was little more than a faint thread, a whisper of the connection she had once shared with Lucian.

She expected to feel relief, but instead, all she felt was emptiness.

The bond may have weakened, but the pain was still there, lurking just beneath the surface. It would take time to heal, and even then, Fawn wasn't sure she ever truly would. But at least now, she had a chance to find herself again. To rebuild her life, piece by piece, without the constant reminder of what she had lost.

She had walked for what felt like hours when the sound of footsteps behind her made her freeze.

"Going somewhere?"

The voice was familiar-too familiar. Fawn's heart skipped a beat as she turned to see Lucian standing a few feet away, his expression unreadable in the dim light of the moon.

Fawn's breath caught in her throat. She hadn't expected to see him-had hoped, even, that she wouldn't. But here he was, staring at her with those piercing eyes that had once made her heart race with something other than pain.

"I... I need to leave," Fawn managed to say, her voice shaking. "I can't stay here anymore."

Lucian's eyes flickered with something-regret? Pain? It was hard to tell. "Why?"

Fawn let out a bitter laugh, though it came out more like a sob. "Why do you think? You rejected me, Lucian. You chose Beth, and I've been paying for that choice ever since."

Lucian winced, his jaw tightening. He took a step closer, but Fawn backed away, shaking her head.

"No," she said firmly. "You don't get to do this. You don't get to show up now, after everything, and act like you care."

"I do care, Fawn," Lucian said, his voice low and intense. "I... I made a mistake."

Fawn's chest tightened, the words hitting her like a punch to the gut. She had dreamed of hearing those words, of Lucian admitting that he had been wrong. But now that they were here, now that he was standing in front of her, saying what she had longed to hear, it didn't feel like enough.

"You made your choice," Fawn whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "And now I'm making mine."

Without another word, Fawn turned and ran, her feet carrying her deeper into the forest, away from the pack, away from Lucian. She didn't look back.