Father," I said softly, "I'm leaving. Take care." He didn't answer. "Go. The night is young. Don't come back." Then he turned and walked away, as though the past eighteen years had meant nothing. Without the bloodline, I had no place in this pack. Even if I stayed, he would have cast me out. He was no longer my father, just a leader fulfilling his duty. And I... was no one. The sky was dark, the moon veiled behind thick clouds. I walked through the village alone, past faces I once knew. Their stares burned into my skin. "There she is, the fake." "She's still here? Shameless." "If it were me, I would've disappeared already." I didn't look at them and just kept walking. When I reached the edge of the forest, I paused only for a moment before stepping into the shadows. I was a rogue now. No home. No mate. No family. Everything I once was had been brutally stripped away. Still, I didn't cry. Tears wouldn't change anything. Even as my wolf howled in pain, I kept moving. The forest was dangerous, but I had to get as far from the pack as I could before night truly fell. I needed shelter, safety, warmth, or anything. But my limbs were growing heavy, and the edges of my vision blurred. Still, I didn't stop walking.