What Remains
Gabrielle POV
I don't make it far before I start crying.
Not the quiet kind. Not the kind I can swallow down and survive.
This is full on, ugly, tear-streaked face, hand-over-mouth sobbing. Like a well has cracked open inside me and I don't know how to seal it again.
My hands are shaking.
I slide down against the bed and realise that no matter how close I get, how much I'm pulled into their world, I'm always going to be on the outside.
The human.
Why would he want me?
I don't heal fast. I can't shift. I'll never truly be part of a pack – or his future. Today was a taste of something I can never truly have.
My vision blurs as a fresh wave of tears spill over. I sink to the floor, but it doesn't ground me.
I need to be outside.
I stagger out until I'm swallowed by green. The forest floor catches me as I collapse, cold and damp beneath my palms.
I'm not sure how long I've been out here. Long enough for the light to begin fading from the sky.
I barely notice the crunch of boots on earth.
"You can't stay out here forever," Rowan says quietly.
I don't argue. I have nothing left to argue with – and I know a human like me would freeze if I stayed much longer.
He offers a hand anyway.
I stare at it for a second too long before taking it, embarrassed by how much I need the help.
"Come on," he says gently, already pulling me up.
He doesn't let go straight away. He waits until my footing is steady, until I'm upright again.
His touch feels different. Steadier. My heart twinges at the comparison I don't finish.
"He's not as cold as he seems," he says releasing my hand and eyes on the trees.
I don't respond. I don't trust my voice.
"He has his reasons," he continues. "They're not always good ones, but it's how he's wired after everything..."
He trails off.
"Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt." I respond.
He sighs, hand palming his face. "Things aren't always as they seem. That's all I'm saying – it's not my story to tell."
I let out a humourless huff and dust myself off, wipe my face clean with my sleeve and straighten up. The one I won’t name won’t see me cry today.
"I've spoken to Tess," Rowan says, changing the subject. "She's coming to pick you up. Let's get you packed up."
I don't ask how he has her number. I don't think I want to know – though I'm sure she'll tell me later, in painful detail.
----
Less than an hour has passed, and Tess pulls up outside the pack-house. By the time I hobble down, she's already leaning against the porch railing – like she belongs there in a way I never will.
She rushes forward, thanks Rowan, then wraps me in a fierce hug. I'm not sure who she's happier to see – me or him.
As she pulls back, I notice someone standing just behind.
A female wolf. She's stunning. Cool blue eyes and blonde hair smoothed to perfection at the nape of her neck.
Standing this close, I'm suddenly acutely aware of myself – mud on boots and bandage, red-rimmed eyes, hands still trembling.
In contrast, she looks untouched. Serene.
Like she knows exactly how disarming she is.
"That's Sera," Tess murmurs, following my gaze.
"She's the closest thing we have to a Luna around here," Rowan adds.
Another twist of the knife in my gut.
Of course someone like her would catch an alpha's eye.
Sera glances up, lips curving.
"That's very generous," she says lightly. "I just keep the cogs turning around the pack-house when the real power is busy."
Her gaze shifts to me.
Something curious flickers there before her smile returns.
"You must be the human," she states. "I've heard a lot about you. I'm Seraphine."
I'm not sure how to respond. If she knows what happened today, she's hiding it well.
Rowan is already loading my bag into Tess's car.
As Tess drags me toward the car, I glance back once more.
Sera is still standing there, hands folded neatly in front of her, watching us go.
"Thanks," I mumble to him.
"Take care of yourself," he replies. "I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again. Sooner than you think."
I don't share his confidence.
As we drive away, Tess breaks the silence.
"Did you notice that?"
"Notice what?"
"Her, doing that thing where she's being nice, but you still come away feeling like shit."
I had noticed.
I just hadn't realised yet that this was the beginning of understanding exactly how little space there was for someone like me.
And my instincts were screaming at me to remember her face.