"I can't stay here."
The words tumble out of my mouth as I pace around our small living room, my hand pressed protectively over my still-flat stomach. Lilah watches me from the couch, concern etched across her freckled face.
"What do you mean you can't stay? This is your home, Evie."
"Not anymore." I stop pacing and face her. "Do you know what happens to unclaimed Omegas carrying Alpha children?"
Lilah's face goes pale. "You're pregnant?"
"Six weeks." The admission feels like ripping off a bandage. "And before you ask, yes, it's Adrian's."
"Oh, Evie." She stands, reaching for me, but I step back.
"Don't. I don't need pity right now. I need solutions."
"Have you told him?"
"Tell him what? That while he's planning his wedding to another woman, I'm carrying his bastard child?" I laugh bitterly. "I'm sure that would go over well."
"Maybe he'd..."
"He'd what? Leave Serena for me? Break a political alliance that keeps the pack safe?" I shake my head. "You're being naive, Lilah. Adrian made his choice, and it wasn't me."
Lilah sinks back onto the couch. "So what are you going to do?"
"Leave." The word hangs between us like a death sentence. "Tonight."
"You can't be serious."
"I'm dead serious." I head to my bedroom and pull out my old backpack, the one I used for herb gathering trips. "Unclaimed Omegas with Alpha children are considered threats. The pack will either force me to give up the baby or... worse."
"Adrian wouldn't let that happen."
"Adrian won't have a choice. Once the pack finds out, it becomes a matter of pack politics, not personal preference." I start throwing clothes into the bag, practical things, warm things. "Besides, he's made it clear I don't matter to him."
Lilah follows me into the bedroom. "Where will you go?"
"Away. Far enough that this pack's politics can't touch my child."
"Our child needs family, Evie. They need their pack."
"Their pack doesn't want them." I grab my savings from the drawer, not much, but enough to get started somewhere else. "And their father is marrying someone else in ten days."
A soft knock interrupts our argument. We both freeze.
"Evelyn?" Caleb's voice carries through the door. "I know you're awake."
I exchange glances with Lilah, then reluctantly open the door. The old man stands on my porch with a folded piece of paper in his weathered hands.
"Going somewhere?" he asks, nodding toward the backpack visible behind me.
"I don't know what you mean."
"Of course you don't." He steps inside without invitation, his shrewd eyes taking in the packed bag, my sister's worried expression. "Pregnancy has a way of clarifying priorities, doesn't it?"
My blood runs cold. "How did you, "
"Dr. Morrison and I are old friends. Don't worry, he didn't break confidentiality. I simply put the pieces together myself." Caleb unfolds the paper he's carrying. "Your sudden illness, the timing, the way you've been touching your stomach unconsciously. It's not difficult to deduce."
I want to deny it, but what's the point? "Are you going to tell the pack?"
"That depends." He spreads the paper on our kitchen table. It's a hand-drawn map, detailed and precise. "Are you planning to run scared, or are you planning to run smart?"
I approach the table cautiously. The map shows our territory and beyond, paths I've never seen before, routes that wind through unmarked wilderness.
"These are the old smuggling trails," Caleb explains. "From the days when packs fought more openly and safe passage required... creativity. They'll get you out of Alpha territory without being detected."
"Why are you helping me?"
"Because that child you're carrying is more important than you realize." His finger traces one of the paths.
I study the map, memorizing the route. "How do I know I can trust you?"
"You don't. But right now, I'm the only chance you have of getting out of here alive."
A chill runs down my spine at his words. "Alive?"
"An unclaimed Omega with an Alpha's child is a political nightmare, especially one whose bloodline carries the power yours does." Caleb rolls up the map and hands it to me. "Adrian's engagement to Serena isn't just about politics, it's about control. Your child threatens that control."
"I still don't understand what you think I am."
"You will." He moves toward the door. "But first, you need to survive long enough to find out."
After he leaves, I tuck the map into my backpack and continue packing. Lilah watches in silence until I head for the door.
"I'm coming with you."
"No." I turn to face her. "Absolutely not."
"You can't do this alone, Evie. You're pregnant, you have no idea where you're going, "
"Which is exactly why you need to stay here. Someone has to throw them off my trail, make it seem like I'm still around." I grip her shoulders. "Besides, you have a life here. Friends, a job, a future."
"My future is with my sister."
"Your future is here, safe, where it belongs." I pull her into a hug, breathing in her familiar scent of cinnamon and sunshine. "I need you to be my anchor, Lilah. Stay here, keep our cottage, and maybe someday..."
"Someday what?"
"Maybe someday I'll come back."
We both know it's a lie, but we hold onto it anyway.
I wait until after midnight to make my move. The pack house is quiet, most wolves asleep or settled in for the night. I've spent hours studying Caleb's map, planning my route to avoid patrol paths and territorial markers.
My backpack is light, just essentials, a few precious items, and what little money I've saved. Everything else gets left behind, including the blue dress that started this whole mess.
I'm almost to the tree line when footsteps sound behind me.
"Evelyn, wait."
I turn to find Lucas jogging toward me, his face etched with desperation. "Don't do this."
"Don't do what?" I adjust my backpack straps, trying to look casual.
"Run. Wherever it is that you are going." He stops in front of me, breathing hard. "You can't leave."
"I'm just going for a walk."
"With a backpack full of clothes and your life savings?" His green eyes bore into mine. "I'm not stupid, Evelyn."
I sigh. There's no point in lying anymore. "Then you know why I have to go."
"No, I don't." He steps closer. "What I know is that you're making a huge mistake."
"The mistake was staying this long."
"The mistake is running instead of fighting." His hands grip my shoulders. "You don't have to face this alone."
"Yes, I do."
"No, you don't." His voice drops to barely above a whisper. "Because you're not unclaimed."
I stare at him. "What are you talking about?"
"You're my mate, Evelyn. You always have been."
The words hit me like a physical blow. "That's impossible."
"Is it? Haven't you felt it? The way I've always been drawn to you, even before your awakening? The way I can sense your emotions, your pain?" His hands move to cup my face. "I've been waiting for you to see it, to feel what I feel."
"I don't, "
"You do. Deep down, you know it's true." His thumb brushes across my cheek. "Stay with me. Let me claim you properly, protect you and the baby. We can be a family."
For a moment, I'm tempted. Lucas is kind, gentle, everything Adrian isn't. He's offering me safety, security, a chance for my child to grow up with a father who wants them.
But the mate bond in my chest tells a different story. It still pulls toward Adrian, still aches for the man who broke my heart. Whatever Lucas feels, whatever he thinks he feels, it's not the same.
"I'm sorry," I whisper, stepping back from his touch. "I can't."
"Evelyn, please..."
"I don't love you, Lucas. Not the way you want me to."
Pain flashes across his face. "You love him."
"That doesn't matter anymore."
"It's the only thing that matters." He drops his hands to his sides. "You're making a mistake."
"But it's my mistake to make."
I turn and walk toward the forest, each step taking me further from everything I've ever known. Behind me, I hear Lucas call my name one more time, but I don't look back.