Chapter 0295

The first bus station is just the beginning. My mother yanks us off before our scheduled stop, purchasing tickets to a completely different town. We repeat this pattern three more times, zigzagging across state lines like fugitives.

By the time we reach her chosen destination, it's well past midnight two days later. Exhaustion weighs me down as we stumble into the only motel this tiny Sierra Madre town has to offer. I collapse onto the scratchy sheets and am unconscious before my head hits the pillow. Somewhere in my fading thoughts, I realize this escape from my father is my twelfth birthday gift. The best one I've ever received. For now, we're safe.

Mom declares this remote mountain town our new home. "We're in neutral territory here," she explains between yawns as we unpack. "Several packs roam these mountains, but they keep to themselves."

The next morning, she enrolls me in the local school and lands a job at Teddy's Diner, the only eatery for miles. We rent a cramped studio apartment above a hardware store—what humans call a "granny flat." It's not much, but for the first time in my life, I don't wake up to my mother nursing fresh bruises.

Nearly a year passes in this fragile peace. My routine never varies: school, then the diner's ice cream counter where I do homework until Mom finishes her double shift. She works herself ragged, hoarding every penny in case we need to run again.

Then everything shatters on an ordinary Tuesday afternoon.

A bloodcurdling scream cuts through the diner's chatter. My mother collapses, her tray clattering to the floor as she curls into a fetal position. The pain contorting her face sends ice through my veins.

Teddy, the owner and cook, comes barreling out of the kitchen. "What in blazes—?"

I'm already crouched beside her. "She just dropped!" My voice shakes.

"Ambulance," Teddy barks, reaching for the phone.

"No!" Mom gasps. Her trembling hand grips my wrist. "Isolde... water... I'll be fine." Each word seems to cost her tremendous effort.

"You need a hospital," I insist.

Teddy studies my mother's face, some silent understanding passing between them. "Get your mama some water, kid."

Whatever she whispers to him while I'm gone must have been convincing. When I return, Teddy's helping her sit up against the counter. She gulps the water like it's medicine.

"I'm okay," she lies, her pallor ghostly. "Teddy, I just need—"

"Go home," he interrupts, taking the empty glass. "I'll call Janine to cover. Girl, take your mother straight to bed."

Teddy presses a takeout box into my hands as we leave. "You call me if she takes a turn tonight, hear?"

Back in our apartment, Mom won't stay quiet. "Sit," she orders, patting the mattress. Her fingers are like ice against mine. "You need to understand what happened today."

I perch on the edge of the bed, dread coiling in my stomach.

"Sweetheart, do you know why I collapsed?" Tears shimmer in her eyes when I shake my head. She exhales shakily. "The important thing is... I believe we're finally safe from your father. He's stopped searching."

Her gaze drops to our intertwined hands. "But he's taken another mate." Her voice cracks. "Do you understand what that means?"

I don't—not until she explains the agony of a broken mate bond. How every time my father betrays their union, she'll feel it like a blade twisting in her gut. The pain will worsen with each indiscretion, draining her strength until...

"But what happens to you?" My voice is barely a whisper.

Mom won't meet my eyes. "Eventually, Aurora will surrender. And we'll fade away."