After My Husband Took My Eyes, I Fled

I spent the night rehearsing my lies, perfecting the tremor in my voice, the slump of my shoulders. By dawn, I was ready. Broken. Defeated. Exactly what Jonathan needed to see.

My fingers traced the wall as I counted steps to his study. One, two, three... twenty-seven. The door was slightly ajar, and I could smell his cologne—sandalwood and cedar, once comforting, now nauseating.

I knocked softly.

"Enter," his voice commanded, the Alpha tone reverberating through me despite the absence of my wolf.

I pushed the door open, keeping my head bowed, my bandaged hands clasped before me. "Alpha," I whispered, the title bitter on my tongue.

"What is it?" Jonathan asked, his tone clipped. Papers rustled as he continued whatever work I'd interrupted.

"I..." I let my voice break, swallowing hard. "I wish to attend the Moon Goddess ceremony."

Silence. Then the creak of his leather chair as he leaned back. "And why would I allow that?"

I sank to my knees, the ultimate posture of submission. "The Moon Goddess has taken much from me, but I still wish to honor her. To show the other packs that despite my... condition, Shadowmere Pack remains strong and united."

His footsteps approached, and I fought not to flinch when his fingers tilted my chin up. "You think I don't see through this?"

"I have nowhere to go," I whispered, injecting truth into my lie. "No wolf, no sight, no family who would believe me over an Alpha. I just want to feel the moonlight one more time."

His thumb brushed my cheek, a mockery of tenderness. "You always were clever, Mia. Too clever for your own good."

I remained silent, heart hammering. Had I overplayed my hand?

"Very well," he said finally. "You may attend. It will indeed show the other packs my... benevolence."

Relief flooded through me, but I kept my face carefully blank. "Thank you, Alpha."

"One more thing," he added, his grip on my chin tightening painfully. "If you attempt anything foolish, I will ensure your brother suffers for it. Understood?"

I nodded, bile rising in my throat. "Understood."

---

That afternoon, Jonathan made a show of my "recovery" during the morning pack run. I stood beside him on the pack house steps, feeling dozens of eyes on me as he addressed the gathered wolves.

"As you all know, Luna—" he paused, correcting himself with theatrical regret, "—Mia has suffered greatly. Yet her devotion to our pack and the Moon Goddess remains unbroken. She will join us at tonight's ceremony as a testament to Shadowmere's strength."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. I could feel their pity, their curiosity, their judgment. Some knew the truth, I was certain. Others believed whatever lies Jonathan had fed them about my "accident."

"Such courage," Victoria commented beside me, her voice dripping with mockery only I could hear. "Though I wonder how you'll manage the journey without tripping over every twig."

I smiled thinly. "I'm sure you'll be there to catch me if I fall, Luna."

Later, as the pack dispersed to prepare for the journey, I slipped back to my quarters. I had mere hours to prepare. The ceremony would be held at the ancient stone circle in the neutral territory between the five major packs. I needed to memorize every detail of the journey there, every possible escape route.

I ran my fingers over the spare linens I'd stolen from the laundry, tearing them into strips. Each one I knotted carefully, creating markers I could identify by touch. With painstaking care, I tucked them into my pockets.

As the pack members bustled about, loading vehicles and preparing for the ceremonial journey, I moved through the corridors, discreetly pressing my fingertips to walls, doorframes, banisters—leaving the faintest trace of my scent. A breadcrumb trail I could follow by smell, even without my wolf or my sight.

"Time to go," Jonathan's voice startled me as I finished marking the path to the rear service entrance. "Remember our agreement."

I nodded, heart racing with fear and desperate hope. Tonight would be my only chance. If I failed, I knew with bone-deep certainty that Jonathan would ensure I never had another opportunity.

As his hand closed around my arm, guiding me toward the waiting vehicles, I wondered if I was walking toward freedom or my final doom.