The Queen They Lost, Now His

Ember POV:

The hospital corridor was long and sterile. Every step left a small bloody smear on the polished tile from my knee, but no one stopped to help. I was the pariah. The Alpha had commanded me to leave, and the pack obeyed the Alpha.

I could hear them through the thin walls of the VIP room.

"I want to go to Moon Island now," Willow whined, her voice high and childish. "I don't feel safe here with her lurking around."

"We'll go tonight," Ryker promised. "I'll have the jet prepped."

"Can Ember come?" Willow asked. It was a trap. I knew her tone.

"Absolutely not," Axel's voice cut through the air like a scalpel. "She's unstable. Her jealousy is toxic. She doesn't deserve the sacred ground of Moon Island."

I leaned against the wall, closing my eyes. Moon Island. The place where Dad taught Ryker to fish. The place where Mom taught Axel to identify herbs. The place they swore was our sanctuary.

Now, it belonged to a stranger.

The door opened. Axel stepped out. He stopped when he saw me leaning against the wall, clutching my bleeding leg. For a brief moment, his gaze snagged on the blood. A flicker of confusion crossed his face-a doctor's instinct warring with his prejudice.

Then he looked at my face, and the wall slammed back down.

"Since you are here," Axel said, checking his watch, "I need you to move your things."

"What?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"Willow needs the south-facing room at the Pack House. Ideally, the Master Suite, but Ryker is keeping that as a shrine to Dad. Your room has the best sunlight. It will help her recovery."

My room. The room with the balcony where I grew my medicinal herbs. The room Mom had painted yellow because she said I was her 'little sun.'

"Axel," I said, staring at him. "That's my room."

"It's a room in the Alpha's house," he corrected coldly. "You are a guest there. A burden, really. Pack your things. Be out of that room by tomorrow."

Something inside me snapped. It wasn't a loud snap. It was quiet, like a dry twig in winter.

"Okay," I said.

Axel blink. He had expected a fight. He had expected tears. He didn't know what to do with my sudden, hollow calm.

"Okay?" he repeated.

"I'll move out," I said. "Enjoy the island."

I pushed off the wall and limped toward the elevator. I didn't look back. If I had, I might have seen the confusion on his face. But I didn't care anymore.

I went back to the Pack House. The servants watched me with pity, but they didn't help. They couldn't.

I went to my room. I didn't pack everything. I took the photo of my parents. I took my acceptance letter. I took my hard drive with five years of research on the Silver Poison cure-my life's work.

I left the clothes Ryker had bought me years ago. I left the medical books Axel had given me before he started hating me.

I packed one suitcase.

The next morning, I was standing in the foyer. The house was silent. They were leaving for the airport in an hour.

Axel came down the stairs, holding a stack of passports. He stopped when he saw the suitcase.

"Finally acting out the runaway drama?" he sneered. "Where are you going? To cry at a friend's house until we beg you to come back?"

"I'm moving to the university dorms," I lied. My voice was steady. "You wanted the room. It's yours."

Willow appeared at the top of the stairs, wearing the silk dress I had bought her. She twirled.

"Oh, Axel, look! It fits perfectly now that my ankle is better!" She beamed. She looked at me, her eyes mocking. "Leaving so soon, Ember?"

"Yes," I said.

Ryker walked in from the kitchen, holding a mug of coffee. He looked at my suitcase, then at my face. His wolf, the giant black beast inside him, seemed to sense something was wrong. He frowned, rubbing his chest.

"You're leaving on a family holiday?" Ryker asked.

"You didn't invite me," I reminded him.

"Stop being a brat," Ryker grumbled. "We'll be back in two weeks. Make sure the house is clean when we return."

"I won't be here," I said softly.

"Good," Axel snapped. "Maybe the distance will fix your attitude. If you aren't back by the time we return, don't bother coming back at all."

"Okay," I said again.

I turned to the door.

"And Ember?" Axel called out.

I paused, my hand on the brass handle.

"Don't expect us to pay for your dorm. You're on your own."

"I know," I whispered.

I opened the door. The sky outside was dark gray. A storm was coming.

"Roll," Axel spat the word like a curse. "Get out."

I stepped over the threshold. The heavy door slammed shut behind me, severing the warmth of the house.

I stood on the porch. I was homeless. I was broke. I was injured.

But for the first time in ten years, I was free.