June's POV

I had just shoved a handful of socks into the side pocket of my duffel when I heard a knock on the door. Three quick taps on the window. Not the door, the window. Only one person ever knocked like that.

I froze, my heart pounding for a second, then dropped the socks and pulled the curtain aside.

Beth stood on the lawn, arms crossed, hoodie half-zipped, messy bun like she’d just crawled out of bed—which, knowing her, she probably had. She raised an eyebrow at me through the glass like what the hell, June?

I pushed the window open.

“What are you doing?” she hissed, peering over my shoulder into the chaos of my room. “Is that a suitcase?”

“Beth…” I sighed. “Come in.”

She hoisted herself through the window like she’d done a thousand times before and landed with a thud on the carpet. Her eyes swept the room—open drawers, scattered clothes, the backpack on the bed.

Her mouth opened, but I beat her to it.

“I’m leaving,” I said quietly before she could ask any other questions.

She blinked in shock. “Like… for the night? For the weekend?”she asked hesitantly.

I shook my head. “No. For good.” I replied with a small sigh.

“June.” she called in a small voice. I looked up, and she was already walking toward me, that look on her face, the concerned older sister one she always wore when things got messy.

“I can’t stay here, Beth. I literally can’t.” I said, my voice already breaking.

She sat down on the edge of my bed, next to my backpack. “Okay. Breathe. What happened?” she asked calmly but I knew Beth, she was already panicking. I hesitated.

But it all came pouring out before I could stop it. The ring. The proposal. The look on Korra’s face. My mom’s words. My dad’s silence. The way they made me feel like I was the problem for not being happy about the whole thing.

Beth listened without interrupting, her face getting darker by the second.

“And now they want me to help plan their engagement party,” I finished, hands shaking slightly as I zipped the bag. “Like I didn’t just lose everything.”

Beth stared at me for a long moment. “That’s… , June. I don’t even have words.” she said in shock. Beth was only a maid at the mansion and hadn't been invited to the engagement party. Since she didn't gossip with the other maids, I knew she had no idea about what happened last night at the party.

“Exactly.” I grabbed a charger from the floor and shoved it into the bag. “So I’m leaving.”

“Where?” she threw back at me.

“Does it matter?” I asked with a brow raised. I was hesitant to tell her about Kael. I didn't want to pull her into this mess with me.

“Yes,” she said quickly. “It kind of does, actually.”

I hesitated, then pulled the small black card out of my pocket and held it up. “I met a man Beth. He offered to take me out of this hell." I said in a small voice.

Beth’s eyes went wide. “You called him?” she gasped.

“I’m going to the airport in thirty minutes.” I said to her. I wasn't changing my mind.

“June!” She stood, eyes wide now. “This is a lot. You’re really gonna just… leave with some guy you barely know?”

“He’s not a stranger. I mean, kind of, but… I know enough. I trust him more than I trust anyone in this house right now.” I said truthfully. He was my mate, even if he didn't want me. That already was enough to assure me that he wouldn't hurt me.

Beth looked like she was still catching up. “What about school? Your job? Your family—”

“I’ll figure it out.” I pulled the zipper closed. “I have money saved. And family? Don't make me laugh Beth, they wouldn't even notice I'm gone. It’s not like I’m running blind.”

“You kind of are.” she retorted.

I stopped and looked at her. “Beth, I can’t stay here. I won’t survive it. Seeing them. Seeing her. Pretending like I’m okay. I feel like I’m drowning every time I walk through that front door.” I explained to her, hoping she would understand.

“I know.” hee face softened as she spoke.

I sat down next to her, exhaling hard. “You’re the only person who hasn’t made me feel crazy. Everyone else acts like this is normal. Like this is a normal occurrence" I said, my heart breaking.

Beth laughed dryly. “It’s not. And they’re all assholes for treating you like that.” She said with a side smile. I looked at her then, really looked. And before I could think better of it, I said, “Come with me.” I blurted out.

She blinked. “What?” she was taken back.

“Come with me. You hate your job. My mom’s been driving you insane. You’ve said a million times you wanted to get out of this town. So come.” I said to her.

Her jaw dropped open. “June, this isn’t a road trip to the beach. You’re literally running away.” she mouthed back like I was crazy. Maybe I was, I didn't care. I was too hurt to care.

“I know.”

“You called a guy you barely know, and now you’re flying to a different pack in the middle of the night.” she said, shaking her head.

“I know.” I said with a soft smile.

She stared at me, then let out a slow breath. “God, you’re serious she said in realization.

I nodded. “I’ve never been more serious.” I said to her.

She paced the room, arms folded, chewing on her thumbnail. “This is insane. Like, full-on movie-level escape plan. What if it’s awful? What if you get there and it sucks and you hate it?” she asked.

“Then I come back. Or go somewhere else. But anything’s better than here right now.” I replied as serious as ever. Beth stopped pacing.

“I have a bag in my trunk,” she said slowly. “From the gym. Clothes, toothbrush, stuff like that.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You thinking about it?” I asked her with a teasing smile.

She gave me a hard look. “I’m thinking I must be out of my damn mind.”

"Well?" I pressed on with a chuckle. Beth looked at me for a long moment and finally her shoulders slumped in defeat. "You know I can't let you go to a foreign land with a stranger. I'll come with you" she finally agrees and I rushed to hug her,

"Awesome!" I explained. "Go get your bag. We need to leave before mom notices. I’ll drive us.”

Almost an hour later, Beth and I sat in the car that I was driving to the airport. We had managed to sneak out one of the cars that I worked hard enough to buy without alerting Korra or my parents. It was almost 3am in the midnight.

“You really sure about this?” Beth asked again, voice lower now, like she already knew the answer but needed to say it. I looked over at her, face lit faintly by the dashboard.

“Yeah,” I said. “I am.”

She nodded once. “Okay.” she mouthed.

“I can’t believe Korra,” Beth said after a while, shaking her head. “I mean, I knew she was a lot, but this? This is next level.”

“She’s always taken things that weren’t hers,” I muttered, staring out the window. “I just never thought it would be Seth”

“She didn’t take him,” Beth said. “He gave himself away. That’s not your fault.”

I didn’t answer. The ache in my chest was still there, dull and constant, but with every mile we put between us and that house, it loosened a little.

“What if this actually works?” I said softly. “What if we get there and it’s not terrible? What if it’s good?”

Beth smiled faintly. “Then we’ll figure it out. Together.” she said, looking optimistic.

“Thanks for coming with me,” I said, barely above a whisper.

Beth reached over and squeezed my hand. “Always.”