I stood on the path waving them off. They were finally gone. Leaving to set up life together in another pack. I chewed the inside of my cheek as I swallowed the lump in my throat.

I didn’t cry and I wasn’t going to. This was the best thing for Carter and Alanna. A fresh start, time to build a life and family of their own.

Jake’s hand slipped into mine and it took everything in me not to pull away. We hadn’t talked much, not the conversation we needed to have anyway. I felt deflated, ...