Chapter 50

• Ethan and I drove to the airport in a comfortable silence that gave me ample time to wrestle with my anxiety. Not only had I fled from Ethan and Kieran, but I had also left Kat behind. Part of me desperately hoped she would forgive me, though I wouldn't blame her if she couldn't. She had always been there for me, supporting me, and I had still chosen to leave.
• Ethan and Kieran seemed to grasp why I had left, even though the pain of my departure lingered. I hoped Kat would come to understand as well. Our impending reunion was a mix of anticipation and dread. I hadn't given much thought to Sebastian and how he would react to my departure, nor did I care. He had mishandled everything—from using me for my future position to revealing that I wasn't fully human. He had never been a father figure; he only saw me as a means to an end—the werewolf version of me that could lead his pack. I refused to return to that, to being controlled and exploited.
• "I have one condition if I'm to return," I finally spoke up, breaking the silence.