Early summer came with something Aria did not expect at all. Petra asked to speak with her privately. Not at the training center, not in the pack hall, but somewhere quiet. They ended up by the creek, the same place where many important conversations had unfolded over the years.
That alone made Aria feel… a bit tense. Important talks usually happened there.
Petra did not waste time.
"I need to tell you something difficult," she said. "And I am afraid it will disappoint you."
Aria's chest tightened a little. Her mind ran through possibilities quickly. None of them felt good.
"You can tell me anything," she said.
Petra took a breath. Then she said it.
"I want to leave Moonvalley."
For a second, everything went still.
Then Petra quickly added, "Not permanently. Not like I am abandoning anything. I just… I need to build my own practice. My own path. I cannot always stay under your shadow."
And just like that, the tension in Aria's chest shifted into something else.
