Scarlett's POV
The clock on the wall ticked with a heavy, rhythmic thud that sounded like a countdown. 9:00 PM. In three hours, I would turn twenty. I would either feel the soul-shattering snap of my first shift or remain a wolf-less human, destined to be an even lower target for this pack.
But I wouldn't be here to find out. By tomorrow morning, I would be crossing the border.
I stood before Leon's door, my hand hovering over the handle. My heart felt like a trapped bird. I didn't want to be here, but some twisted part of me needed this. I needed one last look at him—not as my tormentor, but as the boy I had once loved. I wanted to use this night as a silent goodbye, a secret funeral for the frienship bond we had broken.
I knocked.
"Come in," his voice rasped. It sounded shredded, deeper than usual.
