The people's words were just mumbles from a faraway land she wasn't interested in hearing. She tried to tune them out, her mother's high pitched voice made things hard. Especially since she was screaming every time she looked at the dress her daughter could wear to the most important event of the year - correction: The most important event that has happened in over fifty years.

"What do you think of this one Glores?"

Oh, how she hated that nickname.

"It's lovely mom," she wasn't lying. It really was a lovely dress. The thing was, it wasn't lovely enough for her to change her mind to want to even go to the marking ceremony. "I think it's the prettiest so far."

Her mother sighed. "My sweet little girl is all grown up," Amanda's eyes were teary. She took Glory's hands in her own and squeezed them and tucked a piece of hair behind her daughter's ear. "You're going to be Luna soon."

Her mother was way more excited than Glory was about this whole ceremony. Glory wasn't even excited at all. At all. Like, zero percent. Nada. There wasn't even a reason to be excited. Getting to spend your life with someone that had no interest in her and she didn't love in that way? No thank you.

Avery was a really nice male. Nicer than most in the pack. They've been out on dates. That's only because it was forced by their parents. They pretty much grew up together - they were forced to grow up together - and they have always known of their fate. Their parents tried to force them into love - and they tried - they really did try to love each other. But love between them --

It was never meant to be.

They went on dates. They've kissed. They've had meaningful conversations. They have even laid on the ground staring at the moon. They just weren't meant to love each other. He was guarded. Didn't let anything unnecessary slip his lips. Most times he didn't even use words unless they were important. That made some dates really awkward. He never started the conversations. He never told her how he was doing. What his hobbies where. What his favourite colour was. How pretty she was.

It was always her talking. Sure she didn't mind at first. She appreciated a man that listened. But later, she wanted to want to know him. She'd ask every question separately and sometimes he wouldn't even answer. He was hard to talk to.

She wasn't sure how he felt about this whole thing. They were good friends. He was the best friend she had.

One time they were staring at the moon and she mentioned this whole mating thing is weird. She tried to start off the light, and got in deeper, letting him know how she felt. He gave her a funny look and told her something like, "what needs to happen shall happen".

Though he didn't always agree with her and didn't open up about his feelings. He was an amazing guy, but - she did not love him. Or care for him in that way. And he deserved someone that did care for him in that way.

She couldn't tell her "friends", that were her friends because of her title, how she felt. Mostly because they'd just gossip and it'll get around to the Alpha and Luna. She didn't need that.

That's why that night she hung the white gown in her closet, the wedding gown she decided she was going to leave behind along with everything else.

Soon, she thought. Soon, I'll be gone. One more week with my family. One more dinner with him. One more week of convincing. One more week of planning.

She shut the door of the closet and jogged down the stairs to have one of her last dinners with her family.

°••

The first thing she had to do was sneak out of her house without anyone noticing. That she did without a problem. Okay, there was a minor problem, she did almost break a lamp -- that was very, very expensive.

It was something her friends encouraged a lot when she was in her early teens, but something she never risked. And not break lamps, no, sneaking out of the house. Those days weren't so long ago, now she was going on twenty in a few weeks.

Then, she had to sneak past the neighbourhood, which was a piece of cake. The hard part was getting past the guards that were on night shift. After the recent rogue attacks, they doubled the security. It's definitely going to be easier to get out then it would get in -- but still a problem.

Rogues. That was going to be another problem. A very big problem. Once she leaves NightShape, her pack, stupid name, she knows, she was going to be living among them. The rogues. Goners is what she liked to call them. Some were even beyond that. They where the reason she didn't leave a long time ago. This was her problem. Glory didn't know whether she was going to become like them. Or slowly being ripped apart by one. She also wasn't sure which was worse. She doesn't know how they become to be like that, but she wasn't about to find out by experiencing it.

Glory was never much of a risk taker -- but this was something she needed to do. She couldn't live her life bound by some . . . Man, she didn't love. She never had a life. She couldn't go out. Party recklessly like all the other shapeshifters. She never got to do anything everyone else was doing because of her title. You needed to be kept pure her parents told her.

How could she be a good Luna if she's never experienced anything?

Once she gets out of here she was going to cover her scent. Try to get out of this woodland where the rogues scurried. Which was going to be hard and could take months, the woodland covers miles and miles and more. Get to human land. Hopefully not kill anyone. Then she was going to find a bar and drink until she can no longer drink. And then, she was going to figure her life out. If she wasn't going to be caught by then.

Glory has been training since she was less than a pre-teen to live up to her future role. That was definitely going to give her an advantage, but it could still not be good enough. After they feel the bond break through the pack, they'll know she is gone. They will, of course, look for her. She didn't know how long they were going to look for her.

Glory has a younger sister, that doubles her advantage. If she wouldn't have Tabitha they'd look for her for years maybe. Tabitha would take her place as future Luna if Glory wouldn't come back. Or until they find someone with that same bloodline that can continue the strong Alpha bloodline. Tabitha, however, wouldn't have a problem with mating Avery. She constantly talks about how lucky Glory is to mate with someone strong and powerful like that.

Tabitha was four years younger than her sister. Four years they'd look for her. Maybe more, maybe less. Four is the limit she would say. Glory as said has been trained since before she was a pre-teen for this position. Nearly fifteen years they've prepared her for this. And she was just throwing it away. She tried to not think of it that way.

She wanted love. Not power. She wanted a life. Not to be locked up. She wanted a future. Not a male she didn't love and probably never will.

Sneaking towards the border was easier than she anticipated. She didn't smell like a rogue, and the place was polluted with different sents from wolves shifting. They had no reason to even think someone was there.

Glory has seen one wolf. One. Break over this territory. Leave for good without the Alpha's word. She felt it more. She didn't want to put these wolves through that again. Those with the pack tattoo. They were the ones to feel it. The burning. Though the one that left, it occurred to Glory, must've hurt a lot more.

She stood there. Barely centimetres from the border. Standing straight, nails out. Then -- when she felt a hand. It gripped her shoulder, taking her by surprise. No wolf has ever been able to sneak up on her due to her training.

Only one.

"Are you trying to leave?" His voice was void from emotions she tried to detect.

And he caught her again.

"Avery. . ." Her words didn't form the way they wanted to. "I can't - I can't stay. I can't -- love you."

He let her go. This moment making her wonder how he ever learned to hide his emotions so perfectly. Was this in his Alpha training or what? His expressionless face told her nothing.

"Avery, please. You can't tell - you can't stop me. Please Ave-"

"I wasn't, going to stop you," this time, it wasn't just the voice that spoke. His face was no longer emotionless.

That moment. She knew. Glory knew. He didn't want this either. And maybe, it may be, that he wanted this even less than her.

"I was coming to help you."