30 Days Left: The Rejected White Wolf's Countdown

Kacie POV: The sun rose on my final day. It didn't look any different from the sun on any other day, but to me, it felt like a spotlight on a stage where the play was about to end. I stood in front of the mirror in the hospital bathroom. My skin was pale, almost translucent. But my eyes... they were changing. The brown was fading, replaced by a milky, swirling white. It was the sign of the White Wolf, the ancient bloodline finally surfacing as my human vessel failed. I put on the yellow sundress I had asked the nurse to fetch from my apartment. It was the dress I wore the day I met Cedric, three years ago. Back when he was just a charming man in a coffee shop, not the Alpha who would break me. Cedric arrived at noon. He looked relieved, almost happy. He thought he had won. He thought tonight was the start of my submission. "You look... better," he said, though his eyes lingered on my pale skin with a frown. "I feel light," I said truthfully. The pain from the silver burns and the miscarriage was fading, replaced by a strange, numbing coldness. We left the hospital. I asked him to take me to the cheap noodle stand near the university. "Kacie, we can go to Le Lune," Cedric said, wrinkled his nose at the street food cart. "I can buy out the restaurant." "No," I said, taking a seat on a plastic stool. "I want this." We ate in silence. I watched him. I memorized the way his jaw moved, the way his dark hair fell over his forehead. I was saying goodbye to the man I loved, burying him in my memory before I left the man who hated me. We went to the cinema. A comedy. I didn't laugh. I sat next to him, shivering despite the warmth of the theater. Cedric tried to hold my hand. His skin was warm, vibrant with life. I pulled away. "What's wrong?" he whispered. "My hands are cold," I said. "I don't want to freeze you." He sighed, annoyed, but didn't push it. As the sun began to set, we drove to the amusement park. The Starlight Ferris Wheel loomed against the darkening sky, a giant circle of neon lights. "We have an hour until midnight," Cedric said, checking his watch. "We can walk around." We walked. The air smelled of popcorn and diesel. Couples walked past us, their scents mingling-happy, content. I felt a pang of jealousy so sharp it almost brought me to my knees. I would never have that. Suddenly, Cedric's phone rang. He looked at the screen. His expression tightened. "It's the estate," he said. He answered. I could hear the frantic voice on the other end. It was the housekeeper, but I could hear Jayden screaming in the background. "Alpha! Miss Jayden... she's in pain! She says her heat is starting early! She needs the suppressants, the special ones only you have the biometric access to!" Cedric looked at me. He looked at the Ferris wheel. Then he looked back at the phone. "I..." He hesitated. "Go," I said softly. "Kacie, it's 11:30. If I drive fast, I can drop off the meds and be back by midnight. I promise." "Just go, Cedric." "Wait for me here," he commanded, his Alpha tone slipping out. "Do not move. We are going up that wheel together." He turned and ran toward the parking lot. He didn't look back. I watched him disappear into the crowd. "You always choose her," I whispered to the wind. "Even at the end." I stood there alone as the minutes ticked by. 11:45 PM. 11:50 PM. 11:55 PM. I walked to the operator. I handed him my ticket. "Just one?" he asked, looking around. "Just one," I smiled. I stepped into the swaying gondola. The metal door clanged shut, sealing my fate. The wheel began to turn. I rose higher and higher, leaving the noise of the ground behind. The city spread out below me like a carpet of diamonds. My phone buzzed. A text from Cedric. Traffic. Wait for me. Don't go up yet. I put the phone on the seat opposite me. The gondola reached the very top. The apex. I was closest to the moon now. The full moon hung huge and white in the sky, calling to me. I looked at my wrist. The rune was glowing blindingly bright. The numbers shifted. 00:00:01 00:00:00 A voice echoed in my head, ancient and soothing. Not a Mind-Link. Something older. Contract fulfilled. Come home, child. "I'm ready," I said. My body didn't hurt anymore. I looked at my hands. They were turning into mist. Silver particles of light began to float off my skin, rising like fireflies. I closed my eyes. I didn't feel fear. I felt... serenity. The gondola was filled with a blinding flash of white light. And then, I was gone.