It was two days after the some of the pack members had come and told me about the petition almost everybody had signed for me get out of the pack. Apparently, they had been trying to make it effective for years and Cory's signature on the petition had sealed the deal.

I looked at my apartment with a sad smile. It was empty except for the boxes that had my stuff in them. I was going to put everything I had in storage because I did not know where I was going to stay and I had not found an apartment yet. I couldn't go around with all those boxes in my car.

There was a knock on the door. It startled me. I didn't expect anyone to come and tell me goodbye since I didn't have any friend or relative.

I called out a tentative 'come in'. The door opened slowly, then the person stepped in.

It was Cory. My lips went flat and I adopted a neutral expression.

"Alpha", I greeted politely but coolly.

"Denise", he returned the greeting, looking straight at me.

There was silence. Then he broke it. "Dee-"

"Please don't call me that, Alpha. Please", I interrupted, not wanting to be affected by him.

"You're right. Sorry Denise", he conceded, averting his eyes from mine for a second. Then they travelled back to me, searching, scorching, making me feel things I never wanted to feel.

"Denise, I'm sorry. I'm sorry it had to end like this", Cory said, shocking me out of my perverse thoughts.

I waited for him to say something else, maybe apologise for not believing me and for the harsh words he had said to me but nothing else came. I smiled. It was time for me to move on. There was clearly no way I could be with this man who loved his mate. I was not going to try to separate them. No. If he didn't believe me now, he was never going to believe me. And everything I said would be turned around on me.

"Maybe it's all for the best. Some things happen to make you a better person. Maybe I'll become a better person after all this" And maybe I'll be happy, I added silently.

He nodded, swallowed then said one last thing before turning his back on me and leaving forever. "Goodbye Denise"

I was not going to cry. I had cried in this town way too much and it was time for me to say goodbye.

***

After thinking it over and researching, I had decided to go to Fields Spring, a town about 20,000 miles from my former town. There was a pack there but the werewolves coexisted with the humans and so I was sure a hybrid was not going to bother them. It was also far enough that nobody from my former pack could poison my image and make everybody hate me once again.

I had had my friend Ingrid lease a two story building. It was big enough that I could turn the upper part into my apartment and the lower area into a bookstore slash café. All I hoped was that I was not going to be a target in this town and that I could live in peace and hopefully, eventually find happiness with a mateless wolf who was willing to settle for me.

***

"I cannot believe you're finally here!", Ingrid exclaimed, smiling.

"Same!", I replied. It was so nice seeing her in person.

"Your pictures don't do you justice", I teased, smiling at her. She had curly hair she had dyed a shocking blue, the most amazing grey eyes I had ever seen and a clear dark skin that I was so jealous of.

"Um no. Look at you! You sent me this ugly pictures of you! But you're soo pretty", she gushed, making me blush. It was rare for someone to pay me a compliment so honest. The only person who had really given me compliments was my dad and when he died, I had nobody else.

"So what are you planning on doing?", Ingrid asked, settling herself on the bean bag in my bedroom. I had already furnished my apartment and I was waiting for my license so as to start with my project.

I took in a deep breath. I was not used to asking people stuff so I was really nervous.

"Will you help me out at the bookstore? I'll pay you like any other employee. I don't mean that you should quit your job for me but I just-"

"Shh. I'll be happy to help you out", Ingrid interrupted my rambling, making me blush and smile. For the first time in my life, I had a real friend.