Caroline’s POV
I slipped out of Draven’s bedroom just before dawn, my heart heavy with conflicting emotions. Last night had been magical - his touch, his scent of cedarwood and musk, the way our bodies moved together in perfect harmony. For those passionate hours, I’d forgotten everything else and surrendered completely to him.
Standing in the doorway, I paused to look back at his sleeping form. He looked so peaceful, his strong features relaxed, golden-brown hair tousled across the pillow. Rory whined softly inside me, reluctant to leave our mate. The bond between us was undeniable, but I couldn’t ignore how deeply he’d hurt me.
With trembling hands, I left a note on his nightstand. As I scribbled the words, I almost changed my mind several times. But my pride wouldn’t let me stay. Men like Draven Thorne were used to getting whatever they wanted. If I gave in too easily, would he truly value what we had? I needed him to understand the pain he’d caused me.
I couldn’t stop crying in the taxi on my way home. The driver kept looking at me in his mirror, concerned.
"Miss, you okay? Need help?" he asked again, the third time now.
"I’m fine," I said between sobs. "Just relationship troubles."
I took out my phone to call Elle. She answered right away even though it was early.
"Carrie? What’s wrong?" She sounded half asleep.
"I need the girls. Can you call everyone? I... I spent the night with Draven then left him a goodbye note."
"You did WHAT?" Elle suddenly sounded wide awake. "Give me thirty minutes to set everything up."
At home, Liam was watching cartoons with Mabel, our sweet babysitter. My son’s face brightened when he saw me, his violet eyes shining with happiness.
"Mommy!" He jumped off the couch and ran to me with open arms.
I picked him up.
"Hey, my boy," I whispered, holding him tight. "Did you have a good morning?"
After some time with Liam, I showered and put on clean clothes. Mabel saw my swollen eyes but said nothing, just gave me a gentle smile.
"You should go see your friends," she said softly. "Everything’s fine here. Liam and I are having fun, right, sweetie?"
Liam nodded happily, already back to watching his favorite cartoon.
When Elle got here, she just hugged me tight without speaking. That kind gesture almost made me cry again.
"Come on," she said after I calmed down. "The girls are waiting."
***
"Where are we, Elle?" I asked as we pulled up to a huge building with beautiful gardens everywhere.
"Blood Moon Social Club," Elle said proudly. "My dad’s the Alpha, remember? He got memberships for me and Nate when we moved here. It’s got everything - restaurant, bar, meeting rooms, gardens, even a place for pups. Perfect for pack meetings away from humans."
"Of course, typical Alpha stuff..." I smiled at my friend.
"It’s a bit much," Elle laughed. "But it’s safe. Come on. I already got our friends through security. We’re having brunch,I’m starving!"
"Me too, actually."
The club was beautiful - a huge fancy house full of busy wolves. The front desk lady nodded respectfully to Elle and showed us to where Ava, Kyle, and Ruby were waiting.
"Elle, this place is amazing!" Ava said as she hugged us.
"Glad you like it. Best part is it’s always open, has great food and drinks, humans can’t get in, and we can let our wolves out a bit. Maybe this should be our official woman meeting spot," Elle said happily.
Growing up in Maplewood wasn’t easy. Being a scentless wolf made me an outcast. Other wolves avoided me, except Elle, but even she got trouble for being friends with the "broken Beta’s daughter." Being smart just made things worse.
College wasn’t better - Elle and I worked days and studied nights. So having these women as friends felt like the Moon Goddess finally blessed me.
"Thanks for coming to help me, girls," I said, getting emotional.
"We’re pack sisters now, Carrie!" Kyle said warmly.
"Yes! Now let’s eat, drink, and talk shit about these annoying alphas," Ruby said, making us all laugh.
We ordered mimosas and got food from the fancy buffet. When we sat down with our drinks, we started talking.
"Okay girls, before I cry again, tell me about your night," I said, wanting to think about something else.
"Oh honey, my hot mate and I had quite a workout last night! He almost howled when Elle mind-linked. He had just tied me up..." Kyle grinned naughtily, making us all lean in. "I’ll tell you later!" she laughed.
"Well, my mate didn’t sleep either, but I was the one who tied him up!" Elle said sweetly, making us laugh harder.
"Stop it, you two. I regret sending that hot Joesph home after just one kiss," Ava sighed.
"I had it worse. Didn’t even get to kiss my hottie," Ruby pouted. "So Carrie, how did you torture your Alpha?"
"The heat between you two is so strong I could feel it across the room. It’s more than just lust," Ava said.
"True. I’ve never seen an Alpha look at someone like Draven looks at you," Kyle added.
"Girls, I can’t deny it. Draven makes me crazy with just a look, and his touch makes my wolf Rory purr," I sighed. "But I can’t just forget what he did."
"Tell us what happened. Why are you so sad?" Elle asked, though she knew most of it.
I took a breath and told them everything. The amazing night with Draven, how perfect we felt together, and how I left at dawn with just a note.