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Jonat went back to the Council and cut off all communication and links because I left without saying goodbye.  He secluded himself in his room, refused to eat, and was sad all the time.
He couldn’t accept it and wouldn’t believe that I, the one who had asked him to marry me a hundred times, was really gone from his life.
He started to think back on every moment we had spent together, every small thing he had missed, every midnight snack I had brought him, and every handwritten note he had never read.
Now, all the simple things he used to do every day were like knives stabbing deep into his heart.
He finally understood that my love and concern had long since seeped into his bones. He had committed error after mistake, driving me farther and further away.
Now, I was really gone from his life.
He spent his days in pain and sorrow, almost going crazy.  He tried every means he could think of to get in touch with me, but it didn’t work.
He wished he had marked me earlier and gotten to know me better.
He didn’t really get it until that moment that I wasn’t hiding or pouting.  I had really let go of him and given up on him.
I fled Burna City, passed several borders, and went into hiding in a place where humans and werewolves lived together to cut all ties with the past.
After a month, I eventually made up my mind to visit my older sister, Macy Esper, who had been living in the allied region for years.  I didn’t feel at rest until the jet landed at the airport.
The airport hall was light and calm, and the night breeze was cool.  I pushed my suitcase past the arrivals gate, and at first glimpse, I noticed Macy in the crowd.
When she yelled “Mia!” her voice was full with unrestrained joy and emotion.
Macy ran over and hugged me tightly. Her hug was warm and familiar.
I said, “Macy,” and my eyes started to fill with tears.
She softly patted my back and murmured, “Let’s go home, Mia,” in a voice that was both authoritative and gentle.
On the way back, she drove and talked to me about all the minor things that were going on back home, like how our parents were doing, what was going on with the Elders’ Council, and some interesting stories from the Allied pack.
I answered without thinking, my mind still on Burna City.
Macy exclaimed out of the blue, “After you left, Jonat turned the whole Werewolf Council upside down.”
“Jonat?” I frowned.  I really didn’t want to hear that name right now.
“Yeah. I have a friend who still works over there,” she said with a giggle.  “He supposedly waited outside the Office of Werewolf Mate Affairs every day, saying you’d come back and that he’d propose the moment you showed up. Too bad he only lasted a month before disappearing.”
It seemed like Macy was reading from a silly play when I heard her.
I laughed softly and coldly.  “A month? Hah! What incredible persistence. Unfortunately, that kind of so-called persistence means nothing to me.”
“He can do whatever he wants. Either way, he has nothing to do with me anymore,” I said quietly.
Macy remarked, “You were right to leave this time,” and she nodded in agreement.  “Being with Jonat would have made you crazy sooner or later because he is so controlling.”
“By the way, how long are you going to stay this time?” she said.
I said softly, looking out the window at the magnificent surroundings, “I’m not leaving.”  “I want to live here.”
Macy was shocked for a moment, but then she smiled.  “That’s great. Mom and Dad have missed you. Now we can all be together again.”
In the days that followed, I spent a lot of time with my family, who I hadn’t seen in a long time.
Even though my parents were busy with the Elders’ Council of the Allied pack, they still found time to dine and talk with me.  Macy would also take me to the pack market to look around every now and again.
I almost forgot everything about the Werewolf Council in Burna City during that period.
That was until a letter broke that peace.
“Mia, someone brought me an unsigned letter.” Macy gave me a grey parchment envelope with a fire-crested emblem on it, which I recognised right once.
I felt a tightness in my chest right away, and a sense of dread came over me.  When I opened it, I found that it was full with Jonat’s handwriting, just like I thought it would be.
“Mia, I know you’ll see this letter. I was wrong. I really know I was wrong. I think about my past anger and carelessness every night. I stand at the Office of Werewolf Mate Affairs from dawn to sunset. I know you’re not there, but I think you can feel how sorry I am.
“Come back, Mia.”  For the rest of my life, I’ll make up for the vows I broke.
I read the letter without showing any emotion, crumpled it up, and threw it in the trash by the fireplace.
“Can you burn this for me, Macy? “I gave her the bin and didn’t want to look at it again.”
“Okay,” Macy said. She took it without asking any questions and then turned away quietly.