Page 119 of The Reaper's Vow

I take the paper. The handwriting is elegant but rushed, the ink smudged in places as if written in haste:

Damien,

By the time you read this, I'll be somewhere even Father can't find me. I refuse to be a bargaining chip in a game I never agreed to play.

Don’t blame Elias. He's as much a prisoner of duty as I am. But I won't live in another cage, no matter how gilded.

I know it's selfish to run, but for once in my life, I need to be selfish. I need to choose my own path, even if it leads nowhere.

Be happy, brother. You deserve it after everything you've sacrificed.

All my love,

Bella

I stare at the letter until the words blur, then lift my gaze to Elias, whose face is a mask of restrained anguish.

“How long?” I ask, handing the letter back to Damien. His fingers brush mine as he takes it.

“Almost twenty-four hours,” Elias says quietly. “We’ve had search parties out since dawn, but the storm...” He nods toward the window, where snow still falls in thick, relentless sheets. “It’s buried any trace of her scent.”

Damien folds the letter with slow, deliberate care—movements too precise to hide the turmoil roiling beneath his calm exterior. “She wouldn’t have left without a plan,” he says. “Bella’s too smart for that.”

“Smart enough to disable the GPS in her car and leave her phone behind,” Elias confirms. “She took cash from her safe—a lot of it—and nothing traceable.”

I move to Damien's side, my hand finding his. His skin is ice-cold despite the roaring fire. “We need to find her before someone else does. If word gets out that she is alone and unprotected...”

I don't need to finish the thought. We all know what happens to lone wolves, especially female ones with valuable bloodlines. The same fate that nearly befell me.

“We'll find her.”

“And then what? Force her back into a mating she's willing to risk everything to escape?”

The question hangs between us, unanswerable. I know what it means to run from a life you never chose. I spent years hiding from my wolf, from my own nature. The difference is, Bella is running toward freedom, while I was running from myself.

“We can't force her to come back. Even if we find her, the choice has to be hers.”

Elias looks between us, something like relief flickering across his features. “You think she should stay hidden?”

“I think she should have the right to choose,” Damien growls, his grip tightening on the letter until the paper crumples.

“My father won't see it that way,” Elias says, sinking back into his chair. “He's already sent word to the surrounding packs about the ceremony. The invitations have gone out. If we cancel now...”

“Then we deal with the political fallout,” Damien cuts him off. “Your father's reputation isn't worth my sister's happiness. If the wrong people realize what she is…”

He doesn’t finish the thought. He doesn’t have to.

The silence in the room sharpens until it feels like the air itself might shatter. And in that instant, I know our fight is far from over.

Because Bella isn’t just running from duty. She’s running straight into danger. And the only people who can protect her are us.

My family’s land will have to wait.