LEAVING

FREDA'S POV

The sun was just beginning to rise as I stood by the door, my bag slung over my shoulder, watching my mom load the last of my suitcases into the car. My mom had booked the only selected flight to New York which was by 8am so we have to leave really early so we don’t miss the flight.

I glanced back at the house the last two weeks with my mom was wonderful and I wish I could stay longer. Kara stood with her arms crossed, trying and failing not to cry. My heart ached. The past two days had passed by quickly, and now, I am leaving.

I took a deep breath, attempting to clear my tight chest as I walked towards Kara. Not going to lie, I also felt like crying but I forced a smile. This was a happy moment. I was going to college, NYU. The day I finally wished for but never knew it would work this way. I never imagined my mom would be going with me. Still, the thought of leaving Kara behind was harder than I imagined.

As I hugged her tightly, memories of the last two days flooded my mind. Right from when we were kids Kara had been my only friend, we went to school together and now we’ll be in different states and school.

It has been two perfect days. Kara came over to spend some time with me before I go. So it was Just me, Kara, and my mom. We’d played silly board games, stayed up late talking about everything and nothing, and for a little while, I let myself forget the chaos of my life. The supernatural world, the vampire kingdom, and everything that had been pulling me apart suddenly felt like a distant memory.

"I can’t believe you’re really going," Kara whispered into my shoulder, her voice breaking in the process. "Who am I supposed to annoy now?"

I let out a small laugh, though it came out more like a choked sob. "You’ll survive without me, I’m sure."

She pulled back slightly, her red eyes meeting mine. "I’m going to miss you so much," she said, her voice breaking. "But I’m so proud of you, Freda. You’re finally getting the chance to live your life."

"Don’t make me cry," I muttered, wiping away a tear that had escaped despite my best efforts. "You know I hate goodbyes."

We stood there for a long moment, holding onto each other like this was the last time we’d ever see each other. Part of me wondered if it’s real. With everything that had happened, I wasn’t naïve enough to think that going to college meant escaping the chaos. Damien was still out there. The supernatural world would never really leave me alone as long as I'm mated to a Vampire and still an Alpha’s daughter. But for now, I was going to hold onto this moment.

"Freda!" My mom called from the car, snapping me out of my thoughts. "We have to go, sweetheart."

I sighed, pulling Kara into one last hug. "Text me every day," I said firmly.

"I will," she promised, her lips trembling as she tried to hold back tears.

I turned to the car, feeling Kara’s eyes on me as I opened the door and slid inside. My heart felt heavy, but there was also a strange sense of freedom. I was leaving everything I knew behind, and part of me was terrified. But for the other part? It was exciting.

As we pulled away, I watched Kara through the window, standing alone in the driveway. The sight of her waving, a small figure in the rearview mirror, stayed with me as we turned the corner and disappeared into the pack’s territory.


The car ride to the airport was quiet at first. She glanced over at me every now and then, her lips curving into a small smile,
"Two days," I said, breaking the silence as I leaned back in my seat. "That’s all it took to feel like things were finally… normal."

Mom smiled softly. "I know. It was nice, wasn’t it? Just us girls, having fun and forgetting about the rest of the world for a little while."

"Yeah," I agreed, staring out the window as the landscape rushed by. "I wish it could last longer."

"We’ll have more moments like that, Freda," she said gently. "It won’t always be chaotic and dangerous. You’re starting a new chapter, and I think it’s going to be good for you."

I turned to her, a small smile tugging at my lips. "I hope so."

As we both became silent, my mom reached over and turned on the radio, flipping through stations until she found a song we both liked. It was one of those old tunes we used to listen to when I was younger, back when things were normal and lovely.

Without thinking, I started singing along, the lyrics leaving my mouth. My mom joined in, her voice soft and beautiful. It was so nice to hear my mom sing again. We drove like that for a while, singing along to songs, laughing at the ones we couldn’t remember the lyrics to, and just enjoying the drive.

"You know," she said after a while, "I’ve never been to New York before."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Really?"

"Really," she nodded, glancing over at me with a playful smile. "I figured we could make it an adventure. Stay in a nice hotel, maybe do some sightseeing before you start at NYU, but we’ll go drop your things in school first so you could have a good bed space.."

"That actually sounds amazing," I said, grinning. "I never thought we’d get to do something like that together."

She reached over and squeezed my hand. "Me neither."