21

Aprils POV
We sat cross-legged on the bed, paper plates balanced on our knees as we ate the takeout Dylan had picked up when I was sleeping last night. The meal was simple-soggy fries and sandwiches that tasted more like cardboard than food-but it felt like a feast because I had not eaten a full meal in what felt like forever. Every bite was soaked in the weight of what was left unsaid. Dylan didn’t look at me much as we ate, and I didn’t try to catch his eye. We both knew this was our last shared meal, and the silence was loud enough to drown out anything else.
By the time we finished, exhaustion had wrapped around me like a heavy blanket. It had been so long since I’d laid on an actual bed, and I was too caught up in my emotions yesterday to really fully relish the comfort of sleeping in a bed; damn, I missed it. It’s not until you lose the privilege of certain things that you really get to appreciate them, and I, for one, was never going to take for granted a good bed and food ever again.
The moment I allowed myself to lie back, the thin, scratchy sheets felt like a cloud, and I sank into them, closing my eyes as if I could freeze this moment in time. Dylan was next to me, his warmth a comforting presence even though neither of us said a word. The quiet rhythm of his breathing was the only sound, lulling me into the kind of sleep that felt rare-deep, dreamless, and safe.
Safe… It had been a long time since I felt that, and it’s crazy to think that a few weeks ago, I did not even know Dylan, and now he is my protector and my brother. Isn’t that crazy?
Thank you, Moon Goddess, for sending him my way, my knight in shining armor. It’s hella sad that he does not swing for my team because I would have taken him being my mate over Jake anytime, any day.
It was getting harder to keep my eyes open, so I let myself drift off into sleep.
*********
I didn’t know how long I’d been asleep when I felt a soft touch on my arm. I stirred, eyes fluttering open to see Dylan’s face hovering above mine, etched with an expression that made my chest tighten. His mouth curved into a small, sad smile.
“April,” he said, his voice low and thick. It’s time, ” he said, and I could see the tears threatening to fall from his eyes.
Reality hit me all at once, sharp and cold. Our time at the motel was over, and with it, the fragile bubble we’d created. I pushed myself up, the ache of sleep still clinging to my limbs as I looked around the room, memorizing the way the morning light filtered through the gray curtains, casting pale stripes across the black floor. This was it-the moment before everything changed.
“Big brother, please don’t cry. It pains me to leave you behind, but it hurts me more to see you cry,” I say and hug him.
“I know, baby sis, but promise me you will be careful,” he says.
“I promise. Promise me that we will meet again under better circumstances,” I plead.
“I promise. Promise me that when we meet again, you will not leave me,” he pleads and holds me tighter.
“I promise,” I say and pull back.
I go to the bathroom to freshen up.
I shower within five minutes and put on my clothes within two. Dylan had packed me a black dress, a white sweater, and black flat shoes. Wasn’t he the best?
I get out and find Dylan packing. Damn, this was really happening; I know it was my decision, but it still hurt nonetheless.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and glanced at Dylan. He was watching me with eyes that held more emotion than I could bear. The bittersweetness of it all washed over me, heavy and relentless. This was goodbye-a goodbye neither of us had wanted but both knew was inevitable.
“I guess this is it,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. It cracked at the end, betraying me.
Dylan’s jaw tightened, and he nodded, looking away for a moment as if gathering himself. “Yeah. This is it.”
The silence that followed felt like an eternity. I searched for the right words, something to make this easier, something that would hold the pieces of me together when I walked out that door. But everything I thought of sounded hollow. I didn’t need to tell him what he already knew. That he had been my light when everything else was dark. That he had pulled me back from the edge more times than he realized.
“Dylan,” I started, my voice trembling, “I don’t think I’d be here if it weren’t for you. You saved me.” My eyes met his, and the raw emotion there threatened to break me. “I’m so thankful for you. You were- scratch that, you are my saving grace.”
He exhaled shakily, a bittersweet smile pulling at his lips. “April, you saved yourself. I was just here to remind you that you could.”
I shook my head, fighting the tears that blurred my vision. “No, you did more than that. You stayed when no one else did. You made me believe that maybe I was worth something.”
Dylan’s hand reached out, fingertips brushing against mine. The touch was so light, so tentative, but it spoke volumes. “You’ll be okay,” he said, his voice barely a whisper as if he were trying to convince himself as much as me. “You’re stronger than you think.”
I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure I believed it. The room felt too small, the walls closing in as reality came crashing back. Soon, we’d step outside and go our separate ways. The thought of it hollowed me out, but I knew it was necessary. I had to leave to find my real parents, to discover the pieces of myself that had always felt missing.
“I wish things were different,” I whispered, the words heavy with everything I couldn’t say.
“Me too,” Dylan replied, his eyes softening. He stood up, and I felt the loss of his touch immediately. He turned to grab his bag, slinging it over his shoulder before facing me again as he passed me another backpack. The finality of it made my heart ache.
When had he gotten the other backpack?
“While you were bathing the other day,” he said, reading my mind. This made me smile, knowing that no matter what, we had formed an unbreakable bond-not only with each other but also with our wolves.
“How come you can read my mind, and I can’t read yours?” I ask curiously.
“Perhaps you have never tried, and given the time we have, you probably can’t right now, but that is something we can look forward to trying when we meet again,” he says sadly.
“Don’t look so sad,” I said, trying to muster a small smile through the tears that threatened to fall. “I haven’t left yet.”
A broken laugh escaped him, and he shook his head. “You’re impossible.”
“You’ll miss that,” I teased, my voice thick with emotion.
He stepped closer, and for a moment, I thought he might pull me into one last embrace. But he didn’t. We just stood there, eyes locked, letting the silence speak for us. I committed every detail to memory-the way his eyes shone with unshed tears, the curve of his lips when he smiled that sad, knowing smile.
“Goodbye, April,” he finally said, and the word felt like a knife stabbing at my heart.
“Nope. This is more of an I’ll see you later,” I say as I reach out to him and pull him closer to me in a tight hug.
“May we meet again, butterfly,” He replies.
“Why do you even call me that?” I ask.
“I’ll tell you when we meet again, so you better find your way back to me,” He says.
I nod and let go of him.
“See you later, sis,” He says.
“See you later, big bro,” I say, kissing his cheek.
As we walked out of the room, the morning air hit my skin, sharp and unforgiving. We stood there for one last moment, the silence between us saying everything we couldn’t. I turned and took my first step away, each footfall echoing with the weight of what I was leaving behind. The ache in my chest was heavy, but so was the sense of quiet gratitude. For once in my life, someone had chosen to be there, and that would be enough to carry with me.
Dylan had been my anchor in the storm, and now it was time to find my way forward, unmoored but not lost.