They Left Me Behind, Then Wanted Me Back Chapter 07

They Left Me Behind, Then Wanted Me Back Chapter 07

Late summer in the South. Salt-tinged sea breeze rolled through campus.

I dragged my suitcase to a stop outside the gates, looking up at the inscription-“Royal Lycan Academy.”

The towering silver-stone building rose before me.

The Moon Goddess statue stood silent in the center of the square.

This was the most sacred academy in the entire lycan empire.

The place every young wolf dreamed of.

The heavy stone that had pressed down on my chest for years finally lifted away.

Full scholarship covered the tuition. Work-study paid for living expenses. And the proceeds from the pack house sale were secured in a fixed holding fund with the Pack Treasury.

I remembered what Grandma said when she was diagnosed.

She only ever worried about one wolf.

“Kaia… your parents aren’t reliable. You’re still so young. When I’m gone, who’s going to take care of you?”

I was in the senior Pack Academy boarding program back then. I only came back to the pack house for one day every two weeks.

Grandma was nothing but skin and bones. But she’d still pull herself unsteadily to the stove to make me a bowl of hot broth. to make me a bowl of hot broth.

Her clouded eyes would stare at me as she repeated the same gentle warnings over and over.

“Kaia, you need to make something of yourself. Study hard. Once you get into the Royal Lycan Academy, you can go anywhere you wish.”

“This pack house-I fought them for it. It’s in your name. Remember: never give it up just because you soften your heart for them.”

“They didn’t raise you. This is what they owe you.”

Her calloused palms scraped against mine.

“They’ve made new lives. They won’t make room for you.”

“You have to rely on yourself. This pack house is your backbone. Understand?”

I didn’t get it back then.

I thought Mom and Dad were just busy. Work. New lives. They’d come around.

I thought if I was good enough, smart enough, they’d eventually look my way.

Now I knew.

The family I’d always longed for shattered the day they signed the papers to break their mate bond.

They had new families. New pups. The love I wanted was never meant for me.

From now on, I only had myself.

After the semester started, I worked part-time at the library. Quiet. Routine.

I got a new number. Only a handful of mentors and classmates had it.

One afternoon, I was walking out of the library when my former senior Pack Academy head mentor

called.

“Kaia, how are you settling in down South?”

I remembered how much she’d helped me through those three years. I kept my voice warm.

“I’m doing well, Ms. Chane.”

“It’s different here than the North, but I’m adjusting.”

“That’s good.”

She hesitated. “Your parents came to the school. They said they couldn’t reach you. They’re worried.”

I paused, then steadied.

“Could you tell them I don’t want any contact with them?”

“From now on, our paths go separate ways. There’s no need for further contact.”

Her voice wavered. I cut in.

“Ms. Chane, think about it. In all of high school, did they ever attend a single Academy parent gathering?”

“They never asked about my grades. Didn’t care if I ate or if I was warm. Never thought about how I

felt.”

“So why should I care about them?”

She was quiet for a long moment.

Then she just told me to take care of myself.

I thought that was the end of it. I thought that would be the end of it. But a few days later, a message/ from Darius lit up my comm crystal.