Gabriel belongs to the neighboring pack, Deep Forest. He is the son of the current alpha, Roger Wood, a man with an imposing presence and calculating gaze. Unlike my pack, Luna Rosa — traditional, structured, and governed by ancient lunar rules — theirs is quite the opposite. Deep Forest is modern, open, ambitious. They live mixed with humans, run businesses, multinational companies, and many of their members even attend universities outside the reserve.
We cultivate the spiritual connection with the Goddess, the moon, the lineage… they cultivate power in the human world.
I met Gabriel for the first time on my eighteenth birthday. A date any she-wolf awaits with excitement: the age when the connection with your inner wolf becomes complete, when the destined bond can be revealed. That same day, our pack organized an elite meeting among alphas. Luna Rosa welcomed leaders from different territories, including those from Deep Forest.
I remember seeing him cross the gates with his father, dressed in black, with that natural arrogance that seemed part of his skin. I never imagined it would be him. That that stranger from another pack, so distant from my world, could be the missing piece in my soul.
When my wolf recognized him… everything changed.
At least, I thought, being from another pack, I wouldn't have to see him often. He didn't attend reserve preparation, nor did we share trainings or patrols. I believed that would make things easier after the rejection. Not having to run into him, not hearing his voice, or smelling his scent mixed with the forest.
But I was wrong.
Because the bond doesn't need physical proximity to hurt. His absence weighed more than his presence. And even though I didn't see him… I felt him.
As if a part of me would remain trapped in Deep Forest… with him.
It's been three months since the last time I saw Gabriel.
Three months since that night in the forest… since the kiss that changed everything and the silence that destroyed it afterward. Since then, I have done the impossible to rebuild myself, piece by piece, even though some parts of me are still missing.
It's almost June, and the breeze brings not only the scent of the changing season but also the hope of something new. I anxiously await a response from the most prestigious university in country A. Just a week ago I submitted my applications for the medical career, a goal I had even before meeting Gabriel, but which has now become my lifeline.
At first, as expected, my father opposed it. And Lucrecia, my stepmother, did not hide her disagreement either. In Luna Rosa, tradition dictates that our obligations are with the pack, not the human world. But I suppose even they realized something in me had broken beyond repair.
They saw me dim. Silent. Distant.
And maybe, just maybe, they felt guilt. Or simply didn't know what else to do.
So they supported me. Reluctantly, yes, but they did.
Leaving the reserve has become my new goal. Not only because I want to be a doctor… but because I need to start over. Far from the forests that still whisper his name. Far from the memories. From what could have been and wasn't.
Though a part of me knows that even out there, I won't stop feeling him.
Because there are bonds that neither time, nor distance, nor even rejection can tear from the soul.
The morning started like any other.
The sun was barely peeking through the treetops when I went down to the kitchen, still in pajamas, hair messy, and eyes swollen from another bad night's sleep. The silence in the house was almost comforting. Lucrecia had left early and my father was in a meeting with the council betas. Only I was left… and the waiting.
One week.
One week since I submitted the applications. And though I tried to convince myself that everything was in the hands of fate, the Goddess, whoever… the truth was my stomach ached with anxiety.
I poured myself a coffee and sat by the window. Outside, the trees swayed gently, and for a second, I thought maybe the universe was giving me a moment of peace.
Then I heard a knock at the front door.
I went to open it without thinking much, and there he was: a messenger from the human post office who sometimes made deliveries inside the reserve. He handed me an ivory envelope, sealed with the golden logo of the National University of Country A.
My hands started trembling.
I went back to the kitchen, holding the envelope close to my chest, as if it were something fragile, alive. I sat down slowly, looked at it a few seconds more… and opened it.
"Dear Sofía Díaz, we are pleased to inform you that you have been admitted to the Faculty of Medicine of our institution for the upcoming academic cycle…"
The words started to blur. Not because of the paper, but because of the tears that, without realizing it, began to fall.
I did it.
I was accepted.
After all the pain, after the rejection, the silence of my wolf, the emptiness in my chest… something was finally going right. My dream was about to come true.
I got up, running through the house, screaming between laughter and sobs. Laisa roared inside me, for the first time in a long time. Not with anger… but with joy. It was as if, finally, a new path would open before us.
My father hugged me when he arrived and saw the letter. Even Lucrecia congratulated me, with a smile that seemed more genuine than usual.
That night, while everyone slept and the moon rose round over the forest, I went out to walk alone.
I sat by the lake, where I used to go as a child, and looked at my reflection in the water. I was no longer the same. And that was okay.
—I'm leaving, Gabriel —I whispered to the wind—. I don't know if I'll ever come back. I don't know if you still feel it too… but I have to move on.
And just as I stood to leave, a gust of wind brushed against my back.
And with it… his scent.
Cedar. Rain. Fire.
I turned sharply, heart pounding, eyes scanning the darkness.
"Sofía?"
The voice was unmistakable.
No… not now. Not after everything. Not when I was finally starting to let go.
Gabriel emerged from the trees, his gaze fixed on me, tired… and desperate.
—We have to talk —he said in a low voice—. Before you leave.
There he was.
Gabriel.
Coming out from between the trees as if he had never left. As if three months of silence hadn't been an eternity. As if he could appear just by saying my name and everything would spin back in his favor.
But this time… I wasn't the same Sofía.
My whole body tensed, not from fear, but resistance. Laisa stirred inside me, confused, anxious… but silent. Even she knew this was different.
—We have to talk —he repeated, now closer, his eyes shining under the moonlight.
I didn't move. I watched him, heart pounding but face steady.
—Talk? —I asked quietly—. Now?
Gabriel frowned, as if he hadn't expected that answer. As if he expected me to throw myself into his arms, like that night in the forest. As if he hadn't destroyed something sacred between us.
—Sofía, please. It's not what you think. I…
—I don't care what it is —I interrupted calmly but sharply—. You had time. Three months. And you chose silence.
He took a step closer, desperation on his face.
—I couldn't… there were things I couldn't tell you then. But now everything has changed. And you're leaving…
—Exactly —I said firmly—. I'm going. Because I chose myself. And I won't undo everything I rebuilt just because you suddenly decided that now you're ready to talk.
His lips parted. I found no words.
I took a step back. Not out of weakness, but out of limit.
—Don't follow me, Gabriel. Don't try to fix what you yourself broke. It's not pride… it's dignity. And mine cost me blood, tears… and whole empty nights.
Laisa finally spoke inside me. Her voice was soft. Calm.
"Well done."
I turned my back.
I walked away from the lake, from his scent, from his eyes full of what could have been. And for the first time since that rejection… it didn't hurt.
Because I finally understood that there are loves that feel eternal… but aren't meant to stay.
And sometimes, the greatest proof of love… is not going back.