#Chapter 63: Leave It All Behind

Raven My footsteps echoed faintly against the hardwood floors as I quickly moved from room to room, hastily stuffing what few clothes and essentials I might need for a quick journey into a travel bag. The pendant from my mother’s letter glinted faintly in the afternoon light, hanging around my neck; I hadn’t removed it since the moment I’d picked it up. I paused as I was packing up a small vial of my father’s ashes, to ensure he’d always been with me, and glanced at the ivory knife lying on the bedside table. The Lycan Queen’s gift. My fingers hovered over the intricate carvings on its handle for the briefest of moments before I picked it up and strapped it to my leg, the leather sheath snug against my jeans. It was a strange comfort, to have a weapon on me. Something that I never thought I would say out loud. But putting it back on felt like I was whole again. “Alright,” I muttered to myself, zipping up the bag with a sharp tug. “Time to go.”