I stand and head for the door. There’s nothing left for me here. Just the ghost of her scent and the emptiness she left behind. I turn out the lights as I leave.
The elevator opens. I step inside and punch the button for the lobby.
It stops several floors down. A human woman enters wearing adressing gown, her eyes half-lidded with sleep. In her hand is a leash, which is attached to a small golden retriever.
Cinnamon.
The puppy bounds toward me immediately, tail wagging. She recognizes me.
I freeze, staring at the dog.
The woman glances at me as she tries to get Cinnamon off my leg. “Sorry. She’s friendly. Won’t bite.”
“That’s Violet’s dog,” I say, my voice breathy.
Her expression shifts to surprise. “Oh, you know Violet?”
“I’m a friend.” The lie tastes bitter.
“Poor thing came by this afternoon.” The woman shakes her head. “Asked if I could take the puppy for a while. She looked awful. Like she’d been crying all night.”
My chest tightens. “Did she say where she was going?”
The woman’s eyes narrow slightly, studying me. “You look familiar. Have we met?”
“I don’t think so.”
She tilts her head, clearly trying to place me, then shrugs. “Violet didn’t say much. Just that she needed someone to watch Cinnamon.” Her voice softens. “She was really upset. I didn’t want to pry.”
“If you hear from her—” I start, but the woman is already shaking her head.
“I don’t think she’s planning to come back anytime soon. She gave me all of Cinnamon’s things. Food, toys, bed, everything.” Her expression turns sympathetic. “Whatever happened, it must have been bad. She loves this dog.”
The elevator dings. Lobby.
The woman gets out with Cinnamon, glancing back at me once more before heading toward the front entrance of the building.
I step out of the elevator and stand there, watching the front door close behind her, the image of Violet’s puppy seared into my mind.
She gave her away. Left behind the one gift I gave her that she truly loved.
She’s not just leaving me. She’s erasing everythingwe were.
I head out into the cold night air. My wolf howls inside me, desperate to track her, to follow her scent wherever it leads.
I try. On one side of the building, I pick up her trail. It’s faint but unmistakable. Jasmine and Violet, heading toward the curb.
Where it disappears completely.
A taxi. Or a rideshare. The mechanical smell of exhaust and rubber obliterates her scent. I could follow the street, try to pick it up again, but in a city this size, with this much traffic…
The trail is gone.
She had all day. A whole day to plan her escape while I sat in a meeting. The entire day to cover her tracks, to disappear so thoroughly that I wouldn’t be able to follow her scent.
I drive to Ethan’s place, hands gripping the steering wheel hard enough to make it creak. He opens the door before I can knock.
“I’m sorry,” he says immediately. “I should have gone up sooner. Should have checked. But you told me not to push her—”
