The Moment I Let You Go Chapter 01
My snow wereleopard deliberately left me in the mountain forest, even pretending not to see my texts for help.
He didn’t even bother showing up until the rescue team had already found me. “I left markers on the trail. You were just too stupid to notice them.
“Why should someone so clueless get to be my owner?”
Right then and there, I was completely over him.
I wandered alone until dusk—until I saw a beautiful merman trapped in a cramped glass tank, his eyes begging me for rescue.
I pulled out Kilian’s bonding pact and stepped up to the stall.
“Sir,” I asked the vendor, “can I trade a top-tier werebeast’s bonding pact for this merman?”
*
I never thought Killian would actually leave me out there in the woods.
When the rain began pouring down in the mountains, I slipped on a slick patch of rock and tumbled violently down a steep slope.
My forehead slammed hard against a tree stump, leaving my mind spinning in a haze.
Pressing one hand against the wound to stop the bleeding, I pulled out my phone. The signal was terrible.
“Killian, where are you?” I texted.
“Stop messing around. It’s incredibly dangerous if I keep staying here.”
“The rain’s getting heavier, and the rescue team will have a harder time finding me. You live with me, so you know my scent better than anyone. Please come find me. I’m scared.”
“Killian… Killian?”
“If you don’t want to come personally, could you at least go home and bring something of mine to the rescue team? They already have search dogs out. It won’t take much of your time.”
The screen stared back at me silently, displaying nothing but my own desperate messages.
Killian never replied.
I curled my knees against my chest and hid from the storm deep inside a cluster of thick bushes.
Exhaustion was catching up fast. My blood sugar tanked, and the edges of my vision started going black.
Then I caught the faint smell of apples coming from my backpack.
I dug one out and took huge, desperate bites.
As I ate, an overwhelming wave of misery crashed over me, and I finally broke down sobbing.
Right when I was about to give up entirely, a wet snout pushed through the branches, sniffing frantically.
A weredog from the rescue team had finally tracked me down.
Overwhelmed, I threw my arms around the dog and bawled. “Doesn’t the government encourage adopting werebeasts?” I asked through my tears. “I want to adopt this one. This exact one.”
“Ma’am, please give our staff some space,” the rescue worker said, gently peeling me away from the dog. “Also, your friend is here.”
I stopped crying and wiped my face, blinking hard until my vision cleared up.
It was my neighbor, Nadia Causton, a principal violinist.
Standing there in the misty rain in a simple black dress, she looked flawless and put-together.
Most mornings, she’d practice her violin out on her terrace, her elegant melodies blending with the loud clucking and grunting of the chickens and pigs in my tiny yard.
Meanwhile, I was a vet. Wrestling with uncooperative animals was just my day job.
The busy spring season usually left me dead on my feet and completely exhausted.
As I caught my breath, I noticed Killian. He was tilting his head, watching Nadia with absolute adoration.
I looked down, my heart sinking.
I wasn’t elegant or graceful; I was just physically strong.
When work got crazy, I’d shovel down two huge plates of pasta just to keep my energy up.
I was never the kind of owner Killian actually wanted.
Nadia crouched down next to me and took my hand, looking so apologetic. “I’m so sorry, Ada. I had no idea you were lost out here.
“I was doing an outdoor magazine shoot nearby today. I’d been fasting to look slim for the camera, and my blood sugar crashed.
“Ian went down the mountain to grab me some food.
“If I’d known you were missing, I would have told him to go look for you first.”
I looked past her, my eyes locking onto Killian standing right behind her.
The misty rain had dampened his hair, making him look quiet and sweet—totally lacking the coldness he usually reserved for me.
“Told him to search for me first?” I repeated quietly, pulling my hand away.
I kept my eyes glued to Killian.
He just pressed his lips together and turned his head away.
He couldn’t even look at me.
The heavy silence broke when one of the rescue weredogs pointed a finger at Killian. “Hey, I remember you!” he said, his voice lighting up. “During the Oakvale Town wildfire, you dragged me out of the flames after I passed out.
“I had no idea you found such a gorgeous owner after you retired.”
He looked at Nadia, a little envy slipping into his tone.
Even total strangers just assumed they were a couple.
My throat went bone-dry.
I opened my mouth to ask for some water, but Killian stiffened.
He cut in quickly, “Since we found her, we need to head down the mountain as soon as possible.”
He didn’t bother correcting the guy or explaining our actual relationship.
His silence said it all.
Killian couldn’t even admit in public that I was his owner.
