He Claimed My Best Friend, I Claimed My Future Chapter 06
Lucian’s POVÂ
The night wind cut through my collar, carrying theÂ
damp scent of forest earth. My wolf thrashed inÂ
my chest, pushing me to go faster. One thoughtÂ
filled my head: find my mate.Â
I circled through Silverpine’s residential streetsÂ
until I found the small, familiar path. I stoodÂ
outside Nora’s door and took a deep breath.Â
No scent of Nora.Â
I knocked harder. My fist pounded against theÂ
wood, but no one answered.Â
“Stop banging, young man.” The door next doorÂ
cracked open, and an elderly she–wolf peered out. She sounded annoyed. “That family moved out. Days ago.”Â
“Where did they go?” My voice came out rough and guttural.Â
“Don’t know.” She retreated inside. “They didn’tÂ
say.”Â
I opened my social media in a panic and typed outÂ
a message to Nora.Â
[Where did you go? I know I messed up. I already told Serena everything is over. I won’t have anything to do with her anymore. You’re the one I’ve always liked.]Â
The message didn’t go through.Â
The red exclamation point hit me like a slap.Â
I was blocked.Â
I tried the mind–link. But with the rejection, I couldn’t feel Nora at all anymore.Â
I had never been so scared.Â
In the days that followed, I hunted for any news of Nora like a wolf driven out of its territory. No one knew where she had gone.Â
Even Serena couldn’t reach Nora anymore. She quietly dropped out of anything that involved me.Â
Then one day, I remembered the silver–sealedÂ
acceptance letter I had thrown away.Â
Ironclaw Warrior Academy.Â
I tore through every list of new Ironclaw studentsÂ
they had published. When I reached the last page,Â
my fingers stopped.Â
Nora Vale. Ironclaw Warrior Academy, Class of-Â
Nora had never lied to me. She had actually gottenÂ
into Ironclaw.Â
I had almost destroyed her only way out.Â
And I had never once asked her if she wanted toÂ
- go.Â
I had just made the decision for her. Because NoralÂ
was quiet. Because she was an Omega. Because IÂ
thought she should listen to me.Â
I was wrong.Â
Nora’s POVÂ
But I was a thousand miles away at IronclawÂ
Warrior Academy, inside an entirely different world. No one here pushed me into corners orÂ
pretended not to see me.Â
Here, there was only training. From dawn untilÂ
deep night, training that never stopped.Â
I was up before sunrise, running throughÂ
frost–covered forests, my feet crunching on frozenÂ
earth.Â
My lungs burned, but my wolf howled low in herÂ
chest as I ran. She loved this.Â
Scent tracking: blindfolded in the snow, tracking aÂ
rabbit. Fail and start over. Fail again. Keep goingÂ
until my nose remembered the direction of theÂ
wind.Â
Sparring rings: fighting other trainees, getting thrown to the ground ten times, getting back upÂ
ten times.Â
No one laughed. They offered a hand, pulled meÂ
up, and said “good try” or “next time you’ll get me.”Â
I even trained to keep my hand on silver–platedÂ
weapons, enduring the burn until my body learnedÂ
not to shake.Â
I learned to move silently in the dark. To recognizeÂ
the scent of an intruder. To make a decision withÂ
no backup.Â
Here, I made new friends.Â
There was a she–wolf from the far northern borderÂ
named Rina.Â
She shifted fast and was naturally gifted, but sheÂ
never made fun of slower runners. During longÂ
runs, she slowed down and stayed with me for theÂ
last mile.Â
There was a male–wolf from a southern packÂ
named Eli. He barely talked, but after everyÂ
training session, he silently handed me his waterÂ
bottle and gave a small nod.Â
They knew I was an Omega. They never cared.Â
Sometimes, late at night after lights out, I thoughtÂ
about Silverpine.Â
I remembered the sharp laughter in Pack Hall.Â
Lucian’s cold face when he said “we’re not close.”Â
The way Serena’s hug still carried his scent.Â
Those memories were still there. But the pain wasÂ
gone.Â
My wolf no longer mourned Lucian.Â
I didn’t know if he had tried to contact me. I didn’t know if he regretted anything. I didn’t know if he had noticed that I was no longer the shadow who sent “goodnight” texts in the dark.Â
I didn’t want to know.Â
One night, Rina lay in bed and asked me, “Nora, do you regret leaving your pack?”Â
I thought about it. Then I shook my head.Â
“The only thing I regret,” I said, “is not leavingÂ
sooner.”Â
I closed my eyes and didn’t dream aboutÂ
Silverpine.Â
Lucian thought I would come back. But I hadÂ
already learned to fight without a mate by my side.Â
For the first time in three years, my wolf fell asleepÂ
without pain.

