Chapter 99 Goodbye, For Now
Chase’s POV
We left in heavy silence, not speaking until we were well away from the administration building and any potential eavesdroppers.
The morning sun felt too bright, too cheerful, mocking the devastation of what had just happened.
"I can't believe he's doing this," I finally said, fury still simmering beneath my carefully maintained control. "Forcing you off campus like you're some kind of threat when you're the victim in all of this."
"He's scared," Wynter said quietly, her voice carrying a weariness that made my chest ache. "Scared that this situation is spiraling beyond his control. Scared of the political backlash if he doesn't appear to be taking decisive action. But that doesn't mean we're giving up—it just means we're approaching this differently."
She stopped walking and turned to look at me, and I saw determination beginning to crystallize beneath the exhaustion and grief. "Being off campus might actually give me more freedom to investigate. I won't be under Academy surveillance. I can coordinate with Jax's Rogue contacts, gather evidence that would be difficult to obtain from inside these walls. And I can do it without worrying about every move being watched and reported."
The strategic thinking was sound, even if I hated the idea of her leaving, of not being able to reach her easily if something went wrong.
"Where will you go?" I asked, taking her hand and threading our fingers together.
"Maybe neutral territory, closer to the Rogue settlements where I can coordinate with Jax's people more easily," she said thoughtfully. "There are safe houses, places where Rogues who've escaped Pack territories can stay. Jax knows them all—he'll be able to get us somewhere secure."
"I don't like you being out there without protection—"
"I won't be alone," Wynter interrupted gently, squeezing my hand. "I'll have Jax and his entire network. These are people who've survived by staying hidden, by watching for threats, by protecting each other. And I'll have you, through the Bond. We're stronger together, Chase, even when we're physically apart."
She was right, but that didn't make the prospect of separation any easier to bear.
---
The rest of the day passed in a blur of preparations and difficult goodbyes. Wynter returned to her dormitory to begin packing, and I felt her grief through the Bond as she sorted through belongings and memories, deciding what to take and what to leave behind.
Around mid-afternoon, Rosalie appeared at my quarters, her eyes red and swollen from crying. "I went to help Wynter pack," she said, her voice breaking. "But she sent me away. Said she needed to do it herself, that it would hurt less if she didn't have to watch me cry."
Although Wynter was living with me now, most of her belongings were still in the dorm room she shared with Rosalie.
"She's trying to be strong," I said gently, pulling Rosalie into a brief hug. "Trying to process everything without breaking down completely."
"This is so unfair," Rosalie said, pulling back and wiping her eyes roughly. "She didn't do anything wrong. She was just being a good friend, standing up for someone who needed it. And now she's being punished for having a conscience."
"I know," I said. "But we're going to fix this. Somehow."
That night, I lay awake in my quarters, reaching out through the Bond to where Wynter sat in her dormitory, surrounded by half-packed bags and the remnants of a life that was being forcibly dismantled.
How are you holding up? I sent gently.
Her response came back tired but steady. I'm managing. It's strange, packing up everything. Feels like I'm erasing myself from this place.
You're not being erased, I insisted. You're just... relocating temporarily. You'll be back. We'll make sure of it.
Will I? The doubt in her mental voice made my chest ache. Or will this just be the first step toward being pushed out completely? First academic leave, then they find some reason to make it permanent...
That won't happen, I said fiercely. I won't let it happen. And neither will you. You're stronger than they think, Wynter. Stronger than even you realize sometimes.
I felt her smile through the Bond, fragile but genuine. Thank you. For not giving up on us. On any of this.
Never, I promised. Get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be hard enough without exhaustion making it worse.
You too, she sent back. I can feel your worry through the Bond. Try to sleep.
But neither of us had slept much that night. Even though we had shared a room, we had both lain awake, connected by a Bond that had hummed with shared grief, determination, and the kind of love that had refused to break even when everything else was falling apart.
By the next evening, everything was packed. The campus felt different somehow—quieter, more oppressive, as if the joy and possibility that usually filled these grounds had been leached away by recent events.
We stood at the main gates—the same gates where we'd gathered for the Spring Hunt Festival just days ago, when everything had still felt hopeful and possible and safe.
Jax was already there, flanked by security guards who maintained a careful distance, his belongings condensed into a single duffel bag. His collar had been removed during processing, leaving angry red marks on his neck—raw, irritated skin that would take days to fully heal.
When he saw Wynter approaching with her own bags, his careful control cracked completely. "Sis," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "What are you doing here?You should be in class—you should be staying—"
"Grey put me on academic leave," Wynter said, moving to stand beside him despite the guards' obvious discomfort with her proximity to their charge. "So it looks like we're both leaving today."
Jax's face cycled through shock, understanding, and finally settling into fury mixed with devastating guilt. "He's punishing you for defending me. That bastard is punishing you for standing up for what's right—"
"It's temporary," Wynter interrupted firmly, though I could feel through the Bond that she wasn't entirely convinced of her own words. "And honestly? It might be better this way. I can help you from outside these walls, coordinate with your people, investigate without Academy surveillance watching my every move."
"You shouldn't have to help me at all," Jax said, his voice breaking. "You shouldn't have to sacrifice anything for me. I'm not worth—"