Chapter 16: The Choice That Changed the Pack

Faye’s POV

The elders did not try to stop us as we left.

They were too stunned by what they had witnessed.

Sebastian walked beside me while Leo held my hand.

Elena followed several steps behind.

No one spoke until we reached the forest outside the training grounds.

Then Sebastian stopped.

“Faye.”

I turned.

His eyes settled on the silver crescent glowing faintly on my wrist.

“You should come to Shadowmoon Estate.”

I immediately shook my head.

“No.”

“Not as my mate.”

His voice was quiet.

“As Leo’s mother.”

I looked at him.

“What difference does that make?”

“Everything.”

He took a breath.

“The pack knows what you are now.”

“If you leave, the elders will continue searching for you.”

“If you stay near me, I can protect you.”

I almost smiled.

“You still think protection means deciding where I should live.”

Sebastian's expression tightened.

“I'm trying to keep you safe.”

“Then listen to me.”

I stepped closer.

“I don't need you to choose my life anymore.”

“I need you to respect my choices.”

He stared at me for a long moment.

Then he nodded.

“All right.”

The answer was so simple that I almost didn't believe him.

Leo tugged on my sleeve.

“Mom, where are we going?”

I looked down at him.

“Home.”

He smiled.

“Our home?”

I nodded.

“Our home.”

Sebastian watched us quietly.

Then his phone rang.

He answered.

“Yes?”

His expression changed.

“What happened?”

He listened in silence.

“How many?”

A pause.

“I'll be there.”

He ended the call.

“What's wrong?” I asked.

“Three elder families have withdrawn their support.”

I frowned.

“Because of me?”

“Because of what you represent.”

He looked toward the distant mountains.

“The Moonborn bloodline changes the balance of power.”

“Some families believe the pack should be ruled by the strongest bloodline, not by the Alpha.”

I understood immediately.

“They're challenging you.”

“Yes.”

Leo's little hand tightened around mine.

Sebastian looked at him.

Then at me.

“If the challenge succeeds, the pack could fall into civil war.”

I had spent my entire previous life believing the pack's politics were none of my concern.

Now I realized how deeply those politics had shaped my life.

They had taken my husband.

They had poisoned my son's mind.

They had convinced everyone I was worthless.

I looked at the silver mark on my wrist.

Maybe I couldn't escape this world anymore.

But I could decide how I entered it.

“Take me to the pack.”

Sebastian's eyes widened.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

I looked at Leo.

“Because I won't let anyone decide my son's future again.”

Sebastian nodded.

“Then we'll go together.”

…

By sunset, the convoy reached the borders of Silver Moon territory.

The moment we crossed the boundary, I felt something strange.

The air seemed to change.

The silver mark on my wrist became warm.

Thousands of distant wolf scents surrounded us.

Leo sat beside me, staring through the window.

“Mom, is this where Dad is Alpha?”

“Yes.”

“Then you're Luna?”

I looked at him.

“No.”

He frowned.

“Why?”

I smiled.

“Because titles don't decide who I am.”

Leo thought about that.

Then he nodded.

“Okay.”

When the gates of Shadowmoon Estate opened, hundreds of wolves were waiting.

Their eyes followed me.

Whispers spread through the crowd.

“That's her.”

“The Moonborn.”

“She looks human.”

“She can't possibly be the lost bloodline.”

Sebastian stepped out of the vehicle first.

Then he turned and offered me his hand.

I stared at it.

For one moment, I remembered another lifetime.

The same man.

The same estate.

The same pack.

But I was different now.

I stepped out without taking his hand.

I walked beside him instead.

The crowd fell silent.

An elderly woman stepped forward.

She was one of the highest-ranking members of the council.

Her gaze landed on my wrist.

Then she lowered her head.

“Moonborn.”

One by one, the wolves behind her followed.

Heads bowed across the courtyard.

I stood there, stunned.

In my previous life, I had stood outside this world, unwanted and forgotten.

Now the entire pack was bowing to me.

Sebastian looked at me.

There was something in his expression I had never seen before.

Pride.

Not because I belonged to him.

Because he finally understood that I had never needed to belong to anyone.

I had always been enough.

Then a voice broke the silence.

“I refuse to kneel.”

Everyone turned.

A tall young Alpha stepped out from the crowd.

His eyes were cold and defiant.

“The Silver Moon Pack cannot be ruled by a woman whose bloodline has been missing for a hundred years.”

Sebastian's aura surged.

But I raised one hand.

“Let him speak.”

The young Alpha looked surprised.

I met his gaze calmly.

“If you believe I'm weak, challenge me.”

The courtyard erupted in whispers.

Sebastian stared at me.

And I knew the life I had run from had finally caught up with me.

But this time, I wasn't running.