Chapter 7: The Life I Chose

Faye’s POV

The Greyhound bus pulled away from the station just as the sun began to set.

I sat by the window with my backpack resting against my feet, watching Oregon disappear behind me.

For the first time in years, I had no idea what tomorrow would look like.

And strangely, I wasn't afraid.

The Mate Bond still ached.

Every few minutes, a dull pull tightened around my chest, reminding me that Sebastian was somewhere behind me.

But I had already learned something important.

A bond could connect two souls without deciding how either person had to live.

I pressed my forehead against the cold glass.

Goodbye, Sebastian.

Goodbye, Leo.

This time, I wasn't leaving because I wanted you to chase me.

I was leaving because I wanted to save myself.

…

The bus stopped in Portland shortly after midnight.

I had booked a cheap room at a roadside motel with the money from the pawnshop.

The room was small, old, and smelled faintly of detergent.

But when I closed the door behind me, I smiled.

No one was waiting for me to cook dinner.

No one was asking where I'd been.

No one was reminding me how weak my blood was.

The silence belonged to me.

I placed my backpack on the bed and opened the notebook.

I had barely enough money to survive for a few weeks.

That meant I needed work immediately.

The next morning, I walked through downtown until I found a small bakery hiring a cashier.

The owner, an older woman named Mrs. Carter, looked at my résumé.

“You don't have much experience.”

“I learn quickly.”

She studied me for a moment.

“Can you work mornings?”

“Yes.”

“Then you're hired.”

I almost laughed from relief.

It wasn't glamorous.

It wasn't the life I had once imagined as Sebastian's mate.

But when I walked out of that bakery, I felt lighter than I had in years.

I had earned something without Sebastian's name.

I had been chosen for something without needing to prove my bloodline.

I had a job.

It was a beginning.

…

Three days passed.

I rented a small studio apartment above a laundromat.

The walls were thin, the kitchen was tiny, and the heating system rattled whenever it turned on.

I loved it.

Every piece of furniture inside belonged to me.

No pack rules.

No Alpha commands.

No Elena.

No expectations.

Just me.

On the fourth evening, I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and stared at myself.

My face looked tired.

But there was something different in my eyes.

Freedom.

I touched the place where my wedding ring had once been.

The Mate Bond pulsed.

Sebastian must have realized by now that I was truly gone.

I wondered what he was doing.

Then I stopped myself.

It didn't matter.

I had spent one lifetime wondering what Sebastian was doing.

I wouldn't waste this one doing it again.

…

Back in Silver Moon territory, Sebastian stood before the elders.

The ceremony had ended hours ago, but he hadn't heard a word they said.

His mind was somewhere else.

His wolf was agitated.

It had been days since Faye disappeared.

No trace.

No message.

Nothing.

One of the elders finally cleared his throat.

“Alpha Sebastian, the council needs your answer.”

Sebastian lifted his eyes.

“About what?”

The elder exchanged a glance with the others.

“Your official Luna.”

Silence filled the chamber.

Sebastian's fingers tightened against the armrest.

He remembered Faye standing in their bedroom.

You don't have to.

At the time, he had thought she was simply angry.

Now he wasn't so sure.

“I already have a mate.”

The elders looked uncomfortable.

“A human mate who cannot shift.”

“She is still my mate.”

Another elder spoke carefully.

“But the pack needs a Luna who can stand beside you.”

Sebastian's expression turned cold.

“The pack will have an Alpha who can stand alone.”

The elders fell silent.

But Elena, sitting at the far end of the chamber, lowered her eyes.

No one noticed the faint smile that touched her lips.

…

That night, Sebastian returned to his private quarters.

The estate was enormous.

Grand staircases.

Ancient portraits.

Guards stationed outside every entrance.

It was everything he had once dreamed of.

Yet the moment he stepped into his bedroom, he felt strangely empty.

Faye's scent was nowhere.

There was no soft voice asking whether he'd eaten.

No small stack of books beside the bed.

No woman waiting for him to come home.

For the first time, Sebastian understood something he had never considered.

Faye had never been part of the background.

She had been the warmth in it.

He sat on the edge of the bed.

His wolf whispered a single word.

Mate.

Sebastian closed his eyes.

“I know.”

His wolf growled again.

Find her.

Sebastian opened his eyes.

He had spent his entire life believing that nothing could shake him.

Not enemies.

Not politics.

Not even the awakening of an ancient Alpha bloodline.

But a woman walking away without looking back had managed to do what none of them could.

She had made him afraid.

And somewhere far away, Faye was beginning a life without him.