Chapter 8: The First Time He Came Looking

Faye’s POV

Three weeks after leaving Oregon, my life had settled into a rhythm I had never known before.

Wake up before sunrise.

Work at the bakery until afternoon.

Attend evening classes at the community college.

Come home, cook something simple, and read until I fell asleep.

It was ordinary.

And ordinary had never felt so precious.

I had also stopped checking the news about the Silver Moon Pack.

At first, it was difficult.

Whenever someone mentioned werewolves online, my heart would tighten.

Whenever a black SUV passed the bakery, I would instinctively look up.

But nothing happened.

No one came for me.

No one called.

Eventually, I began to believe Sebastian had accepted my decision.

Then, one rainy Thursday evening, everything changed.

I was closing the bakery when the bell above the door rang.

I looked up automatically.

A tall man stood in the doorway.

Black coat.

Dark hair.

Amber eyes.

My entire body went still.

Sebastian.

For several seconds, neither of us moved.

The rain dripped from his coat onto the floor.

His gaze swept over me, stopping at the flour on my apron and the loose strands of hair around my face.

He looked exhausted.

Not physically.

Something deeper.

His eyes were shadowed, and his jaw was tense.

“Faye.”

My fingers tightened around the counter.

“Why are you here?”

He stared at me as if he had been searching for those exact words for weeks.

“I came to find you.”

I forced myself to smile.

“You found me.”

His expression shifted.

“That's all you have to say?”

“What else should I say?”

Sebastian stepped closer.

The Mate Bond immediately reacted.

Pain shot through my chest.

My knees almost weakened.

I gripped the counter until the feeling passed.

His eyes darkened.

“You're hurting.”

“I'll be fine.”

“Faye.”

His voice carried the authority of an Alpha.

Once, that voice would have made me stop everything.

This time, I looked directly into his eyes.

“Don't command me.”

Sebastian froze.

Something flickered across his face.

Surprise.

Then regret.

He lowered his voice.

“I'm not trying to command you.”

“Then why are you here?”

He didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he reached into his coat and pulled out a small velvet box.

My breath caught.

He opened it.

Inside was my wedding ring.

The one I had left behind.

“You forgot this.”

I stared at it.

“No. I left it there intentionally.”

His fingers tightened around the box.

“Why?”

“Because I don't want it anymore.”

The words hurt more than I expected.

But I didn't take them back.

Sebastian looked at me for a long time.

“You never asked me why I was taking Elena.”

I almost laughed.

“I asked you in my last life.”

His face went pale.

I immediately realized what I'd said.

For one terrifying second, neither of us spoke.

Then Sebastian whispered, “What did you just say?”

I turned away.

“Nothing.”

He stepped closer.

“Faye, look at me.”

I didn't.

Because if I looked at him, I was afraid he would see everything.

The old memories.

The lonely room.

The years of waiting.

The moment Leo called me a human.

The moment I died.

Sebastian's hand stopped inches from my shoulder.

He didn't touch me.

For the first time, he seemed afraid that I would pull away.

“I don't understand what happened to you.”

I finally looked at him.

“That's because you never tried to understand me before.”

The words struck him harder than any physical blow.

His expression became painfully still.

“Come home with me.”

I shook my head.

“That's not my home anymore.”

“It can be.”

“No.”

My answer was immediate.

Sebastian's wolf stirred violently beneath his skin.

His eyes flashed gold.

But he forced himself to calm down.

“Then tell me what you want.”

I looked around the little bakery.

At the shelves of bread.

At the handwritten schedule behind the counter.

At the rain-covered window.

At the life I had built with my own hands.

“I want this.”

He followed my gaze.

“A bakery?”

“A life.”

Silence.

Then Sebastian slowly nodded.

“If this is what you want, I'll give you time.”

I frowned.

“You don't get to give me permission.”

His eyes lowered.

“You're right.”

He placed the velvet box on the counter.

“Then I'll wait.”

My heart tightened.

I almost told him not to.

But before I could speak, the bell above the door rang again.

A familiar voice came from behind him.

“Sebastian?”

Elena.

She stood in the doorway with an umbrella in one hand.

Her expression changed when she saw me.

For a moment, the warmth disappeared from her face.

Then she smiled.

“Faye.”

I said nothing.

Sebastian turned toward her.

“Why are you here?”

Elena's smile faltered.

“I was worried about you.”

Sebastian's expression remained cold.

“You shouldn't have followed me.”

I watched them silently.

Something was different.

Sebastian wasn't standing beside Elena anymore.

He wasn't looking at her with the warmth I remembered.

His attention kept returning to me.

And for the first time, I wondered whether leaving him had changed more than just my life.