He froze when he saw me. “Elena?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “I heard about what you’re doing.”
He gave a small, almost shy smile. “Just trying to do something meaningful.”
We walked in silence along a forest path.
“Why did you come?” he finally asked.
“For a real goodbye,” I answered honestly. “To make sure we can both truly move on.”
Scott nodded, understanding in his eyes. “I get it.”
“I hated you for a long time, Scott,” I said calmly. “That hate kept me going. But I don’t need it anymore.”
“You found happiness,” he said. It wasn’t a question.
“Yes. Derek’s a good man. He respects me, cherishes me, loves all of me.”
Scott smiled, a genuine smile, free of pain. “I’m happy for you, Elena. Really.”
I looked at him and saw that the regret and pain in his eyes had been replaced by a kind of peace. “And you? Are you okay?”
“I’m learning to accept things,” he said softly. “Losing the bond was hard, but it taught me to value every life, to respect every choice.”
A wave of relief washed over me. Scott really had changed. He wasn’t that arrogant Alpha anymore. Pain and loss had changed him, helped him
grow.
“I don’t regret breaking the bond,” I looked him straight in the eye. “But I want you to know, I don’t hate you anymore.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Scott’s face, then deep gratitude. “Thank you, Elena. That means a lot to me.”
We reached a clearing. The mountains in the distance were a magnificent purple in the setting sun.
“Do you remember Skyridge Peak?” Scott asked suddenly.
“I remember,” I nodded. It was the pack’s sacred place, and the cliff I’d jumped from in two lifetimes.
“I go there often to think,” Scott said. “Imagine how things would be if I’d made different choices. But eventually, I understood. We can’t change the past. We can only learn from it and move forward.”
His words softened something inside me. Not love, but a kind of understanding.
“I should get back,” I said. “Derek’s waiting for me.”
Scott nodded. “He’s a lucky man.”
“I’m lucky too,” I smiled.
Before I left, Scott handed me a small wooden box. “This is for you. Not a gift, but a promise.”
I opened it. Inside was a delicate wood carving of a deer, standing free and independent in a forest.
“What does it mean?”
“Freedom,” Scott said softly. “I promise to always respect your choices, to never interfere in your life again. Unless you need help.”
I took the carving, feeling a strange warmth. “Thank you.”
Driving away from the sanctuary, I felt completely at peace. This meeting with Scott wasn’t about forgiveness. It was about letting go. I didn’t need to hate him to define myself anymore. I’d found my own way.
Back in town, Derek was waiting for me at the shelter entrance.
“Everything go okay?” he asked, concerned.
“Yeah,” I nodded, taking his hand. “Perfectly.”
I didn’t go into detail about my conversation with Scott, but Derek seemed to understand. He held my hand tightly, his eyes full of love.
“Ready to get on with our life?” he asked with a smile.
2/3
Chapter 8
+25 Bonus
“More ready than ever,” I said firmly.
Two months later, Derek proposed to me on the beach where we had our first real date. I said yes without a moment’s hesitation.
“Are you sure?” Derek asked seriously. “You know I’d never ask you to forget your past.”
“I’m sure,” I smiled. “The past is past. I choose now, I choose the future, and I choose you.”
On my wedding day, I received an anonymous letter. It contained only a short blessing: “May you find eternal happiness. S.”
I smiled and closed the letter, feeling nothing but calm. Scott was a distant memory, no longer able to affect my emotions or choices.
Derek came to my side and gently kissed my forehead. “Ready, future Mrs. Hayes?”
“More ready than ever,” I took his hand.
Outside, moonlight flooded the garden, silver and white. I knew the Moon Goddess was watching us, smiling. She had given me a second chance at life, and she had given me the right to choose.
This time, I chose my own path. Not a mate forced by fate, not a relationship bound by duty, but the life I truly wanted.
True freedom, true choice, true love. That was all I had ever longed for.
