My Fiancé Chose Her So I Chose Myself Chapter 33
And no one had to wait until the end to find out if there was anything left over for them.
We sat around a small table, eating dinner and discussing whether the next day’s meeting should be moved online.
A younger analyst, nervous about the first report she had ever handled on her own, was starting to give off the faint scent of anxiety.
I went over the figures with her, pointing out two places that needed more support.
She let out a relieved breath.
“Thank you, Natalie.”
“It’s fine. Just tell me earlier next time.”
Outside, the snow fell harder.
Wrapped in my own blanket, I finished my coffee.
My inner wolf was quiet. The people around me had already answered its oldest questions.
My phone lay silent on the table. There were no missed calls from Chicago, no one demanding I take responsibility for their lives.
Travis had eventually left TerraGrid and lost his place in Lakecrest public affairs.
Evan lost GridForge after its restructuring. Brooke never contacted me again. Jenna complied with the protective order.
At last, they had learned to bear their own choices in a life that did not include me.
And I no longer needed their losses to confirm my worth.
When the hotel shuttle arrived, we pushed our luggage toward the exit together.
One of my coworkers reached for the heaviest suitcase in front of me.
“I’ve got this.”
This time, I didn’t automatically say I could manage.
My wolf no longer mistook help for control.
“Okay.” I let go. “Thank you.”
A real new life wasn’t about dragging every burden alone forever.
It was being able to decide who walked beside me—and being able to accept kindness without flinching.
The airport’s glass doors slid open, and cold wind blew snow inside.
I wrapped the blanket tighter and walked with my team toward the brightly lit vehicle.
Inside my passport holder was the membership insignia of the Thames Riverside pack. That was where I belonged.
The road ahead was covered in snow, but my footprints no longer had to be the only ones.
I knew where I was going.
My life was mine.
This time, no one would leave me behind.
As the car door closed, the light from my phone screen lit up the cross-territory coordinator insignia tucked inside my passport holder.
A marked URGENT joint meeting agenda had just come in from the Thames Riverside pack council.
There was only one item on it.
*Cross-territory review of the vulnerable-member protection rules.*