My Family Stole My Run I Returned A Leader Chapter 03
On the last day of their trip, the family group chat blew up with messages.
Tony sent a long voice note.
“Paloma, we’ll be home tomorrow night.”
“Sometime tomorrow, head over to Gray Harbor.”
“Rent a two-bedroom apartment near Bella’s school.”
“She’s not well enough for the dorms. The scent of unfamiliar wolves could affect her shift control.”
“Go ahead of time and clean the place up.”
“And move your things in while you’re at it.”
I listened, then set down my phone, my expression unchanged.
They were so sure I would do it.
Because Stefan was training at the warrior academy in Gray Harbor.
Because Bella’s grades were just enough to get her into an ordinary university there.
In their eyes, I was destined for a community college, with no pack position of my own.
The most logical arrangement was for me to go to Gray Harbor and take care of Bella.
And, of course, to keep orbiting Stefan.
My mother sent a message, too.
“Paloma.”
“Didn’t you apply to a community college in Gray Harbor?”
“From now on, take good care of Bella and Stefan.”
“The family will cover the rent.”
“If you want spending money, you can get a part-time job.”
“You’re eighteen now. It’s time you learned to be responsible for yourself.”
I finished reading and silenced my phone.
My room was already empty.
Aside from the bed and the old wardrobe, there was almost nothing left.
I’d never had many things to begin with.
I packed my toiletries into my backpack and zipped it shut.
On the desk lay a plane ticket to Gray Harbor.
Departure: ten o’clock the next morning.
Timed perfectly so I would be gone before they returned.
I took one last look around the room I’d lived in for three years.
I felt nothing.
That evening, I cleaned the house one final time.
The smoothies were portioned and chilled in the fridge.
Bella’s room was freshly dusted.
I did every last thing they had demanded of me.
At dawn the next morning, before the sky was fully light, I slung my backpack over one shoulder and quietly closed the front door behind me.
The air was cool.
As I left the yard, I breathed in the familiar pine scent of Cedar Ridge’s central district one last time.
Once, it had made me feel like I was getting closer to home.
Now, it was just the smell of a forest.
I walked to the entrance of the neighborhood and called a car.
“To the territory airport.”
As the car pulled away, I watched the streets slide past my window.
I felt calm.
My phone lit up. It was a private message from Stefan.
“Paloma, did you find an apartment?”
“Pick one close to my school.”
“It’ll be easier for me to come by.”
I looked at the message and almost laughed.
I opened his profile and hit Block.
Then my mother, my father, Tony, and Bella.
Everyone connected to that family—I blocked them all.
After that, I took out my old SIM card, snapped it in half, and threw it into a trash can at the airport entrance.
Inside, I checked my bag and completed my registration.
The Morningwatch provisional membership documents were verified without issue. The staff handed me a pass marked with the Gray Harbor crest.
As I sat in the waiting area, an announcement came over the speakers.
“Attention passengers traveling to Gray Harbor.”
“Your flight is now boarding…”
I stood and walked toward the gate.
The link to Cedar Ridge was already severed.
From this moment on, I had no intention of looking back.