My Family Stole My Run I Returned A Leader Chapter 34
“Team.”
I placed my Morningwatch membership crest on the verification counter.
The staff member quickly found the listing.
“Morningwatch Wolf-Form Recovery Support Team, lead: Paloma Lombardi.”
“Information confirmed.”
She handed me my number tag.
My name was not written beneath any family name.
It stood beside the team I had built with my own hands.
That was enough.
After finishing the safety inspection, Lena dragged me over to a small beach stand to buy water.
A row of handmade braided cords hung there.
One of them held a deep-blue glass bead that swayed gently in the sunset.
I glanced at it once, then walked past.
Some things hurt terribly when they are lost.
But once you truly let them go, you don’t need to find a replacement to fill the empty space.
My phone vibrated in my pocket.
The registry had sent a reminder that the temporary contact restrictions on the Lombardi family were about to expire and could be renewed.
Attached was the record from the past year.
No violations.
No messages passed through others.
No one showing up at my school or workplace.
I chose to renew the restrictions and signed the confirmation.
Boundaries do not have to wait until you are hurt again to be enforced.
The night deepened, and the full moon rose over the sea.
A line of lights came on at the entrance to the long beach.
The loudspeaker began calling the participants’ names.
Four years ago, that roster had made me think that being publicly acknowledged by a family was what it meant to truly belong.
Now I stood in the sea wind and heard the loudspeaker say:
“Morningwatch Support Team, Paloma Lombardi.”
My coworkers moved forward together beside me.
I crossed the starting line.
Damp sand pressed beneath my feet while waves rolled over the shore, again and again.
My wolf was quiet and strong inside me.
It no longer chased doors that had already closed.
Halfway through the run, a young werewolf ahead of us lost his breathing rhythm, his nerves getting the better of him.
I slowed and guided him through the stabilizing steps.
Once he had rejoined the group, I ran on.
This time, helping someone else wasn’t an order, nor was it a bid to earn my place.
It was a responsibility I had chosen to carry.
The finish-line lights drew closer.
Lena and the rest of the team stood there, waving at me.
I ran the last stretch of beach, small sprays of water flashing beneath my feet.
No one got to decide for me when I would leave.
And no one could ever take my ID card again or erase my name from my own life.
The sea wind swept away the footprints behind me.
I didn’t look back.
This time, my name did not need anyone’s approval to exist.
It belonged to me.
And so did my life.
The End