After leaving the healer's cabin, I caught sight of Jake standing near the entrance. Three years had changed him. The boy who had once sneered at me now looked more like a man—toughened, yet somehow softer around the edges.
When his eyes met mine, the disgust that had once burned there was gone. Replaced by something more complicated—perhaps regret, maybe even a faint hope.
"You disappeared for three years without a word, Sienna," he said, voice low but edged with accusation. "That's pretty bold of you."
He hesitated, then added, voice softer now, "Come home with me. Mom and Dad really miss you."
I wasn't sure if it was the kindness or the loneliness behind those words, but I found myself nodding. I was going home anyway.
Jake opened the car door for me, and we drove through familiar streets toward the house I once called home.
Outside the front yard stood Laura, holding Anne's hand tightly. For some reason, they hadn't come inside.
The moment the car rolled up, Laura rushed forward, desperation written across her face.
"Jake, wait! Let me explain—it wasn't me! Please, don't make us leave."
Her voice cracked, pleading, but it held an edge of something else—a sharp bitterness that made my skin crawl.
Then, her eyes landed on me stepping out of the car.
Shock flickered across her features—and swiftly morphed into something darker.
"You?" she spat. "What are you doing back here? You walked out without a second thought. Now what? Crawling back like a leech?"
Her words stung like venom, and the hostility in her voice made it seem like she might lunge at me and tear me apart.
Jake didn't hesitate. He stepped directly in front of me, blocking her path like a shield.
"Get lost," he snapped, voice cold as ice. "This is Sienna's home. She can come back whenever she wants. What do you have to do with this family anymore?"
His words were like a verdict.
He motioned to the maids, and they quickly moved to escort Laura and Anne away.
Jake then turned to me and opened the door, stepping aside to usher me inside.
As we entered, he leaned closer and whispered, "Not long after you left, Laura tried to force Drew to marry her. When he came over for dinner, her mother spiked his food with a pheromone enhancer—it was meant for Drew, but it was accidentally given to Eliza instead."
My breath caught.
"Eliza ended up in the healer's cabin for a full week."
Jake shook his head grimly. "When the truth came out, Eliza had the cook, Laura, and her daughter thrown out for good."
With no blood ties left to bind them, and now burning resentment added on top, Laura was nothing but a stranger to this family.
Inside the house, my parents waited in the living room.
This time, there was no blame in their eyes.
Instead, something unfamiliar greeted me—concern.
Dinner had been prepared and was still warm on the table.
Eliza even reached out, picked up some food, and placed it carefully on my plate.
When our eyes met, she blushed and quickly looked away, pretending to be casual but unable to hide her shyness.
Dad cleared his throat and said quietly, "I heard you went to see Drew. That young man's been through a lot these past three years. It's all because of you."
The weight of his words settled heavily between us.
Then he spoke with authority, "Now that you're back, we should go ahead and hold the marking ceremony."
I shook my head firmly. "There's no need. I've already found my mate."
The room fell silent.
Everyone stared, stunned.
They all knew how deeply my heart had once belonged to Drew. Letting go hadn't been easy.
"I came back this time just to attend the marking ceremony with my mate," I explained quietly. "After that, I'll leave in a few days."
Jake's face twisted with anger.
"Do you even know what Drew went through to find you? He's lying in the healer's cabin right now because of you!"
His voice cracked, fury and hurt tangled together.
"And now you're just going to dump him and run off with someone else?"
I didn't argue.
The truth was, Drew and I had been over for a long time.
His injury wasn't my fault—it was the consequence of his own reckless pride.
Why should I carry that burden?
Without another word, I stood and headed upstairs.
After the marking ceremony, Peter and I would leave together—back to Northvale, back to the life I'd chosen.
This time, I would sever every tie to the past, to Silvermist, and to those who had only ever held me at arm's length.
Because I had learned that home wasn't where you came from—it was where you belonged.
And I belonged somewhere new.