They Voted Me Out, So I Rose as a Lycan Warrior Chapter 10

They Voted Me Out, So I Rose as a Lycan Warrior Chapter 10

After the combat test, I step off the platform with a towel in my hand.

Roselyn runs over and throws her arms around me.

“Nora, that was insane! You really showed them what an S–rank wolf can do. You actually took down a Lycan! Even the instructor couldn’t stop nodding.”

I smile, “It was nothing.”

“Nothing? We’re celebrating tonight. No excuses.”

I’m about to answer when Sebastian’s voice comes from behind me.

“Nora.”

I stop.

The arena hasn’t emptied yet, and scattered eyes turn toward us.

Sebastian stands at the end of the aisle, gripping a small box in his hand.

Nathan and Clara are standing behind him…

None of them says a word.

Sebastian walks toward me one step at a time, his eyes terribly red.

“I got the necklace back.”

He holds the box out to me.

I don’t take it right away, “So?”

Sebastian freezes, “Do you want me to thank you?”

The color drains from his face.

“No.”

He quickly shakes his head.

“That’s not what I meant. Nora, I know I was wrong. I just wanted to give it back to you.”

I take the box and open it.

The silver necklace lies quietly inside.

The four engraved words on the back of the moonstone pendant are still perfectly clear.

For my Beloved Nora.

I put the necklace away and look up at him.

“I have it back. You can leave now.”

Nathan takes a step forward, “Nora, I know nothing I say can fix this anymore.”

His voice is low, “But I need you to know that I really regret what I did.”

I nod, “I know.”

A flicker of hope appears in his eyes.

But the next moment, I say calmly, “But it doesn’t matter to me anymore.”

The color slowly drains from Nathan’s face.

A light rain begins to fall outside the arena.

The raindrops land softly on the sycamore leaves, so quiet they’re almost impossible to hear.

They follow me to the entrance.

“Nora, come home with me. Just once.‘

Sebastian’s voice is almost pleading.

“Mom and Dad’s anniversary is coming. We always visit their graves together.”

My fingers tighten slightly around the jewelry box.

As if he sees a glimmer of hope, he quickly adds, “I’ll go with you. You can yell at me, ignore me,

whatever you want. Just… don’t give up on your family.”

Whenever Sebastian brings up Mom and Dad, I used to give in.

But this time, I simply shake my head, “I’ll visit them myself.”

Sebastian’s eyes instantly turn red, “Nora…”

“Sebastian, what Mom and Dad left me was never a home where I had to keep hurting myself just to belong.”

I look at him and say each word slowly.

“They wanted me to grow up safe and happy. Not spend my life trapped in your love, your

favoritism, and your guilt.”

He is completely speechless.

Roselyn opens her umbrella and steps beside me, “You ready?”

I nod.

Together, we walk into the rain.

Behind me, Sebastian calls out hoarsely.

“Nora… if you ever decide to come back, I’ll still be here.”

I stop walking.

The rain falls against the umbrella, sounding just like all those nights when I waited for someone

who never came.

I don’t turn around, “I’m not coming back.”

That night, I put the necklace back around my neck.

The moonstone is cold against my skin, yet for the first time, it makes me feel safe.

I sit at my dorm desk and open my laptop, then delete the last old photo.

Before it disappears, I see my ten–year–old self standing in front of a red velvet cake, her eyes still red from crying, yet trying her best to smile.

Back then, I thought that if I were obedient enough and understanding enough, I wouldn’t be

abandoned again.

Only later do I understand.

The person who will never abandon me is myself.

On the anniversary of my parents‘ passing, I visit the pack cemetery alone.

I place a bouquet of flowers in front of their gravestone, then take off my necklace and let the

moonstone rest gently in my palm.

“Dad, Mom… I’m okay.”

The wind moves through the treetops, and sunlight falls across the gravestone, gentle as a hand.

I smile.

“I really did grow up safe.”

When I leave the cemetery, I don’t look back.

Ahead of me, the mountain road stretches into the bright sunlight.