“Alpha Sebastian,” I squeaked, trying desperately to keep my smile steady while my fingers dug into the couch cushions. “Why are you here instead of Lian?”
He shrugged, his expression unreadable. “Soup. Lian needed to watch the fire.”
He glanced briefly around my living room before moving closer. Without asking, he bent down to help me into my wheelchair. The sudden closeness brought a wave of his scent-sandalwood mixed with something uniquely his-washing over me.
I froze completely, my body stiff as a statue.
The elevator ride was even worse. Trapped in that small space with him, all I could think about was how I’d accidentally grabbed his thighs earlier that day. I stared fixedly at the floor numbers, silently praying the ride would end before I died of embarrassment.
His penthouse was at least three times larger than my apartment. He wheeled me through spacious, tastefully decorated rooms until we reached his study.
“Dinner’s not ready yet,” he said, parking me near his desk. “While we wait, why don’t we do something together?”
“Um… what?” My mind short-circuited.
[Do something together.] Those three simple words sent my imagination spiraling in wildly inappropriate directions.
Shit, Celina. Get your mind out of the gutter!
Alpha Sebastian, completely unaware of my inner turmoil, positioned me at his desk and placed a neat stack of documents in front of me.
Oh. Work. He wants to do work together.
A wave of relief washed over me, quickly replaced by embarrassment at where my thoughts had wandered. A small laugh escaped before I could stop it.
Alpha Sebastian looked up, one perfectly arched eyebrow raised. “Does working make you this happy?”
With no way to explain my actual thoughts, I doubled down on the awkward laughter. “Yep. Born to work. It’s my calling.”
The corner of his mouth twitched upward, and I realized with a surge of surprise that I’d actually made him smile-really smile.
We sat across from each other at his desk. I focused intently on the documents he’d handed me, determined not to embarrass myself again. The only sounds in the study were the gentle rustling of papers and the soft clicking of keyboards. The atmosphere felt strangely comfortable.
When I finished organizing the files as he’d requested, I looked up to tell him, only to find him completely absorbed by whatever was on his screen. His brow furrowed slightly, and I wondered if it had anything to do with his mood on the plane earlier.
I’d noticed his displeasure after we landed. When I’d suggested he go ahead without me, he hadn’t even acknowledged me. I suspected Xavien’s appearance at the airport was the cause. What Alpha Sebastian would want to get involved in the messy personal life of one of his employees was beyond me.
I took the chance to study him quietly. The silver-rimmed glasses he wore for reading had slid slightly down his nose. His dark hair fell across his forehead in a way that made my fingers itch to brush it back. His jawline was sharp enough to cut glass, and his lips…
Suddenly, he looked up, catching me staring.
Our eyes locked.
“I… I finished organizing everything,” I stammered, my heart pounding so hard I was certain his wolf could hear it.
Oh, fantastic. Staring at your boss like he’s a GQ model-smooth move, Celina.
I told myself, trying desperately to keep my composure under Alpha Sebastian’s intense gaze.
Celina
A sudden flush of heat spread across my cheeks, hotter than a blazing wildfire, as I hurriedly tried to clarify myself. “Oh! I thought you meant… cleaning or something like that. That’s why I said I couldn’t do it-because of my leg.”
Alpha Sebastian didn’t reply right away. Instead, he leaned casually against his desk, arms folded, wearing that maddeningly knowing look that suggested he saw straight through my flimsy excuse. Yet, he seemed perfectly content to let me stew in my own awkwardness.
Then, out of nowhere, he burst into laughter. “Celina,” he drawled with amusement, “you certainly have quite the imagination.”
My face felt like it was on fire.
Was he really suggesting I was daydreaming about him? Oh, goddess, he was. And the worst part? He wasn’t entirely wrong.
I quickly lowered my gaze and frantically flipped open the folder in front of me. “What do you need me to do? I’ll get started right away.”
Fortunately, Alpha Sebastian didn’t press the matter any further. He pulled up a chair and sat opposite me, beginning to hand out instructions for the work. Soon, we both slipped into a steady rhythm, the quiet punctuated only by the soft turning of pages.
The study was peaceful, the air filled with a calm focus. For a full hour, I kept my head bent over the papers, working so intently that the world outside seemed to disappear.
Every now and then, I caught Sebastian stealing glances at me, the corners of his lips curling into a faint smile each time.
At one point, Lian came searching for us, clearly puzzled about where his Alpha had vanished off to with his injured guest. Poor Lian had no idea that Sebastian would put me to work like this-no self-respecting Alpha would exploit a wounded pack member so thoroughly.
When dinner was finally ready, Sebastian wheeled me out of the study. I felt a strange mix of nerves and comfort in his presence, my mind swirling with conflicting emotions.
As we entered the dining room, Lian pulled out a chair with a warm, welcoming smile. Sebastian maneuvered my wheelchair closer, then bent down as if to lift me out and onto the chair. He paused, glancing at me with mock seriousness.
“If I carry you, you won’t get any inappropriate ideas, will you?” His voice was earnest, but his eyes sparkled with mischief.
I wanted nothing more than to disappear beneath the table.
Lian, oblivious to the joke, probably thought Sebastian was just being overly chivalrous.
“Haha, I’m fine staying in the wheelchair,” I replied, my laugh sounding forced, like I’d swallowed a sour lemon.
“Overthinking things again, I see,” Sebastian remarked as he straightened up.
[I wasn’t!] I wanted to shout silently in my head.
Dinner was absolutely divine. Lian’s cooking was leagues better than any professional chef’s I’d ever tasted. I channeled my embarrassment into my appetite, devouring the soup and vegetables with surprising speed. To my later horror, I even snatched a piece of meat that Sebastian was reaching for.
Lian beamed with pride, clearly delighted by my enthusiasm.
I could almost feel his happiness radiating across the table.
I imagined this must be the highest praise a cook could receive-watching their food disappear in record time.
“Is it really that good?” Sebastian asked with a small smile, his tone teasing yet gentle.
He pushed the last piece of meat toward me.
“Here, take this too.”
I finally looked up, realizing I’d been eating without so much as a glance at anyone else.
Our eyes met, his gaze amused and warm, and suddenly I was acutely aware of myself.
Right. I was probably eating like a starving wolf.
I straightened up in my seat, picking up my fork with more care, trying to salvage whatever dignity I had left.
I slowed my pace considerably, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden.
Lian returned with another bowl of butternut squash soup, steam curling invitingly from the rim.
I accepted it gratefully, cheeks still tinged with warmth.
“Thank you so much, Lian. Seriously-were you a professional chef before? This is absolutely incredible.”
Lian’s face lit up like a child receiving praise from their favorite teacher.
He launched into an enthusiastic explanation about roasting techniques and spice blends, and I listened with genuine interest, nodding along.
Eventually, he grinned hopefully.
“If you enjoy my cooking, you should come every day!”
“That would be-” I started automatically, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
Then I caught myself and laughed awkwardly.
“I mean, I couldn’t impose like that.”
Before I could backtrack any further, Sebastian’s voice cut through the air-steady, quiet, and impossible to ignore.
“No imposition necessary.”
I turned to him, surprised by the casual certainty in his tone, as if the decision had already been made.
He didn’t smile, but there was something warm in his eyes, something steady and reassuring.
Lian immediately seized the moment.
“That settles it!” he declared cheerfully. “I’ll make extra dishes from now on!”
I stared blankly at both of them. How had a simple conversation turned into a standing dinner invitation? And was Sebastian’s comment about not needing to feel shy sincere, or was he subtly mocking my hearty appetite?
After dinner, I was eager to head home but remembered the unfinished work waiting in his study. “Alpha Sebastian, could I take the work home to finish?”
“That won’t be necessary,” Sebastian replied.
My mind instantly twisted that into: You’re not going anywhere until you finish your work.
“Fine…” I sighed, wheeling myself back toward his study.
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