“Lian, where has Alpha Sebastian been staying these past few days?” I asked casually, chopping vegetables.
He chuckled softly. “Don’t worry, Alpha Sebastian isn’t homeless. This apartment is just a temporary place, convenient for work. Since he offered it to you, he’s gone back to the Silver Peak Pack house. His parents have been missing him, anyway.”
I nodded thoughtfully.
Then Lian leaned in a little, a mischievous sparkle lighting up his eyes. “Actually, there’s another reason his parents wanted him home.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What’s that?”
He grinned. “They’ve started the Luna selection process.”
Alpha Sebastian was being… Luna-matched?
“As the future Alpha, his marriage is a huge deal for the entire pack,” Lian explained. “His parents brought it up during the holiday gathering last year. They pushed him to meet a few eligible she-wolves from powerful families. He agreed, just to keep the peace. But nothing came of it. He was too focused on work and left right after the holidays. His mom couldn’t do much once he was gone. But now that he’s back in Denver, it’s harder for him to avoid it.”
“So even he can’t escape the classic pressure from parents to settle down,” I remarked, feeling oddly connected to his situation.
Alpha Sebastian always seemed so distant, so untouchable. It was hard to imagine him being the subject of such traditional expectations.
Lian sighed dramatically. “Yeah, Alpha Sebastian has always been… emotionally reserved. Especially when it comes to love.”
Is that really true?
What about Amara? Their relationship had seemed anything but distant, judging by her emotional intensity at the charity gala.
Despite Alpha Sebastian’s claims that he wasn’t interested in women-possibly hinting at a preference for men-I found it hard to believe there hadn’t been something significant between them. Amara’s behavior suggested a deep, complicated history.
The most likely scenario was that they had once been lovers, but Alpha Sebastian ended things for some unspeakable reason, while Amara remained deeply in love. Maybe he still cared beneath it all but took some twisted satisfaction from watching her suffer, reveling in her emotional turmoil…
I kept these thoughts to myself and offered a safer response instead: “Don’t worry. Fate has a way of bringing the right people together. Maybe the next high-born she-wolf he meets will capture his heart right away.”
A cool, deep voice spoke from behind me, “I’ll take that as a good omen.”
Startled, I nearly jumped out of my skin. Turning around, I saw Alpha Sebastian standing quietly in the kitchen doorway.
Oh God. How long had he been there? When did he arrive? How much had he overheard?
Lian looked just as mortified, avoiding his gaze.
The three of us stood there awkwardly, like children caught whispering secrets.
Alpha Sebastian’s eyes swept over us, cool and unimpressed.
“Don’t bother with dinner. Why don’t you two pull up a chair in the lobby and keep the gossip going? I’m sure the rest of the peanut gallery would love to hear your take.”
Heat rose to my cheeks in embarrassment.
Lian cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable.
The sarcasm was unmistakable.
Alpha Sebastian turned sharply and left the kitchen. After a brief hesitation, I followed him silently, trailing behind until we reached his study.
He disappeared inside for a moment, then reemerged carrying some documents. Without a word, he headed straight for the front door, clearly intending to leave.
As he paused by the door, I blurted out, “Um… dinner’s almost ready. Will you be eating with us?”
I meant to apologize, but nerves got the better of me.
He turned, those beautiful almond-shaped eyes curving into a smile that didn’t quite reach them.
“I’ll pass. I’m busy with matchmaking appointments tonight. Who knows, I might just find that destined mate you mentioned.”
I was left speechless.
Without another glance, he stepped out.
I deflated instantly. Was it really necessary to be so petty? I replayed everything I’d said in my head-it had all been perfectly reasonable, even supportive!
Lian soon emerged from the kitchen. “Don’t worry. Alpha Sebastian isn’t one to hold grudges. He’ll forget all about it soon enough. Come on, let’s eat.”
I wasn’t nearly as optimistic as Lian, but what could I do? I was slowly realizing that offending Alpha Sebastian was as easy as breathing-one wrong word, and I’d stepped on his toes again.
Dinner did little to settle my nerves. Halfway through the meal, my phone rang unexpectedly. To my surprise, it was Alpha Claude-Xavien’s father.
I hesitated. Luna Daria’s calls were impossible to ignore, but Xavien’s number was one I blocked without a second thought.
Alpha Claude, however, was different.
He’d always been polite and respectful toward me, like a proper elder should be. Strictly speaking, he had been my superior during my time with the Blood Moon Tribe.
For those reasons, I still held a shred of respect for him.
I set my chopsticks down and answered after a moment’s pause.
“Hello, Alpha Claude.”
I always addressed him formally-polite, respectful, but not intimate.
“Celina,” his voice came through, gentle yet firm, “you and Xavien need to sit down and talk things through calmly. Avoiding him won’t solve anything. Come home tomorrow evening.”
Celina
“There’s nothing left to discuss,” I said, keeping my voice steady and composed.
“He’s already signed the divorce papers. If anyone needs convincing, it’s him. He’s the one dragging his feet. Once he completes the final steps, I’ll be done-with him and with the Blood Moon Pack.”
My tone was deliberately neutral, as if I were talking about a stranger’s failed marriage rather than my own-a marriage where I had poured my heart out, only to be betrayed.
I had lost this gamble and accepted the outcome, but that didn’t mean the pain had faded. Just because the wound had scabbed over didn’t mean I’d forget the sting.
There was a long silence on the other end of the call.
“Just come tomorrow,” Alpha Claude finally said. “No matter what you’ve decided, this isn’t a decision one person can make alone. In marriage, if one side refuses, nothing moves forward. Both parties need to sit down and talk. Don’t you agree?”
I said nothing.
“It’s just dinner,” Alpha Claude continued, his voice softer now. “Nothing more. Consider it a courtesy to me.”
I weighed his request carefully.
“Fine,” I agreed at last.
My acceptance wasn’t out of respect for him. I had already left the Blood Moon Pack and was divorcing his son-there was no future where we’d maintain any kind of relationship. His “courtesy” meant nothing to me anymore.
I agreed because I thought maybe tomorrow night I could treat this meeting like a business negotiation-convince him to persuade Xavien to end his pointless chase and let me go.
Lian, who had been standing nearby during the call, approached me with concern etched across his face.
“Are you sure about this? What if they try to trick you again, like last time? Please be careful,” he warned.
“You’re right,” I nodded.
Though I didn’t believe Alpha Claude would stoop that low, especially after what Luna Daria had done, I couldn’t afford to be careless. “I’ll hire bodyguards to protect me tomorrow. Don’t worry.”
The next afternoon, around four o’clock, I dressed carefully and headed to the Blood Moon Pack’s main house with two professional bodyguards I’d hired.
Though my leg had healed enough for normal walking the day before, I pretended it hadn’t and used a wheelchair.
If danger arose and my bodyguards were overwhelmed, I could surprise my enemies by suddenly standing up and escaping.
Sebastian
I was standing by the window, speaking on the phone with a pack ally, when a knock interrupted me.
Lowering the phone slightly, I said, “Come in.”
Beta Sawyer entered, clearly unaware I was still on a call.
“Alpha Sebastian,” he said quickly, “Lian just called. He said Secretary Celina went to the Blood Moon Pack’s house.”
My grip on the phone tightened without me realizing it.
Inside me, Soren-my wolf-let out a low, angry growl.
[I don’t like this. Not one bit.]
The news hit me harder than I expected. I tried to ignore Soren’s reaction, forcing myself to stay calm.
I narrowed my eyes just a fraction and kept my voice steady.
“If she really wants to go, let her. Why are you telling me this?”
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