Chapter 338
Cecilia’s pov
Sebastian said nothing.Only his ice-cold stare spoke for him as he regarded Harper.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Don’t glare at her like that p>
Harper patted my hand in reassurance. “It’s fine, really. I’ll go p>
With the kind of deep breath people take before jumping out of planes, she stood up and followed Sebastian out like she was heading to her own trial.
Cassian leaned back in his chair, looking completely calm.
“Relax,” he said, stretching out in his chair. “Sebastian treats rules like gospel. He won’t lay a finger on her p>
Twenty minutes later, they emerged from the study.
Harper had gone in looking like she was walking toward a firing squad. She came out practically glowing, like she’d just walked off a game show stage with a giant check.
The transformation was so dramatic, I stared at her like she’d betrayed me in a dramatic TV twist.
I pulled her aside to a quiet corner.
“What did he do, hypnotize you p>
Her whole vibe had done a complete 180.
Now she was suddenly all in.
She kept telling me to stick with Sebastian, have his babies, take over the pack, and live it up as the Luna of Silver Peak Pack.
“Okay, seriously. How much did he pay you?” I said, half-joking.
Harper scoffed. “Oh, please. I’m not that easy p>
I shot her a look. The one that says, I’ve known you since forever, and I’m definitely not buying that.
She sighed and threw her hands up. “Fine. Legal counsel job. Seven-figure salary p>
My jaw hit the floor. I didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or ask if Sebastian was still hiring.
But deep down, I knew Harper.
She wouldn’t flip sides just for a paycheck. Not even one with that many zeroes.
The truth was written all over her face. She trusted him.
Whatever Sebastian said in that room, it worked.
Author’s pov
Three days later, Cecilia was packing for the trip to the safehouse Sebastian had arranged.
To the outside world, she was heading out on a business trip to handle a contract dispute on behalf of his company.
To make it believable, Sebastian sent a new legal consultant with her. That consultant was Harper, of course.
The secretarial team and office staff didn’t suspect a thing.
Cecilia called her parents and told them she’d be traveling somewhere with spotty reception.If they couldn’t reach her for a while, it wasn’t a big deal.
Harper gave her own family and law firm a similar heads-up.
Everything was going exactly the way Sebastian had mapped it out.
Two weeks. Completely off the grid.
When Alpha Yardley caught wind of Cecilia’s sudden absence, he called Alpha Sebastian immediately. His voice thundered through the phone the second Alpha Sebastian picked up.
“Have you lost your damn mind? Sending Cece on a business trip? What are you thinking p>
Alpha Sebastian remained calm. “If I don’t cover for her this way, people are going to start asking questions when she stops showing up p>
Alpha Yardley understood. He went quiet.
“Also,” Alpha Sebastian added, “tell Mom she won’t be able to make it to Colorado Springs this time. Maybe next visit p>
He hung up before Alpha Yardley could reply.
By eleven a.m., golden sunlight spilled across the endless coastline.
Cecilia stretched lazily in the back seat, her eyes fixed on the ocean view passing by the car window.
“How much longer?” she asked, trying to sound casual.
To avoid being followed, they faked the whole departure.
They got boarding passes, changed clothes in the VIP lounge, and slipped out after the real flight left.
In the past two hours, they’d already changed cars twice.
No one had told them where they were actually going.
Tang glanced at her through the rearview mirror.
“About another hour,” he said. “You hungry, Cecilia? We’re in the clear now. We could stop somewhere if you want p>
She tilted her head and gave him a smirk. “You’re the one who’s hungry p>
He didn’t deny it.
“That works,” she said. “But are there even restaurants around here p>
“There’s a seafood place about ten minutes up the road,” Tang replied.
Seafood.The word alone made her stomach twist, but Harper and Tang probably needed something decent to eat.
“Let’s go there, then p>
“Can you handle the smell?” Harper asked from beside her.
“It’s fine. I’ll just order something else. Seafood joints usually serve fries and salad too, right p>
Harper nodded. “Alright, then p>
Ten minutes later, they turned off the coastal road and pulled into a small seafood place.
It had a chill beach-town feel. Weathered wood on the outside, neon crab signs in the windows, and a parking lot full of dusty pickup trucks.
They requested a private room with an ocean view.
As Tang and Cecilia looked over the menu, Harper excused herself to use the restroom.
She was washing her hands when her phone started ringing.
Tiffany’s name popped up on the screen. She was a colleague from Harper’s firm. Since Tiffany had been covering her cases while she was “consulting for Sebastian,” Harper figured it was a work call.
Harper answered casually. “Hey, Tiffany p>
“Harper p>
A male voice.
Wrong gender. Wrong voice. Familiar and wrong.
She froze in place.
“Alpha Sebastian throws you a bone and you roll over like a good little lapdog,” Alpha Xavier’s voice sneered through the speaker.”If I’d known you were that easy to buy, I might’ve tried it myself p>
Harper rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, sure. Wire fifty million to my account and we’ll see if I start singing your praises p>
“Bring her to me,” he said. “And I’ll pay exactly that p>
Her voice dropped, calm and sharp. “Human trafficking’s still a felony, last I checked. You trying to get me disbarred, Xavier, or just thrown in jail p>
She moved to hang up.
But his voice cut in again.
“So, she’s in hiding because she’s pregnant, right? That little speech Sebastian gave? Please. It was all for show. What’s the plan now? Raise a secret pack of Alpha pups in some remote cabin p>
Harper’s spine stiffened.
“What speech? What pups?” she replied flatly. “Maybe stop sniffing your own conspiracy theories p>
She ended the call before he could say another word.
Her hand clenched around the phone. Her pulse was hammering.
She stared at the black screen, her mind racing.