Chapter 169

[ 984 words ]

Sebastian’s POV

I stared at Linda.

Something cold and heavy sank through my chest, all the way down, and for a moment my lungs forgot how to work.

Disappointment.

That was the word for the hollow thing spreading under my ribs, so sharp it almost felt like grief.

The Florida project. I’d wondered why Emilia had been so insistent on helping Henry, especially after everything he’d done to her.

Now it made sense. She hadn’t done it out of family loyalty. She’d done it to hide the truth from me.

Another betrayal. Another lie.

“Well?” Linda pressed. “Aren’t you going to say something? Don’t you see what kind of person she really is?”

I looked at her, and for a moment I felt nothing.

Just a cold, hollow emptiness. Then the anger came back, sharp and burning.

“Stop,” I said, low. “Stop spreading lies about my Luna.”

Linda blinked. “What? I just gave you proof—”

“A recording of you and your father arguing? That proves nothing. For all I know, you stitched the whole thing together to poison what’s mine.”

“Are you serious? You can’t possibly—”

“Enough.”

I let it out then.The air in the room seemed to drop and thicken. Ryder surged up behind my eyes, and I felt my aura roll off me in a wave that made the water glasses on the table tremble.

Linda’s next words died in her throat. Her knees dipped, her body bowing.

“You forget yourself,” I said.

I stepped in until she had to bend her neck back to hold my stare.

“You are standing in front of an Alpha, talking down his Luna. Lesser wolves have lost their tongues for less.”

“You’re jealous,” I went on, quieter now, which was worse, and she knew it. “You wanted to be Luna of the Silver Moon Pack. You weren’t chosen. So you crawl around collecting scraps, trying to burn down a life you’ll never have.”

“That’s not—”

“Stay away from my Luna,” I cut her off, my Alpha voice slipping through. “Stay out of Silver Moon Pack territory. If I see you near Emilia again, I won’t be this polite. Do you understand?”

Linda’s face flushed red with anger and humiliation. “You’re under her spell. That witch has completely brainwashed you.”

“Get out of my sight.”

She opened her mouth to argue, then thought better of it. With one last glare, she turned and stormed off.

I walked out through the lobby and into the parking garage, my thoughts a tangled mess.

I’d defended Emilia. Instinct. Automatic. Even after everything, my first reaction was still to put my body between her and the world.

But the recording kept playing in my head. She’d made a deal with Henry. She’d handed him the Florida project just to keep her secrets buried. How many more lies were there? How deep did this go?

“You did the right thing,” Ryder said quietly. “Linda was trying to manipulate you.”

“Maybe. That doesn’t mean she was lying.”

I’d just reached my car and put my hand on the door when footsteps sounded behind me on the concrete.

“Sebastian.”

I turned. Scott Hanson crossed the garage toward me, his expression unreadable.

“What now?” I asked, exhausted.

“I overheard you and Linda.” He stopped a few feet away, hands in his pockets. “So it’s true. You already know why Emilia married you.”

My whole body went still. Even Scott knew. The thought landed like a second blow on top of the first, and it took everything I had to keep my face flat.

I made myself smile, cold and thin. “You’ve got a real talent for eavesdropping. Careful, Hanson. You’re starting to sound as fond of stirring up trouble as Linda.”

“For the record, my Luna and I are perfectly happy. Whatever story you two have cooked up in your heads, keep it there.”

Scott didn’t rise to it. He just looked at me. “If lying to yourself helps you sleep, go ahead.”

His voice stayed level. “But we both know you, Sebastian. A man like you doesn’t forgive a wife who married him for revenge. You’ll tear each other apart over it, sooner or later. So do her a favor. If you can’t give Emilia everything she needs, divorce her. Fast. And let someone who can step in.”

I laughed, low and ugly. “That’s what this is really about. You’ve spent so long panting after another Alpha’s mate you’ve started dressing it up as concern. It’s pathetic, honestly. She wears my mark, Hanson. My name. My bite is on her skin. And you’re out here rehearsing speeches in a parking garage, hoping I’ll hand her over.”

Something flickered in his jaw.

“You’re done talking,” I said finally. I pulled the car door open again. “Come near my Luna, and ’Alpha to Alpha’ won’t save you. That’s not a threat, Scott. It’s a promise.”

I got in and shut the door on whatever he said next.

In the mirror I watched him stand there and watch me pull away.

Back at Simons Imperial Group, I buried myself in work again.

Beta Fynn knocked and stepped in.

“Luna Emilia’s outside,” he said carefully. “She’s been down there a while now.”

I crossed to the window. There she was, near the entrance, arms wrapped around herself. Waiting for me.

“Are you going to see her?” Fynn asked.

See her? After all the lies she’d told me. Even Scott knew she’d married me for revenge. The whole world could see it. I was the only fool who hadn’t. How was I supposed to face her now?

“I’m not seeing her,” I said. “She can wait as long as she likes.”

“Sebastian—”

“That’s an order, Fynn.”

He sighed, but nodded. “Understood, Alpha.”

I turned back to the glass and watched her small figure below, the way she kept glancing at the doors like they might open any second.

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