Chapter 31

Cecilia’s pov

I choked back the cough rising in my throat, pressing a hand to my mouth.

Then I turned and fled—as quietly as possible, but not nearly quiet enough.

The deck was carpeted, yes, but even that couldn’t fully cover hurried footsteps.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sebastian react—his head turned sharply, as if he’d picked up the sound of my retreat.

I didn’t stick around to find out.

I bolted, heart pounding. Seeing the Alpha with his arms around another woman sent a strange pang through my chest that I refused to acknowledge.

Back at the card room, I quickly slipped into a seat beside Sawyer. Though I’d considered laying low somewhere else, I wasn’t sure if Sebastian had spotted me. If he returned and I wasn’t here, he’d immediately know who’d walked in on them.

The card room was my best bet.

“Alpha Sebastian, you’re back,” Beta Sawyer said, his relief obvious as Sebastian entered the room shortly after.

Beta Sawyer jumped up immediately.

I scrambled to my feet as well.

“Stay seated,” Sebastian said coolly, his voice carrying that unmistakable Alpha command.

“I… what?” I hesitated, half-rising. “I should go check on Ms. Amara p>

“She’s sleeping it off in her room. You’re not needed.” His tone carried a note of displeasure.

I watched Sebastian take his seat, confusion filling my mind. Why was he ticked off that I’d offered to check on Amara?

Unless p>

Had he gotten the wrong idea when I put my arm around Amara earlier? Did he think I was hitting on her? That was ridiculous—I wasn’t interested in women, especially not his girlfriend! How could he think that?

“Looks like Sawyer has Lady Luck on his side tonight,” Sebastian remarked, his gaze sliding over the growing pile of chips.

I offered a weak smile, but one of the well-dressed businessmen leaned in with a grin.

“The luck clearly belongs to your drop-dead gorgeous companion. Alpha Sebastian, where did you find someone so stunning and sharp? I’m honestly jealous p>

As he spoke, his eyes didn’t meet mine—they wandered south, lingering far too long on the neckline of my lavender blouse.

His stare was slow, deliberate. Possessive, even.

Like he was trying to strip me with his eyes.

I’d seen that look before—way too many times.

It made my skin crawl.

Still, I kept smiling, forced as it was.

In both human and wolf society, women learned to put up with far more than they should.

The air grew heavier. Colder.

“Mr. Nicholas,” Sebastian said smoothly, his voice low and pleasant.

“Perhaps you should worry less about eye candy… and more about not losing your shirt p>

The words sounded civil. The threat wasn’t.

Mr. Nicholas gulped and looked away, color draining from his face.

The other men at the table tensed up as well, suddenly absorbed in their cards.

Whatever fantasies they might’ve been cooking up about me vanished with a single sentence.

Because I wasn’t just a beautiful woman. I was sitting beside an Alpha. And to them, that made me off-limits.

While I appreciated Sebastian’s protection, it didn’t surprise me. It was simply his nature as an Alpha to protect those in his charge, however temporarily.

We played a few more rounds before calling it a night.

As the yacht returned to the dock, Vivian made a play for Sebastian’s contact information. He passed her off to Beta Sawyer instead.

Getting contact details wasn’t difficult—Keith already had them—but receiving them straight from the source versus through an assistant carried entirely different meanings. By pawning her off on his Beta Sawyer, Sebastian was clearly letting the Keiths and Vivian know that their relationship would remain strictly professional.

Vivian was pretty cool about it. Disappointment flashed across her face before she quickly rallied and cheerfully took Sawyer’s number instead.

Whatever. Just because he wasn’t interested now didn’t mean she was out of the running.

I could practically sense Sawyer’s internal sigh: Another woman with a hopeless crush on the Alpha.

I actually liked the girl quite a bit. Both were single, and she had no way of knowing about Sebastian and Amara’s relationship. Why shouldn’t she take a shot?

Still, she was setting herself up for disappointment.

Amara appeared, propped up by two female staff members. Despite her nap, she didn’t look much better.

As we disembarked, Beta Sawyer and I hesitated, afraid of another accusation of impropriety. We exchanged glances and silently agreed to get out of there, leaving Sebastian to deal with Amara. Our eyes pleaded with him: Please handle this yourself.

Sebastian’s expression said it all.

Amara made her move, leaning heavily against his arm with the clear intention of face-planting if he didn’t support her.

Sebastian couldn’t possibly ditch his branch manager in front of everyone, so he had no choice but to help Amara off the yacht.

At the dock, his driver had the car door ready and waiting.

“Where’s your car?” Sebastian asked, steadying Amara who was putting her full weight on his arm.

“No clue,” she murmured, eyes closed, deliberately collapsing against his chest.

Sebastian gripped her shoulders firmly to keep her at arm’s length. “We’re not going the same way. Either call an Uber or get your own taxi p>

Beta Sawyer and I looked at each other in shock.

He wasn’t going to take her home? That seemed pretty cold! I mentally added: And they were just making out.

Sebastian shot us a look. “Don’t just stand there—call her a cab p>

Beta Sawyer and I both whipped out our phones, frantically opening ride-sharing apps.

I couldn’t help speaking up. “Alpha Sebastian, I don’t think it’s safe for Ms. Amara to go home alone like this. Maybe we should get her a hotel room p>

“Oh, how thoughtful,” Sebastian replied with a bitter laugh.

It really wasn’t safe, though. Even for a wolf, being wasted reduced one’s ability to defend against threats.

After a moment of silence, Sebastian spoke—voice low, absolute. “Since it was your idea, you’re babysitting her at the hotel.” He didn’t wait for a response. With practiced ease, he helped Amara into the car like she was nothing, then slid in beside her, his expression unreadable.

I stood there, floored. What?

Beta Sawyer gave me a look—half exasperation, half amusement. It said clearly: You stuck your foot in it. Now deal with the consequences.

I opened my mouth, ready to protest. I hadn’t meant to butt in. I’d only spoken out of genuine concern. Anger shot through me, hot and immediate. But I bit it back. He was the Alpha. I had no right to question him.

Up front had only two seats—the driver’s and one passenger, which meant someone would be stuck riding between the two of them in the back.

I got chills at the thought.

“I’ll find my own way back,” I said quietly, already stepping back. “That’s probably better p>

Beta Sawyer let out a heavy sigh, then grabbed my arm and shoved me forward with more force than necessary.

“I’d rather walk than deal with this,” he muttered. “Get in p>

Before I could react, he opened the passenger door, pushed me inside, and shut it behind me like that was final.

I sat there, stunned—trapped, the weight of tension pressing in from all sides.

Accepting my fate, I fastened my seatbelt and glanced in the rearview mirror. Sebastian’s profile was hard, the atmosphere thick with tension.

As we left the dock, the silence in the car was suffocating.

I quit checking the mirror and focused on the road ahead.

In the back seat, Amara, who had been passed out, sat up and wobbled dizzily from side to side.

As the car came down from the bridge and turned onto the right boulevard, her body drifted toward Sebastian’s lap like dead weight.

My fingers dug into the edge of my seat. This was going to be one hell of a night—and not in a good way.