Chapter 136 Get out!

“That’s what I don’t know yet,” Sebastian remarked in frustration, keeping from revealing to Matt that Viola had betrayed her twin just as he had with his own, a matter that made him feel more connected to her in a way. He had never told exactly what happened between him and his twin, not even to Matt, his best friend.

“You’ve invited the Lindens, right?” Sebastian asked, and Matt nodded, showing him their reply acknowledging his invitation.

“Good. I’ll find out more from them when they get here, but for now, nothing must happen to her. She’s—” Sebastian’s words stopped abruptly as his sharp senses caught a waft of vanilla scent he had once liked but no longer found appealing.

“She’s coming,” he said, irritation threading his voice. Matt, hearing that, didn’t need further explanation. He quickly rose to his feet, gathering his phone and tablet. “You can deal with Laila. We’ll talk more privately about Viola when she’s not here. I cannot stand another moment with the shewolf. Good luck.”

Matt was gone from the office before Sebastian could stop him. Immediately after, Laila strode through the door. She wore an armless red mini dress, her black high heels clicking sharply against the polished floor. Her vanilla scent grew stronger in the room, though it barely affected Sebastian like it did before. It was almost as if he was growing slowly immune to it.

Was it because of Viola?

Sebastian had expected a displeased Laila, knowing he had left her stranded in his penthouse last night, but she approached him with a bright smile, her green eyes gleaming with delight.

“Alpha Sebastian!” Laila exclaimed, walking up and hugging him before looping her arm around his neck. She beamed and said, “I saw the gift, and I love it so much! Thank you!” She leaned in to kiss him on the lips, but Sebastian, unmoved by her presence, swiftly blocked the attempt by grabbing her arm and removing it from around his neck.

“Gift?” he asked with a deep scowl. He hadn’t sent her any gift. What gift was she talking about?

Laila, who didn’t like that he had stopped her kiss and was scowling down at her, didn’t think much of it, as she was used to Sebastian scowling all the time and the fact that he didn’t get intimate during his work hours and used to strictly tell her to control herself.

Actually, Laila was more than pissed and angry that he had left her in his penthouse without calling or texting an explanation after he had told her they would meet up. She had stayed there the whole night, boiling with rage and trying also to be understanding that he was busy, but her deep desperation to be assured that she still held a chance with him had made her impatient and mad when he didn’t pick up her calls.

Until she had found the gift on his kitchen counter that morning, which brightened up her mood. She must have missed it last night until she had stepped into his kitchen for a refreshment.

“I didn’t know you actually realized that I was dying to get my hands on this set of jewelry,” Laila said, her fingers tracing the blue diamond necklace around her neck.

Sebastian hadn’t noticed, as he had no intention of admiring anything she wore or the womanly assets she displayed in the mini dress.

When his eyes fell to her neck, where her long polished nails caressed the pendant like a lover’s skin, Sebastian’s silver eyes darkened like a gathering storm as he recognized it.

It was the set of jewelry he had gifted Viola, and she had insisted on returning it. How the hell had it ended up with Laila? He wondered.

The truth was, that morning, Sebastian had given the jewelry to Viola. She had quickly texted Zoe after their calls about her decision to return his gift, instructing Zoe to send a trusted omega with access to the Alpha penthouse to take the box from her own place and deliver it back to him.

Since Sebastian had not returned to his penthouse after coming back from his main quarters, he hadn’t known that Viola had already sent it back. Laila, however, had seen it first and assumed it was meant for her.

Sebastian’s anger boiled, but the knowledge that Viola had returned the gift before their recent friendship, rather than after, helped him regain some composure and put a rein on his temper.

Looking at Laila’s happy expression, Sebastian couldn’t help but think that this was the kind of women he was used to, the ones who, when angered or in a bad mood, could be lifted with something as simple as jewelry. But not his little kitten. Just why couldn’t she be this easy to please? Then again, thinking about it, he liked that she was nothing like Laila.

As much as he wanted to take the jewelry back, Sebastian didn’t. Laila could keep it for as long as she didn’t suspect anything. Besides, he had just figured out that the way to Viola’s heart wasn’t through expensive, priceless gifts, but through simple, cute things in the colors of maroon and pink, things he could have sworn no shewolf wanted in this day and age, perhaps except his immature sister.

“I love it so much! Thank you, thank you!” Laila squealed, jumping to hug him, but Sebastian stepped back instinctively.

Laila frowned. “What’s wrong? Have I done something to upset you? I know you once told me not to come see you during your work hours, but you didn’t come last night, and I couldn’t—”

“I have so much work on my hands, Laila. I think it’s best we talk again when I am less busy,” Sebastian stated indifferently as he turned away from her and went to sit behind his desk, pressing a button to turn up the holographic screen.

Laila bit her lip, sensing that something was off about the Alpha, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. To her, she should always come first because she was his mate. “Seb—”

“It’s Alpha Kade for you from now on. You didn’t pass the competition, remember?” Sebastian shot at her ruthlessly with a dark look.

Laila flushed with embarrassment, a heat of humiliation consuming her. Yes, she hadn’t won the competition, and she had been receiving a lot of snickering from people since she left the healing house, but she hadn’t expected that statement from him. She was his mate, and he should have worried about her wounds, but he hadn’t even asked. Her fingers curled into fists.

“Does it matter whether I failed? I am your mate, and you know the wolfless will not last. She is bound to d—”

Laila couldn’t finish her sentence as Sebastian’s eyes turned deadly, his expression murderous. The office suddenly became suffocating and chillily cold, his aura raising goosebumps on her skin and forcing her head down in submission. Her teeth began chattering as if she were in the middle of winter.

Sebastian had never released his Alpha aura on her, nor had he ever looked at her with such deadly eyes. What had she done wrong? Was he also ashamed of her now?

“Get out!” Sebastian barked darkly, knowing that if he didn’t send her out, he might strangle her to death for daring to say such a thing about Viola.

Laila’s entire body shook at those two words, her insides sinking. Did Sebastian just coldly get rid of her? She wondered, but she didn’t dare stay behind after his order of dismissal, not with that suffocating air in the office. However, she couldn’t leave just like that without knowing her offence.

“Seb—”

“Laila, don’t make me repeat myself. I am busy and not in the mood to talk.” Sebastian warned her calmly, his fingers fisting on the table.

Hearing those words, Laila chose to believe that he was dismissing her simply because he was busy, and that he hadn’t liked her mentioning the wolfless sacrificial lamb. The faint, heavy weight of the necklace around her neck lightened her mood, and she gave him a nod.

“Sure. You know where to find me when you’re cool and in a good mood.” She gave him a wink and then hurried out of the office, smiling.

The moment the door closed behind her, Sebastian leaned back in his chair and stared up at the high ceiling of his office, tapping his fingers rhythmically against the arm of his black leather chair.

Sebastian stayed like that for a moment, staring at the ceiling before he moved, sitting back straight. He brought out his phone, unlocked it, and tapped into his gallery, where he didn’t have any images saved except one, the one he had taken that morning.

He stared at her picture, his expression softening slowly. As much as he wanted to set it as his wallpaper, he could no longer do so out of caution, but he left the picture on his phone.

Sebastian then tapped on the blue screen of the holographic display before him and located the contact of Zoe’s personal doctor, the one who handled and treated weaker wolves in Silver or late bloomers.