Chapter18
1604 Words
The Morning After
POV: Serenye
Panic. Pure, ice-cold panic flooded through me as Lyanna knocked again.
"Dad? Serenye? Please, I just want to make sure she's okay."
Sebastian's eyes met mine, and I saw my own fear reflected back at me. His daughter. My best friend. Standing on the other side of that door while I wore nothing but his jacket, smelling like s*x and him and terrible decisions.
"Bathroom," Sebastian mouthed, pointing to a door I hadn't noticed in the corner.
I practically ran to it, closing myself inside. My reflection in the small mirror above the sink was a disaster. Hair wild and tangled from his hands. Lips swollen and red from his kisses. Mascara smudged beneath my eyes from crying. And worst of all, dark purple marks blooming along my neck and collarbone where he'd bitten, sucked, marked me as his.
Oh god. Oh god, what had I done?
I'd just f****d Sebastian Wolfe. The man I was supposed to destroy. The man who supposedly murdered my family. The man I'd spent fourteen years hating with every fiber of my being.
And it was incredible. I heard Sebastian's voice, muffled through the door. "Lyanna, this isn't a good time."
"Is she okay? Caius told me about the car chase, about the safe house. Dad, what's going on?"
"It's being handled. Serenye is fine. Just shaken up."
"Then let me see her. She's my best friend. I should be there for her."
A pause. Then the sound of a door opening.
Shit. I splashed cold water on my face, trying to wash away the evidence of tears and s*x. Used paper towels to clean myself up as best I could. Finger-combed my hair. Buttoned Sebastian's jacket higher to hide some of the marks. It was useless. Anyone with eyes would know what had happened.
I took a deep breath, steadied myself, and opened the bathroom door. Lyanna stood in the interrogation room with Sebastian, her arms crossed, her expression worried and suspicious. Her eyes immediately found me, sweeping over my disheveled appearance.
"Oh my god, Serenye." She rushed toward me, pulling me into a hug. "Are you okay? Caius said men were chasing you. That Drake had to take you to a safe house."
I hugged her back, guilt crushing my chest like a physical weight. "I'm fine. Really. Just a little scared."
She pulled back, her hands on my shoulders, studying my face. "You've been crying."
"The interrogation was intense," Sebastian said smoothly, coming to stand beside us. His expression was perfectly neutral, professional. Like he hadn't just f****d me senseless ten minutes ago. "We needed to understand what happened tonight. Who was targeting her and why."
Lyanna's eyes narrowed slightly, looking between us. "And what did you find out?"
"That there are threats we weren't aware of," Sebastian replied, his Alpha authority making the lie sound like absolute truth. "Security protocols are being updated. Serenye will have guards with her at all times moving forward."
"Guards?" I protested, finding my voice. "That's not necessary."
"It's not up for discussion." Sebastian's tone left no room for argument. "Someone tried to grab you tonight. Until we know who and why, you're under pack protection."
Lyanna nodded, approving. "Good. I don't want anything happening to you." She took my hand, squeezing it. "Come on. Let's get you back to the mansion. You need rest."
"I should change first," I said, gesturing to my bare legs beneath Sebastian's jacket.
"We'll find you something at home." Lyanna started leading me toward the door. "Dad, are you coming?"
"I have some things to finish here first." His eyes met mine briefly, something unreadable flashing in their green depths. "I'll see you both at breakfast."
Lyanna led me out of the building, to her car parked outside. The drive back to the mansion was quiet, Lyanna periodically glancing at me with concern.
"You're really okay?" she asked softly. "You seem... different."
Different. That was one word for it. Completely destroyed was another. My entire mission had just gone up in flames because I couldn't control myself around her father.
"I'm just tired," I lied. "It's been a long night."
"I can't believe someone was chasing you. Do you have any idea why?"
The threatening text. The photo of Princess Seraphina. Someone knew my secret, knew who I really was. But I couldn't tell Lyanna that.
"No," I said quietly. "No idea."
We pulled up to the mansion, the massive structure looking even more intimidating in the pre-dawn darkness. Lyanna parked and we walked inside together, her arm linked through mine like we were still just best friends, like I hadn't just betrayed her in the worst possible way.
She led me upstairs to my room, closing the door behind us. "Let me help you get comfortable."
I shrugged off Sebastian's jacket, and Lyanna immediately moved to the closet, pulling out comfortable pajamas. When she turned back, her eyes caught on my neck.
She froze.
"Serenye," she said slowly, her voice taking on an edge I'd never heard before. "What are those marks on your neck?"
My hand flew up instinctively, covering the bruises Sebastian had left. "They're nothing."
"Those aren't nothing. Those are..." She moved closer, her eyes narrowing as she studied them. "Those are bite marks. Hickeys." Her expression shifted from concern to something else. Anger? Hurt? "Drake got handsy?"
Drake. She thought Drake had done this. I could let her believe that. Easier than the truth.
But before I could say anything, my door burst open.
Caius stood in the doorway, his chest heaving like he'd run all the way from wherever he'd been. His eyes were wild, desperate, finding me immediately.
"You're okay," he breathed. Then his nostrils flared. His entire body went rigid. His eyes, which had been green, started to glow gold. "No. No, that's not..."
He crossed the room in three long strides, invading my space, leaning down to inhale deeply near my neck. A growl rumbled from his chest, low and dangerous.
"Caius, what are you doing?" Lyanna demanded, moving to pull him back.
He jerked away from her touch, his eyes still locked on me. On the marks. Smelling Sebastian's scent all over me.
"That's not Drake's scent on you," he said, his voice barely human. Each word was forced through clenched teeth. "That's... that's my father's."
The room went deathly silent. Lyanna's head whipped toward me, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief. "What?"
"Caius, you're mistaken," I tried, but my voice shook, giving away the lie.
"I'm not f*****g mistaken!" He slammed his hand against the wall, making both Lyanna and me jump. "I can smell him all over you. In you. You reek of his scent."
"That's impossible," Lyanna whispered, looking at me with betrayal written all over her face. "Tell me that's impossible. Tell me you didn't..."
I couldn't speak. Couldn't deny it. My silence was enough.
"Oh my god." Lyanna took a step back, her hand over her mouth. "Oh my god, you slept with my father?"
"Lyanna, I can explain," I started, reaching for her.
She slapped my hand away. "Explain? Explain what? That you f****d my dad? That you, you..." Tears filled her eyes. "How could you? He's twice your age! And you're my best friend!"
"It wasn't supposed to happen," I said desperately. "It just, things got out of control, I didn't mean, "
"You didn't mean to?" Caius's laugh was harsh, cruel. "You've been trying to seduce him since the day you arrived. Don't pretend this was some accident."
He wasn't wrong. I had been trying to seduce Sebastian. But not for the reasons they thought. Not because I wanted him. Not because...
Except I did want him. That was the problem. Somewhere along the way, the seduction had become real.
"She's been using you," Caius said to Lyanna, his voice cold. "Using our family. Playing all of us like puppets. And now she's f****d my father, probably thinking she can manipulate him, control him through sex."
"That's not true," I protested, but it sounded hollow even to my ears.
Because it was partially true. That had been my plan. Seduce Sebastian, make him weak, destroy him from the inside. But after tonight, after feeling him inside me, after seeing the vulnerability in his eyes, after crying in his arms...
I didn't know what was true anymore. Lyanna stared at me like she'd never seen me before. Like I was a stranger. "Get out."
"What?"
"Get out of my house. Out of my family's home. I don't want to see you. I don't want to talk to you. Just... get out."
"Lyanna, please, let me explain," I begged, tears streaming down my face now.
"There's nothing to explain." Her voice was cold, final. "You betrayed me. You slept with my father. Whatever friendship we had is over."
"I'll help you pack," Caius said, moving toward my closet with mechanical efficiency. "You have thirty minutes. Then you're gone."
"You can't just kick me out," I said, desperation clawing at my throat. "I have nowhere to go."
"Should have thought of that before you spread your legs for the Alpha King," Caius threw over his shoulder, yanking my suitcase from the top shelf.
Lyanna just stood there, arms wrapped around herself, tears running down her face. The betrayal in her eyes cut deeper than any knife.
I'd lost her. Lost my cover. Lost everything.
And worst of all, part of me still wanted Sebastian. I still craved him. Still re
membered exactly how he'd felt inside me. I was completely, utterly f****d.
- Writer
