CHAPTER 6
1000 Words
Sebastian stalked out of the café, jaw clenched so tight it could snap.
Brianna babbled happily in his arms, completely unaware of the storm brewing inside him.
His wolf was restless, growling inside his mind.
He’d never felt this out of control before.
Never let anyone get under his skin like this.
But Piper, that damn woman, she was infuriating.
Smirking at him like she knew she had him on edge. Wearing that bikini, sitting there with that smug look, daring him to react.
And f**k, did he react.
His fingers twitched at the memory of her skin peeking through the loose folds of that cardigan.
The way her toned legs crossed, her perfect posture, the way she owned her space like she was born to be in control.
The worst part?
She wasn’t even trying.
She was just being her, and it was driving him insane.
“Daddy..” Brianna’s tiny voice broke through his thoughts.
He inhaled sharply, refocusing. “What is it, sweetheart?”
She blinked up at him with her big innocent eyes. “Are you mad at Mama?”
Sebastian nearly stumbled mid-step.
“What?”
Brianna tilted her head. “You’re making that face. The one you make when the other Alphas annoy you.”
Sebastian exhaled slowly, reigning himself in.
Piper was not an Alpha.
But hell, if she wasn’t acting like one.
He adjusted Brianna in his arms. “She’s not your mother, Bri.”
Brianna pouted. “She could be.”
Sebastian groaned, pressing his forehead against hers. “Not happening.”
Brianna giggled, wrapping her little arms around his neck.
“We’ll see, Daddy.”
Sebastian sighed.
This girl had too much of her mother in her.
The same stubbornness. It is the same way of making him lose control.
And now?
That damn woman in red had become his biggest distraction.
He needed to put an end to this.
Fast.
___
Piper wasn’t one to dwell on things.
She had an empire to run, deals to close, and a reputation to maintain.
But as she sat in her private lounge overlooking the beach, sipping on an aged whiskey, her mind kept drifting back to a certain brooding Alpha.
Sebastian had left in a hurry, his daughter in his arms, but not before she’d seen the tension in his shoulders.
The way his eyes darkened when she pushed him.
The way his control snapped for just a moment.
It was… thrilling.
Piper smirked, swirling the amber liquid in her glass.
She’d met powerful men before.
Business moguls, tycoons, Alphas who thought they could intimidate her.
None of them ever rattled her.
But Sebastian?
He was different.
Because unlike the rest, he wanted control.
And she loved taking it away.
A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts.
“Come in..” she called.
Matthias entered, his usual crisp suit perfectly in place. “So..” he drawled, taking a seat across from her. “Should I start preparing for a wedding, or are you just playing with your food?”
Piper nearly choked on her drink. “Excuse me?”
Matthias smirked, crossing his legs. “Oh, come on, boss. That little café scene? The way you looked at each other? You’re circling each other like two wolves in heat.”
Piper rolled her eyes. “It’s nothing.”
Matthias arched a brow. “Oh? So you’re not interested?”
Piper opened her mouth, then closed it.
Damn him.
Matthias grinned. “Thought so.”
She scowled, taking another sip of her drink. “He’s an Alpha. He’ll try to control me. We both know how that ends.”
Matthias shrugged. “Or… maybe he’s the first man who won’t.”
Piper exhaled slowly.
That was the problem, wasn’t it?
Sebastian wasn’t like the others.
And that made him dangerous.
Because if she wasn’t careful, she might end up playing a game of fire
And this time, she wouldn’t be the one in control.
___
Sebastian sat in his office, gripping a glass of bourbon a little too tightly.
His Beta, Ambrose, sat across from him, arms crossed, watching him with an amused expression.
“So..” Adrian drawled, “are we going to talk about the fact that your daughter has officially claimed a woman as her mother?”
Sebastian scowled, taking a slow sip of his drink. “No.”
Adrian smirked. “And that this woman just happens to be a powerful CEO with a dangerous amount of confidence?”
Sebastian exhaled through his nose. “No.”
“And that you, the ever-controlled Alpha, are actually losing your composure around her?”
Sebastian shot him a glare.
Ambrose laughed. “Damn. She’s really under your skin, isn’t she?”
Sebastian leaned back in his chair, jaw tightening. “She’s infuriating.”
Ambrose nodded. “Mmm-hmm.”
“She challenges me at every turn.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“She’s reckless. And arrogant.”
His beta smirked. “And sexy as hell.”
Sebastian slammed his glass down. “Ambrose”
His Beta held up his hands in surrender, chuckling. “Look, man. I get it. You’ve spent years shutting yourself off. Rejecting the idea of a second chance mate. But…”
He leaned forward. “What if this isn’t a coincidence?”
Sebastian clenched his jaw.
Coincidence.
Fate.
The Moon Goddess’s will.
He didn’t believe in signs.
Didn’t believe in destiny.
But Brianna knew.
The moment she saw Piper, she knew.
And if there was one thing Sebastian did believe in—
It was his daughter’s instincts.
Sebastian exhaled heavily. “It doesn’t matter.”
Ambrose arched a brow. “Why not?”
Sebastian stood, pacing to the window, staring out at the night sky.
“Because if I let her in,” he murmured, voice tight, “I might not be able to let her go.”
And that?
That was more dangerous more than anything..
- Writer
