Chapter Six: The Bond -Sebastian
1874 Words
The second visit to the Shadow Wolf Pack was easier.
At least, that was what Sebastian kept telling himself.
He had already decided what he was going to do.
Avoid Alpha Kai.
It wasn’t that Kai had done anything wrong.
Quite the opposite.
The Alpha had been respectful.
He hadn’t approached Sebastian.
He hadn’t tried to speak to him privately.
He hadn’t touched him again.
Sebastian had noticed him, though.
Several times throughout the day, he had caught Alpha Kai watching him from a distance.
Whenever Sebastian looked up, those intense eyes were already on him.
But Kai never came closer.
Sebastian appreciated that.
He didn’t know why being around the Alpha made him feel so strange.
So he kept his distance.
He concentrated on the children.
The lessons.
The charity work.
The supplies.
Anything that could keep his mind away from the man who had somehow found his way into his thoughts.
By the time they returned to the parish that evening, Sebastian was exhausted.
He prayed.
Longer than usual.
He asked God for peace.
For clarity.
For discipline.
Then he went to bed.
But sleep brought the same mystery.
The same wolf.
Sebastian found himself standing in the woods again.
The enormous black wolf appeared.
Only this time, it wasn’t far away.
It was close.
Very close.
Sebastian should have been frightened.
Instead, he felt strangely safe.
The wolf lowered itself.
Sebastian hesitated.
Then, somehow, he climbed onto its back.
The wolf began running.
Fast.
Through the forest.
Trees blurred around them.
The wind rushed against Sebastian’s face.
He held onto the wolf’s thick fur.
The animal didn’t attack him.
It didn’t try to hurt him.
It carried him.
As though protecting him.
As though it had been waiting for him.
Sebastian laughed in the dream.
And then—
He woke.
His eyes flew open.
He was breathing heavily.
His heart hammered against his chest.
He sat upright.
Again.
The wolf.
Why?
Why was he dreaming about a wolf every night?
He pressed his palms against his face.
“This doesn’t make sense.”
He prayed again.
But even after praying, the image remained.
The enormous black wolf.
The forest.
The strange feeling of safety.
And those eyes.
Sebastian couldn’t explain it.
⸻
The next morning, he went to the parish early.
He attended morning Mass.
He prayed.
He helped with the preparations afterward.
Everything seemed normal.
Until Father Archie approached him.
“Sebastian.”
He turned.
“Yes, Father?”
“Come to my office when you’re finished.”
“Of course.”
A few minutes later, Sebastian sat across from Father Archie.
The older priest smiled.
“How was your night?”
Sebastian hesitated.
“Fine.”
Father Archie studied him.
“And how have you been?”
“Fine.”
A small smile appeared on Father’s face.
“You’ve said fine twice.”
Sebastian smiled nervously.
“I am fine.”
Father Archie didn’t push.
Instead, he asked,
“Have you been sleeping well?”
Sebastian’s mind immediately returned to the wolf.
“Yes.”
He lied.
He wasn’t sure why.
Perhaps because saying, I’ve been dreaming about enormous black wolves every night, sounded ridiculous.
Father Archie leaned back.
“Sebastian, do you know what a mate bond is?”
Sebastian frowned.
“A mate bond?”
“No.”
Father Archie nodded.
“A mate bond is a connection between two people chosen for one another.”
“By whom?”
“The Moon Goddess.”
Sebastian blinked.
“The Moon Goddess?”
“Yes.”
Sebastian had heard the term before but had never paid much attention to it.
“Like soulmates?”
“Exactly.”
Father Archie smiled.
“Except that for wolves, it is much deeper.”
Sebastian listened carefully.
“The Moon Goddess is an ancient deity revered by many wolf communities. According to their beliefs, she determines who is meant to be someone’s mate.”
“So they believe she chooses their partners?”
“Yes.”
Sebastian nodded slowly.
Father Archie continued.
“A mate bond is sacred to wolves. It isn’t simply romantic. It is spiritual, emotional, and physical.”
“What do you mean?”
“If one mate is hurt, the other can sometimes feel it.”
Sebastian’s expression changed.
“They can feel each other’s pain?”
“In varying degrees.”
Father Archie continued explaining.
“They may sense one another’s emotions. Strongly bonded mates can communicate telepathically. They can sometimes sense distance, distress, fear, or intense happiness.”
Sebastian listened.
“There’s also a protective instinct.”
“What kind?”
“A mate often feels an overwhelming need to protect the other.”
Sebastian’s thoughts immediately went somewhere he didn’t want them to go.
Alpha Kai.
The way he had looked at him.
The way he had watched him.
Sebastian quickly pushed the thought away.
Father Archie continued.
“And rejection is considered extremely serious.”
“Why?”
“Because the mating bond isn’t easily broken.”
He paused.
“When one wolf rejects their mate, it can cause severe physical and emotional consequences.”
“Such as?”
“Pain. Weakness. Depression. In some cases, the rejected wolf can die.”
Sebastian stared at him.
“Die?”
Father Archie nodded.
“The bond is that powerful.”
Sebastian became quiet.
Father Archie looked at him.
“And there is something else you should know.”
“What?”
“Mates aren’t necessarily chosen according to gender.”
Sebastian frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“A man can be mated to another man. A woman can be mated to another woman. A man and a woman can be mates. Age, nationality, culture, even species in certain circumstances do not necessarily determine the bond.”
Sebastian’s eyes widened slightly.
“So it’s not about…”
“Gender?”
Sebastian nodded.
“No.”
Father Archie shook his head.
“The bond is believed to be about the person.”
Sebastian swallowed.
“The person made for you.”
“Exactly.”
Silence filled the office.
Sebastian stared down at his hands.
He thought about the dream.
The black wolf.
The way his heart had raced when he met Alpha Kai.
The strange feeling when their hands touched.
And suddenly, Father’s explanation seemed less like a lesson and more like a puzzle.
A puzzle he didn’t want to solve.
“Why are you telling me this?” Sebastian finally asked.
Father Archie smiled gently.
“Because you should understand the world you’re working with.”
That answer somehow didn’t satisfy him.
But Sebastian didn’t ask anything else.
⸻
By noon, they were back at the pack.
Sebastian returned to the school and immersed himself in work.
He tried not to think.
He taught.
He helped the children.
He organized supplies.
He spoke with the teachers.
Everything was going well.
Until he walked down the stairs.
His foot slipped.
“Ah!”
He fell against the steps.
Pain shot through his hand.
He looked down.
Blood.
A cut had opened across his palm.
One of the teachers rushed toward him.
“Sebastian!”
“I’m okay.”
“You’re bleeding.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“We need to get you to the pack doctor.”
Sebastian tried to protest.
But the teacher insisted.
So he was taken to the clinic.
The doctor cleaned the wound and dressed his hand.
“It isn’t deep,” the doctor explained. “But keep it covered and avoid putting pressure on it.”
Sebastian nodded.
“Thank you.”
He sat quietly while the doctor finished.
Then he heard footsteps outside.
He looked toward the doorway.
And froze.
Alpha Kai.
The man’s expression was different.
He looked…
Terrified.
Not angry.
Not powerful.
Terrified.
Kai spoke briefly with the doctor.
Sebastian couldn’t hear everything.
Then Kai walked inside.
His eyes immediately found Sebastian.
“Are you okay?”
Sebastian blinked.
“Yes.”
Kai stepped closer.
“What happened?”
“I slipped.”
Kai’s jaw tightened.
“Are you hurt?”
Sebastian lifted his bandaged hand.
“Just a small cut.”
Kai looked at it.
His expression changed.
“You should be careful.”
Sebastian nodded.
“It’s not serious.”
“Don’t hurt yourself.”
The words came out quietly.
Almost desperately.
“Please.”
Sebastian stared at him.
Kai looked genuinely distressed.
“Don’t hurt yourself.”
Sebastian didn’t know what to say.
“Okay.”
Kai took a slow breath.
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
Then he stepped back.
He didn’t touch Sebastian.
He didn’t come any closer.
He simply looked at him one more time before leaving.
Sebastian watched him go.
And something strange happened.
His chest hurt.
Not badly.
But enough that he noticed.
His heart started racing.
His stomach twisted.
He couldn’t understand it.
Why did seeing Kai look so distressed make him feel distressed too?
Why did his chest hurt when Kai looked like he was in pain?
Sebastian lowered his eyes.
He didn’t understand.
He didn’t understand anything.
⸻
That evening, they returned to the parish.
Sebastian prayed.
He attended evening Mass.
He spoke with the other priests.
He smiled.
He behaved normally.
But his mind wasn’t normal.
Alpha Kai’s face kept appearing in his thoughts.
The worried expression.
The fear in his eyes.
The way he had said please don’t hurt yourself.
Sebastian couldn’t forget it.
Eventually, he went to bed.
He prayed one final time.
Then sleep came.
And the dream returned.
The forest.
The darkness.
The black wolf.
But this time, everything was different.
The wolf stood far away.
Sebastian didn’t approach.
Neither did the wolf.
They simply looked at each other.
The wolf’s eyes were fixed on him.
Sebastian stared back.
And then he noticed something.
The wolf looked sad.
Not angry.
Not dangerous.
Sad.
Deeply sad.
Sebastian felt something break inside his chest.
He wanted to go to it.
He wanted to reach out.
But he couldn’t move.
The wolf simply stood there.
Watching him.
Waiting.
Sebastian woke suddenly.
His eyes opened.
His breathing was uneven.
He touched his face.
His fingers came away wet.
Tears.
He was crying.
Sebastian stared at his hand.
“Why am I crying?”
He didn’t understand.
He had never cried over a dream before.
He wiped his face.
But the tears kept coming.
The image of the black wolf remained in his mind.
Sad.
Alone.
Waiting.
And suddenly, another face appeared in his thoughts.
Alpha Kai.
Sebastian closed his eyes.
“No.”
He shook his head.
“This doesn’t mean anything.”
But deep inside him, something whispered otherwise.
He didn’t know what the wolf was.
He didn’t know why it kept appearing.
He didn’t know why Kai’s face was becoming connected to it.
And he didn’t know why seeing Kai in pain had caused pain in his own chest.
So he did the only thing he knew to do.
He prayed.
Again.
For understanding.
For strength.
For peace.
For an answer.
But when Sebastian finally lay back down, one question remained in his mind.
Why did the black wolf look at him like it was waiting for him to come home?
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