Chapter Twenty:Sebastian
1330 Words
I woke up with a smile.
I didn’t even know when it had happened.
The first thing I remembered was the date.
The restaurant.
Kai pulling out my chair.
The way he had looked at me when I wasn’t wearing my priestly clothes.
And then—
The bracelet.
I lifted my wrist from beneath the blanket.
The diamonds caught the morning light immediately.
I stared at it for a moment.
It was beautiful.
Far more expensive than anything I had ever owned.
And yet, strangely, what made me happiest wasn’t the bracelet itself.
It was the thought behind it.
Kai had wanted to give me something.
He had thought about me.
He had chosen something for me.
That meant something.
I smiled and whispered, “Thank you.”
Then I remembered why I had changed my clothes the night before.
I hadn’t done it because I was abandoning everything I had been.
I knew I would probably continue wearing my priestly clothes for a while. They represented years of my life. My faith. My upbringing. My promise. Everything I had once believed my future would be.
But I wasn’t a priest anymore.
I was Kai’s mate.
I was the Luna of the Shadow Pack.
And last night, I wanted people to understand that.
I didn’t want anyone looking at Kai and thinking he was simply having dinner with a priest.
I wanted them to see us for what we were.
Two people trying to understand each other.
Two mates.
And somehow, admitting that to myself didn’t scare me as much anymore.
⸻
Breakfast was lively.
My bracelet attracted a few curious glances, but thankfully nobody made a big deal about it.
Kai sat at the head of the table, as usual.
Every now and then, I caught him looking at my wrist.
I pretended not to notice.
But I smiled anyway.
After breakfast, I headed to the hospital.
There were several families I needed to visit, and I wanted to check on a few community members who had been receiving assistance through the pack.
I found Liam near the administration area.
The moment he saw me, his eyes went straight to my wrist.
He stopped.
Then his mouth fell open.
“Sebastian.”
I looked at him.
“What?”
He pointed at my wrist.
“That bracelet.”
I looked down.
“Oh.”
“That’s fancy.”
I laughed.
“Kai gave it to me.”
Liam’s eyes widened.
“Kai gave you that?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know how expensive that probably is?”
I shook my head.
“No.”
“That man is serious.”
I touched the bracelet unconsciously.
“I like it.”
Liam smiled.
“Of course you do.”
We continued walking.
After a few minutes, Liam suddenly looked at me suspiciously.
“So…”
“So what?”
“What are you going to do for him?”
I frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“He gave you a beautiful bracelet.”
“Yes.”
“So?”
“So what?”
Liam laughed.
“You have to do something nice for him.”
“I thanked him.”
“That’s not enough.”
I looked at him helplessly.
“What do you suggest?”
“Flirt with him.”
I nearly stopped walking.
“What?”
“Flirt with your mate.”
“I don’t know how to flirt.”
“Then learn.”
“Liam.”
“I’m serious.”
I shook my head.
“I can’t.”
“You can.”
“No.”
He laughed.
“Fine. Then do something thoughtful.”
That sounded much safer.
“Like what?”
“Something he likes. Something personal.”
I thought about that.
I remembered something.
Every night, after dinner, Mom usually made tea or coffee for Kai when he stayed late in his office.
That seemed simple enough.
I could do that.
“I think I have an idea.”
Liam smiled.
“See? You’re learning.”
I rolled my eyes.
“You are impossible.”
“And you’re cute.”
I laughed.
He always said things like that.
⸻
By the time I returned home, evening had already settled over the pack.
Dinner was quiet and comfortable.
Kai asked about my day.
“It was good,” I told him. “I visited a few families and spent some time at the hospital.”
“Anything I need to know about?”
“One family needs additional financial support. I’ll send the details tomorrow.”
“Good.”
He looked at me for a moment.
“I’m glad you’re doing well.”
“Thank you.”
After dinner, Kai excused himself and went to his office.
I waited.
Then I approached Mom.
“Mom?”
She looked at me.
“Yes, darling?”
“How does Kai like his tea?”
Her smile immediately appeared.
“His usual tea?”
“Yes.”
She told me how he liked it.
I prepared it carefully.
Then I carried the cup upstairs.
My heart was beating faster than it should have.
It was only tea.
I reminded myself of that several times.
I knocked.
“Come in.”
I opened the door.
Kai was behind his desk, looking through several documents.
His eyes lifted.
Then they landed on the tea.
Then on me.
“What are you doing here?”
I held out the cup.
“I brought you this.”
He looked genuinely surprised.
“Is that tea?”
“Yes.”
“Did you make it?”
I nodded.
“Yes.”
He stared at me for a moment.
Something changed in his expression.
His eyes softened.
“Thank you.”
I placed the cup on his desk.
“And I wanted to thank you again.”
“For what?”
“The bracelet.”
His eyes dropped to my wrist.
“You like it?”
“Very much.”
I smiled.
“Thank you.”
He smiled back.
Then, unexpectedly, he said, “Would you stay for a while?”
I hesitated.
Then nodded.
“Okay.”
I sat on the couch.
Kai continued working for a few minutes before putting the papers down.
“How was the hospital?”
I told him about the families I had visited.
He listened carefully.
Then he started telling me about his day.
The elders.
The other Alphas.
The discussions about the pack.
The recent rogue activity.
The responsibilities that came with leading the Shadow Pack.
I listened.
Sometimes I asked questions.
Sometimes he explained things I didn’t understand.
And for the first time, I realized something.
This was what I had been missing.
Not some grand romantic gesture.
Not physical affection.
Not even words.
Just this.
Time.
Sitting together.
Talking.
Learning about each other’s lives.
Kai eventually leaned back in his chair.
“You know, you can ask me anything.”
I smiled.
“I know.”
“You don’t have to be nervous around me.”
“I know.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Do you?”
I laughed softly.
“I’m trying.”
His expression softened.
“I know.”
There was a comfortable silence between us.
I looked down at my bracelet.
Then back at him.
“Thank you for being patient with me.”
Kai was quiet for a moment.
Then he said, “I’ll always be patient with you.”
My chest tightened slightly.
Not painfully this time.
Warmly.
I smiled.
“Good.”
He smiled too.
And somehow, sitting there in his office, listening to him talk about his world, I felt like I was finally beginning to understand what being his mate meant.
It wasn’t something I had to understand overnight.
It wasn’t something I had to force.
It was something we could build.
Slowly.
One conversation at a time.
One cup of tea at a time.
And maybe…
One day at a time.
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