Chapter 101 IN A MOOD
SEBASTIAN’S POV
I woke up before dawn.
Which is weird because I am not the kind of person who wakes up early, especially voluntarily.
Before, I used to wake up early because I needed to get to the communal house first so I could choose and not get slumped with the duties of toilet cleanup.
But ever since I got employed as Ragnar's personal guard, one of the perks is that I am exempted from all those duties.
But today my eyes snap open before the sun even touches the horizon. The cottage is silent.
Too quiet.
The forest outside hasn’t fully woken up yet, there's only the low whisper of wind brushing against the wooden walls.
For a moment I lie there staring at the ceiling, something feels… off about today.
Not bad or anything, it all just feels different. Like the air itself is holding its breath out of anticipation.
I sit up slowly and rub a hand over my face.
“Great,” I mutter to the empty room.
“Now I’m becoming one of those mysterious brooding wolves who wake up with the sunrise.”
My stomach growls in protest at my sudden movement.
Yeah, definitely not mysterious at all.
I swing my legs off the bed and stand, stretching lazily. The floorboards creak softly under my weight and I feel oddly refreshed.
But the strange feeling I'm sensing or I'm feeling is still here.
Like someone is watching me.
Which is probably the most normal thought I’ve had all week.
And considering I recently discovered I might be some mythical ancient wolf that everyone historically murders on sight, that’s saying a lot.
I grab a shirt and pull it over my head and as I do, a memory flickers through my mind.
A small, soft and distant one.
A chocolate birthday cake sitting on a kitchen table with candles.
I can see a younger version of me staring at them while my mother smiles right in front of me.
Ironic being I'm allergic to chocolate since I'm a werewolf but it was the only day of the year that I could have it.
The memory disappears as quickly as it came.
I blink.
“Huh.”
For a second I try to remember how old I am now. Oh yeah.
Nineteen.
Right, not that it matters.
Birthdays stopped being a big deal a long time ago especially since I have no one to celebrate it with.
Still, the thought lingers in the back of my mind as I head downstairs.
The cabin feels colder this early in the morning as I move toward the small kitchen area.
I'm already reaching for the coffee tin before I even think of it because survival requires caffeine.
As the kettle begins heating, I lean against the counter and stare out the window.
The sky is still dark blue with moonlight flickers across the forest clearing like silver paint.
And for some reason…
It feels like the moon is looking back at me.
I narrow my eyes at it.
“Don’t start with me,” I mutter to myself.
The kettle whistles.
I pour the water, take a sip of the bitter coffee, and instantly feel more alive.
That’s when something shifts.
A presence brushes deep against my mind.
“You feel it too.”
I sigh. This was not how I wanted to start my day
“Good morning to you too, Alisander.”
Alisander stirs slowly within my consciousness, like something enormous stretching after a long sleep.
“The air is different today.”
“You’ve said that about three times this week.”
Today is not the same.
That… is not ominous at all.
Before I can ask what he means, something outside catches my attention.
Movement from right outside the window. A large figure stepping into the clearing.
Even from a distance I recognize the broad shoulders and confident stride.
It's Ragnar.
He stops near the edge of the clearing, his gaze lifting toward the cabin.
Toward me.
This was not how I wanted to start my morning.
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RAGNAR’S POV
From the moment I stepped into the clearing, I knew something was wrong.
The forest felt… restless and unsettled.
My wolf had noticed it the moment he woke.
A subtle tension in the air was the kind that made every instinct sharpen in my body.
My gaze lifted to the cabin window where I could see him.
Sebastian stood inside with a mug in his hands, staring out at the moon like he was having a personal argument with it.
Despite everything that has happened, I almost smiled.
The boy looked half asleep and annoyed.
He's also completely unaware that he had turned the pack’s entire political structure upside down in less than a week by just involving Torin.
But my attention quickly shifted and I slowly stepped closer to the cabin.
The scent from the night before lingered faintly in the clearing and with it, another entirely different one.
Another wolf had been here.
I crouched slightly, brushing my fingers against the ground.
The scent was almost gone.
But the faint trace was enough to make my jaw tighten.
Someone else was either here to see Sebastian or spy on him.
I straightened with my gaze returning to the cabin window.
Sebastian was still there drinking coffee.
And still completely unaware of the wolves already beginning to circle around his existence.
That could not continue.
Sheltering Sebastian had been necessary but it was also making him vulnerable.
And with Torin had already moving closer this Sebastian, I need to move faster
I walked toward the cabin door and pushed it open.
Inside, Sebastian looked up.
“Wow,” Sebastian said dryly. “Do all alphas just break into people’s houses at sunrise, or am I so special?”
Why is he so snarky today?
“You’re awake early.”
“Don’t remind me.”
I studied him for a moment thinking about what could have caused this.
The strange tension in the air pulsed again but Sebastian didn’t seem to notice it.
But from the feeling in the bond, Sebastian’s wolf did.
Which confirmed what I had already begun to suspect.
Something was changing and Sebastian had no idea.
“Get dressed,” is all I said.
Sebastian blinked in confusion.
“I am dressed.”
“More dressed than this.”
Sebastian narrowed his eyes suspiciously at me.
“Why?”
My expression didn’t change.
“Because,” he said calmly, “we’re going to start your training since you're almost incapable of defending yourself.”
Sebastian stared at me back in irritation.
Then groaned loudly.
“Oh fantastic. I was hoping today would be normal.”
Why is he so moody today?