Chapter 31 CHAPTER 32

Chapter 31 CHAPTER 32
Bronte's POV

"Nothing is going on between me and Sebastian," I say.

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying."

"Then explain why he can barely look at you without his entire body going tense. Explain why you blush every time he walks into a room. Explain why the two of you keep finding excuses to be alone."

"We don't—"

"I'm not blind, Bronte." He moves closer. "I've been watching. I've been paying attention. And I've seen the way he looks at you."

"How does he look at me?"

"Like he's in love with you."

The words hang in the air between us.

"That's ridiculous," I say, but my voice wavers.

"Is it? Because from where I'm standing, it makes perfect sense. All his strange behavior, all his attitude, all his refusal to do simple things like kiss you at the rehearsal." He crosses his arms. "He's in love with you and you're encouraging it."

"I'm not encouraging anything."

"Then why were you in the library at midnight last night?"

My blood runs cold. "How did you—"

"I saw you. After we dealt with the breach, I went to check on you and your room was empty. So I went looking." He takes another step closer. "And I found you coming out of the library."

"I couldn't sleep. I went to read."

"At midnight?"

"Yes."

"And Sebastian just happened to be there too?"

"I don't know if he was there. I was alone."

"Don't lie to me!" His voice rises and I flinch. "I saw him leave five minutes after you did. Same direction, same guilty look on his face."

"Maybe he was checking on the breach."

"The breach was on the eastern border. The library is in the opposite direction."

I don't have an answer for that.

Alexander runs his hand through his hair, a gesture so similar to Sebastian's it makes my chest ache.

"Tell me the truth," he says, his voice quieter now but more dangerous. "Are you in love with him?"

"No."

"Are you attracted to him?"

"No."

"Has he touched you?"

"No."

"Has he kissed you?"

"No."

"Has he tried?"

I hesitate for just a second too long.

"He has," Alexander says, his face darkening. "That bastard tried to kiss you."

"Nothing happened."

"But he tried."

"I don't know what you want me to say, Alexander."

"I want you to tell me the truth!" He slams his hand on the desk. "I want you to stop lying to my face and tell me what the hell is going on between you and my brother!"

"There's nothing going on."

"Then why won't you look at me when you say it?"

I force myself to meet his eyes. "There is nothing going on between me and Sebastian."

He studies my face for a long moment.

"I don't believe you," he says finally.

"That's your choice."

"But I also don't have proof. Not real proof. Just suspicions and gut feelings and the way my brother looks at my mate like she's the only thing in the world that matters."

"Alexander—"

"So here's what's going to happen." He moves around the desk to stand directly in front of me. "You're going to stay away from him. No more late night library visits. No more private conversations. No more anything."

"You can't tell me who I can talk to."

"I'm not telling you. I'm ordering you. As your Alpha and your mate."

"You're not my Alpha yet."

"But I will be. Soon. And when I am, you'll obey me whether you like it or not."

"Is that really how you want this to work? You ordering me around like I'm one of your pack members?"

"I want it to work with you being faithful to me. With you choosing me over my brother. With you acting like the Luna you're supposed to be instead of whatever this is."

"I am choosing you. I'm marrying you, aren't I?"

"Are you? Because some days I'm not so sure." He takes my hand, his grip tight. "I love you, Bronte. I've loved you since we were teenagers. I've waited years for you. And I'm not going to lose you to him."

"You're not losing me to anyone."

"Then prove it."

"How?"

"Stay away from him. Avoid him. Make it clear to him and to everyone else that you're mine." He pulls me closer. "Can you do that?"

"Yes."

"Say it like you mean it."

"I can stay away from Sebastian."

"Good." He releases me and steps back. "Because if I find out you've been lying to me, if I find out something is going on between you two, there will be consequences."

"What kind of consequences?"

"For you? I haven't decided. For him?" His expression goes cold. "I'll make him wish he'd never been born."

"You wouldn't hurt your own brother."

"Try me."

The way he says it makes my skin crawl.

"Now go," he says. "I have work to do. And you have a lot to think about."

I leave his office and close the door behind me, my hands shaking.

He knows.

He doesn't have proof but he knows something is happening.

And he just threatened Sebastian.

I need to warn him, need to tell him to be careful, need to—

"Bronte."

I turn and Sebastian is standing at the end of the corridor.

"We need to talk," he says.

"We can't. Alexander just—" I glance back at the office door. "He knows. Or he suspects. Either way, he told me to stay away from you."

"And are you going to?"

"I don't have a choice."

"You always have a choice."

"Not when he's threatening you."

"Let him threaten. I don't care."

"Well I care." I move closer, lowering my voice. "He said there would be consequences if he found out we were lying. Consequences for you."

"I can handle Alexander."

"Can you? Because he looked pretty serious about making you wish you'd never been born."

Sebastian's jaw tightens. "He said that?"

"Yes."

"Then we'll be more careful."

"Or we could actually stay away from each other like he said."

"Could you do that? Could you actually stay away from me?"

I open my mouth to say yes and the word won't come out.

"That's what I thought," he says quietly.

"Sebastian, this is dangerous."

"I know."

"He's watching us."

"I know."

"Then why are you standing here talking to me in the middle of the corridor where anyone could see?"

"Because I needed to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine."

"No you're not. You're shaking."

I look down at my hands and he's right.

"Come with me," he says.

"Where?"

"Somewhere we can actually talk without being interrupted or overheard or caught."

"That's exactly what we shouldn't be doing."

"I know. But we're going to do it anyway." He starts walking and I follow because apparently I can't help myself.

We end up in the training yard storage room, the same place I cleaned his wounds after the rehearsal.

He closes the door and turns to face me.

"Tell me exactly what he said."

I tell him everything. The accusations, the threats, the order to stay away.

When I finish, Sebastian is quiet for a long moment.

"I'm sorry," he says finally.

"For what?"

"For putting you in this position. For making you lie to him. For—" He stops. "For loving you when I have no right to."

"Don't apologize for that."

"Why not? It's causing you nothing but problems."

"Maybe. But I wouldn't change it." The words are out before I can stop them.

He looks at me. "What?"

"I said I wouldn't change it. You loving me. Me loving you. Any of it."

"Even though it's making everything complicated?"

"Especially because of that." I move closer. "Because before this, before you, everything was easy and perfect and exactly what everyone expected. And I was miserable."

"And now?"

"Now I'm terrified and confused and breaking every rule I've ever been taught." I reach up and touch his face. "But I'm not miserable."

He closes his eyes and leans into my hand.

"We can't keep doing this," he says.

"I know."

"Something has to give."

"I know."

"Either we end this now and try to go back to how things were, or—"

"Or what?"

He opens his eyes and looks at me.

"Or we stop pretending we can resist this and just—"

He doesn't finish the sentence.

He doesn't need to.

Because I'm already closing the distance between us and he's already pulling me closer and this time there's no Alexander knocking on doors, no breach alarms going off, no interruptions.

This time, when his lips meet mine, nothing stops us.