Chapter 221 CHAPTER 221
Lisa had thought she was ready.
But standing just outside the council chamber doors, she realized readiness and reality were not always the same thing.
The corridor was quiet, too quiet for a place that had held so many voices just a day before. Now it felt like the aftermath of something—like the echoes of judgment still lingered in the walls, waiting to see what would come next.
Beside her, Liam stood close enough that she could feel his presence without needing to look at him. Grounding. Steady.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked gently.
Lisa exhaled slowly, her fingers tightening slightly against her sides before relaxing again.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be sure,” she admitted. “But I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
Her gaze shifted briefly to the closed doors ahead.
“We’ve dragged this out for too long,” she added. “It’s time we talked. Face to face.”
Liam studied her for a moment, then gave a small nod.
“I’ll be right there,” he said. “You won’t be alone.”
She offered him a faint smile—grateful, even if she didn’t say it.
Then, drawing in a steady breath, she stepped forward and pushed the doors open.
Inside, the chamber felt larger than she remembered.
And quieter.
Sebastian stood near the center, his posture stiff, his hands clasped loosely in front of him as though unsure where they belonged. The moment the doors opened, his head lifted.
When he saw her…
He straightened immediately.
“Your Highness… Princess Lisa,” he said, bowing his head respectfully.
The formality made something in her chest shift, not painfully—but noticeably.
“That’s not necessary,” Lisa said gently as she stepped closer. “You can just… talk to me. Like before. Like people our age.”
Sebastian hesitated, then nodded.
“Alright,” he said quietly.
Silence stretched between them for a moment.
Not uncomfortable.
Just… heavy.
Then Sebastian spoke.
“I know I’m probably the last person you’d want to see,” he began, his voice low, steady but not without strain. “After everything that happened… after how I treated you.”
Lisa didn’t interrupt.
She let him continue.
“What I did,” he said, “the way I rejected you… it was wrong.”
He paused briefly, as though choosing his next words carefully.
“And not just because of how it looked,” he added. “Even if I had done it privately… it still would have been wrong.”
His hands tightened slightly.
“I’ve had time to think,” he continued. “And the truth is… I can’t blame all of it on Sarah.”
That made Lisa’s gaze sharpen slightly.
Sebastian let out a quiet breath.
“She may have influenced parts of my life,” he said, “but that moment… that decision… that was me.”
He lifted his eyes, meeting hers properly now.
“I thought I was above you,” he admitted. “I thought… someone like you—someone I believed you to be at the time—was not worth standing beside me. Especially not as my mate – The future Luna of silverpine.”
The honesty in it was not cruel. He had rehearsed it for days.
It was heavy.
Regretful.
“And I see now how wrong I was,” he added. “Not just about you—but about everything. I was proud, even in the eyes of the goddess. Maybe, that’s why I was punished in the goddess’ own way – losing my wolf. I deserve it and more.”
Lisa remained quiet for a moment, letting his words settle.
Then she nodded slowly.
“I understand,” she said.
Sebastian blinked, surprised.
“I do,” she continued. “Back then… I wasn’t exactly someone anyone would have chosen. Not in that place. Not in that position.”
A faint, almost bittersweet smile touched her lips.
“Even if you hadn’t rejected me,” she added, “there’s a good chance the elders would have found a way to do it for you.”
That drew the faintest shift in Sebastian’s expression.
“They made it clear enough that night,” she said quietly.
He lowered his gaze slightly.
“And you already had someone,” Lisa went on. “Even if she turned out to be someone else entirely… at the time, she was your choice. And I understand standing by someone you’ve made promises to.” Her face softened as she glanced at Liam.
There was no bitterness in her tone.
Only clarity.
Sebastian looked at her again, something softer in his expression now.
“You’ve changed,” he said.
Lisa gave a small shrug.
“So have you,” she replied. “The Sebastian I knew back in Silverpine wouldn’t have stood here and said all this.”
A faint, almost embarrassed breath left him.
“I still have a long way to go,” he admitted. “But… I’m trying.”
“That counts,” Lisa said gently.
There was another pause.
Then Sebastian glanced briefly toward Liam before returning his attention to Lisa.
“I know it’s too late to take anything back,” he said. “I know where you stand now… with him.”
There was no bitterness in his voice.
Only acceptance.
“But I wanted to ask,” he continued, “Do you plan to…. accept the rejection? To make it final.”
Lisa’s expression shifted slightly.
For a moment, she didn’t answer.
Instead, she glanced toward Liam.
Their eyes met briefly—something unspoken passing between them.
Then she looked back at Sebastian.
“I wanted to,” she said.
Sebastian frowned slightly. “Wanted to?”
Lisa nodded.
“I would have done it a long time ago,” she continued. “Even back then… I was ready to let it go.”
She paused.
“But I was told not to.”
That caught both men’s attention.
Sebastian straightened slightly. “I don’t understand.”
“The priestess of the Moon Goddess,” Lisa said. “Celestine.”
Silence followed.
“She told me not to accept the rejection,” Lisa added quietly. “Not yet.”
Sebastian blinked, confusion flickering across his face.
“What does that mean?”
Lisa shook her head slightly.
“We don’t know,” she admitted.
Liam stepped in then, his voice calm but thoughtful.
“We’ve been trying to understand it ourselves,” he said. “But so far… nothing has made sense.”
Sebastian exhaled slowly.
“So the bond… still stands?” he asked.
“For now,” Lisa replied.
A faint tension settled in the room.
“It’s strange,” Sebastian murmured. “Why would the goddess keep something like that in place… if it’s not meant to lead anywhere?”
Lisa gave a small, uncertain smile.
“That’s what we’ve been asking too.”
Another silence followed—this one more contemplative.
Then Sebastian nodded slowly.
“Maybe we should go back,” he said. “To the temple. Speak to the priestess again. Find out what this really means.”
Liam’s gaze shifted slightly.
“That might be a good idea,” he said.
Sebastian looked between them.
“Then we should….”
“But there’s something else we need to deal with first,” Liam interrupted.
Both of them turned to him.
Sebastian frowned slightly. “Something else?”
Liam held his gaze, his expression more serious now.
“Yes,” he said. “There’s someone you need to see.”
A brief pause followed.
“Who?” Sebastian asked.
Liam didn’t look away.
“It’s about Kael,” he said.
Sebastian stilled.
For a moment, he didn’t fully process it.
“My… wolf?”
Liam nodded once.
“Yes. Kael – Your wolf.”
The name landed heavily between them.