Chapter Nineteen

Alpha Sebastian's POV

“She’s... out," I replied slowly, forcing myself to appear calm. "She’s gone to visit the neighboring pack. There’s a message she needed to deliver, something about trade negotiations."

Devon’s brows furrowed, a small flicker of doubt crossing his face. "Really? I didn’t know Leila was involved in that kind of work. She never mentioned it to me."

I smiled tightly, careful to hide any trace of emotion. "She’s been handling a lot of pack business lately. She’s grown quite capable, as you can imagine. Sometimes it’s better to keep certain things private."

I didn’t want him to probe further, didn’t want him to see the lie hanging between us. I knew Devon too well. He would sense the shift in the air if he stayed long enough. He would feel that something wasn’t right.

He didn’t push the issue, though. Not yet. Instead, he turned back to the fire, his gaze distant as if contemplating his next move. I watched him, waiting for the moment when he would try to pry further when he would demand to see her.

"I see," he said finally, his voice cold, controlled. "Well, I hope everything goes smoothly for her then." He shifted his weight, facing me now with a strange look in his eyes. “But you know, Sebastian, it’s strange. She hasn’t written to me, hasn’t called. I’ve been expecting to hear from her.”

My heart skipped a beat, but I refused to show it. “I’m sure she’ll reach out when the time’s right. She’s... focused right now. You know how she is.”

He nodded slowly, but there was a subtle shift in his expression, a flicker of something that hinted at suspicion. I knew I couldn’t keep this up for much longer.

"So, what’s been keeping you busy?" he asked, seemingly changing the subject, but I could hear the undertone of his words. He wasn’t done with me yet.

"Running the pack," I replied curtly, offering him a tight smile. "Just making sure everything stays in order."

He studied me for a long moment, and I could see the wheels turning in his head, the calculating glint in his eyes. He wasn’t fooled, not for a second. But for now, he stayed quiet, a strange tension hanging between us.

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do for the pack while I’m here,” he said after a long pause, his tone light, as though nothing had changed. But I could feel it—the walls were closing in.

I nodded once, the silence stretching uncomfortably. “I will. It’s always good to have a reminder of the past.”

The words felt hollow, the unspoken challenge clear. Devon might have been my old friend, but there was a distance now. A distance I would not let him cross.

"Well," he said after a moment, standing a little straighter, "I’ll leave you to it then. I’m sure you have things to handle. But I’ll be around for a bit longer. I’d love to see Leila when she gets back."

I forced a smile, masking the tightness in my chest. "Of course. I’ll let her know you stopped by."

The moment Devon left, I couldn’t breathe easy. My hands clenched at my sides as I made my way down the winding corridors of the pack house, my mind racing. There was no time to waste. I needed to get to Leila before any more questions were asked.

I pushed open the door to her room, the familiar scent of lavender and fresh rain hitting me immediately. I found her sitting by the window, her eyes distant as she watched the horizon. She hadn’t noticed me yet. My heart ached just looking at her. I hated having to keep this from her, but I had no choice. Not anymore.

"Leila," I said, my voice colder than I intended. She looked up, startled, her face pale, eyes red as if she’d been crying. She blinked at me, her lips trembling.

“Sebastian,” she whispered, standing up slowly. She looked so fragile, so vulnerable. I wanted to reach out to her and comfort her, but I couldn’t. Not now. Not when the anger burned so fiercely in my chest.

“Devon was here,” I said flatly, crossing the room to stand in front of her. "He came by the pack. Wanted to check in, see how everything was going."

Her face flickered, a mix of pain and something else. Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but she didn’t. She looked away instead, her hands wringing together.

“He’s not the same, Leila,” I continued, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice. “He looked at you with those eyes, like you were the only thing that mattered. I could see it, even in the way he smiled. Like you were his whole world.”

Leila’s face fell, the sorrow in her expression deepening. She lowered her gaze, the tears welling in her eyes again, but she didn’t let them fall. Not yet.

“I don’t care about that anymore, Sebastian,” she said softly, her voice thick with emotion. “I—”

“No,” I interrupted, my voice firm, “You don’t get to play the martyr. Not here, not with me. You think I don’t know what you’re thinking? That little spark in your eyes when you talk about him when you remember him.”

She took a step back, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “Sebastian, please—”

“I don’t care about your apologies or your pity,” I snapped, my anger rising with every word. “You are my responsibility, Leila. And you’ve made your choice.”

Her breath hitched, and I saw the way she flinched, her heart breaking at the words I threw at her. But I couldn’t stop.

“Devon was in love with you, wasn’t he? You were everything to him.” My voice was low, seething. “But you came to me, didn’t you? You chose me, and now you’re going to live with that choice.”

Leila stepped toward me, her hands shaking. “Sebastian, I don’t—”

“You don’t what?” I growled, stepping back, putting space between us. “You don’t love me? Don’t lie to me, Leila. Don’t stand there with those eyes and pretend like you’re not thinking about him. You came here because he left you. But he’ll come back. He’ll take you from me, and I won’t let that happen. Not while you’re still mine.”

She gasped, her eyes wide. “You... You think I’m going to leave you for him? After everything?”

“Of course, you will!” I spat, the words coming faster now, each one sharper, laced with venom. “You think I don’t know how this ends? You’ll run to him the moment he comes back. And what’s worse is I’ll let you. I’ll let you go because you’re nothing. You’ve always been nothing. Do you understand that, Leila?”

The tears spilled from her eyes then, silent streams that tracked down her cheeks. I watched her crumble, the pain I caused her twisting the knife in my gut. But it was too late to apologize. I had already gone too far.

"Leila..." I said, softer now, but still sharp with anger, "You’re worthless.”

Her breathing came in shallow gasps, but she didn’t say anything. She just stared at me, tears falling silently, her lips trembling as if the words I had just said had broken her beyond repair.

“Don’t even think about running back to him,” I muttered, taking another step back. “You can’t go back to him. You chose me, and now you’ll live with the consequences.”