Chapter 130 WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW
RAGNAR’S POV
The silence stretches too long between the both of us.
I don't know what to say to broach the topic.
This situation is heavier than anything I’ve faced on a battlefield.
Sebastian sits across from me, hands wrapped around his cup, shoulders slightly tense.
He hasn’t said a word since he handed me the tea and neither have I.
I should have spoken already, I meant to from the very moment we sat down.
But something about this, about him and about the way he won’t quite meet my eyes is all throwing me off.
He's probably mad at me.
I deserve it.
But it throws me off. This isn’t how I planned this conversation, not even close.
I exhale finally, setting the cup down.
“Sebastian–”
“I can’t do this.”
His words cut through mine instantly.
His grip tightens around the cup, fingers trembling slightly before he sets it down like it suddenly burns.
And he still doesn’t look at me.
“I can’t sit here like this,” he continues, his voice tight. “If you’re going to do it the–then just do it.”
My brows draw together.
“Do what?”
Now he looks up.
And there’s something in his eyes that wasn’t there before.
Something… resigned.
“Reject me Ragnar.”
The word lands hard and wavy to my very soul.
For a second, I don’t react because I’m not sure I heard him correctly.
“What?” I ask.
“If you’re going to reject me,” he repeats, more firmly this time, “just do it now. Get it all over with.”
Confusion hits first before anger
“Why would I–!” I stop myself, frowning even deeper. “What do you mean, reject you?”
His expression tightens like he expected denial and he doesn’t believe me.
And suddenly, something clicks in my mind because none of this makes any sense.
Not the assumption or the sure certainty in his tone.
Is he mad because I haven't given him anything?
I dragged him into this chaos and left him there to figure it out alone without any promise from me.
…Damn it.
“That’s not why I called you here,” I say, my voice lowering slightly. “I wanted to talk about the bond. About how we move forward from here.”
He goes still like he wasn’t expecting that.
“I intend to honor it,” I continue. “Whatever pace you want, we’ll take it.”
Silence before he burst into a short sarcastic laugh.
Of all reactions from him this wasn’t what I was expecting.
“Right,” he mutters.
My eyes narrow slightly.
“You don’t believe me.”
He shakes his head, pushing back from the table slightly.
“You don’t have to do this,” he says. “You don’t have to pretend to spare my feelings.”
Pretend?
“What are you talking about?” I ask as irritation starts to creep in.
His gaze snaps to mine.
“You don’t have to cover it up, you know,” he says. “I already know.”
My patience thins.
“You know what?”
“That you want someone else.”
The words were wrong, so wrong I didn't even process them immediately.
“…What?”
He stands now, pacing like he’s trying to get the words out before he loses whatever resolve he has from his oolong tea.
“I smelled you on him,” he says.
My mind blanks.
“You were all over him,” he continued with his voice tightening. “Do you think I wouldn’t notice?”
I stare at him completely lost.
“Sebastian–”
“If someone smells like that,” he cuts in, “it means you were close. Close enough to–”
He stops himself but I don’t need him to finish.
The implication is clear on what he's accusing me of.
He's the one that walked off with Dax but now I'm the one accused of cheating?!
I've been fucking celibate for almost two years and now this?!
My confusion deepens.
“Who are you talking about?”
He lets out a short breath almost in disbelief.
“Lance Montgomery.”
“Lance?” I repeat.
“Yes, Lance,” he snaps back. “The Alpha you had no problem walking around with his scent all over you–”
“That’s not–”
“So don’t stand there and act like you don’t know what I’m talking about!”
The accusation hits harder than it should because it’s not just what he’s saying, it’s what he believes about me.
I step forward slightly with my jaw tightening.
“You’re wrong. There's nothing going on with me and Lance,” I say.
“Oh, am I?” he fires back. “Because it looks pretty clear from where I’m standing.”
“This isn’t about Lance–”
“Then what is it about?” he demands. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’ve already made your choice and from his smell, it isn't me.”
My frustration spikes.
“What choice?!”
He lets out a shaky breath, running a hand through his hair.
“I shouldn’t have come on so strong on you back then in the ceremony,” he mutters, more to himself now. “You’re an Alpha. You have every right to punish me for that.”
My brows pull together sharply.
“What?”
“You don’t need to drag this out,” he continues with his voice dropping. “If you’re going to sever the bond please– just do it quietly.”
The words hit me like a blow.
“Sebastian–”
“I’ll even resign,” he adds quickly. “From being your guard. Let’s be honest, you don’t need protection from a weak Omega like myself.”
That–
That does it!
“Stop talking Sebastian!”
The word comes out sharper than I intend but he doesn’t stop.
“I’ll leave,” he continues, like he didn’t hear me. “You won’t have to deal with me anymore–”
I move before I think of what I'm doing.
My hand catches his wrist, stopping him mid step as he stills instantly.
The contact sends a sharp pull through the bond, waking him out of whatever spiral he's lost in.
“Are you done?” I ask with my voice low.
He doesn’t answer me.
“Because since we came in here,” I continue, “you haven’t let me say a single thing.”
His jaw tightens.
“You’ve decided everything already,” I add. “Without even asking me, your mate.”
His eyes flicker just slightly.
“Did Dax say something to you?” I ask.