Chapter 96 THE WRONG THING TO SAY
SEBASTIAN’S POV
The name hangs in the air between us.
Elder Torin.
I blink then I realize… it doesn’t ring any bells.
Which is strange, because the way he said it made it sound like I was supposed to immediately recognize who he was.
Like his name alone should have meant something important the moment he said it.
Instead, I just stare blankly at him.
“…Okay.”
Torin raises a brow.
“That is not usually the reaction I get.”
“Sorry,” I say honestly. “Am I supposed to know who you are?”
For a moment he simply studies me then something that looks suspiciously like amusement flickers across his face.
“I forget sometimes that not everyone concerns themselves with pack politics.”
“I definitely don’t,” I replied quickly.
Pack politics sounds like the fastest way to develop a permanent headache for me.
Still, something about the title sticks in my mind. Elder.
I frown slightly.
“You’re… one of the elders?”
His expression shifts again but this time he nods.
“Yes.”
Oh.
Oh.
That explains the quiet authority and the steady way he carries himself.
Fantastic.
I just insulted one of the pack elders in less than five minutes of meeting him.
My life is truly a masterpiece of terrible decisions.
“So,” I say slowly, rubbing the back of my neck, “what exactly does an elder want with me?”
Torin doesn’t answer immediately but his eyes drift past me toward the glowing windows of the communal house again.
The laughter inside has softened now, turning into quieter voices and the occasional burst of giggles from a child.
Then he looks back at me.
“What I want,” he says calmly, “is what every elder wants.”
I cross my arms slightly.
“And what is that?”
“The continued stability of the pack.”
Something about the way he says it makes the air feel heavier. I can already tell where this is going
“…Right.”
His gaze sharpens slightly.
“And unfortunately,” he continues, “your existence presents a complication for us.”
There it is, I fucking knew it.
My jaw tightens.
“A complication.”
“Yes.”
He doesn’t sugarcoat it he goes straight to the point. I could almost appreciate his direct honesty after all the lies and omission.
“My existence,” I repeat slowly.
Torin nods once.
“The circumstances surrounding you are… rather unusual.”
The very understatement of the century.
“And unusual things,” he continues calmly, “have a tendency to destabilize the good of all wolves .”
I stare at him.
“You mean pack hierarchy.”
“Yes if you say so.”
My chest tightens once more.
“Let me guess,” I say flatly. “You’re worried I’m going to overthrow the entire pack structure with my overwhelming omega power.”
Torin studies me carefully.
“That would certainly be one way to put it.”
My temper snaps almost immediately.
“Are you serious right now?”
The words come out louder than I intended but I don’t care.
“Do you people ever listen to yourselves?” I demand.
Torin’s brow furrows slightly.
“Sebastian–”
“No.” I cut him short.
“No, you don’t get to start explaining things now.”
My heart is pounding too fast.
“Everyone keeps acting like I’m some kind of ticking time bomb,” I snapped out. “Like I’m about to explode and destroy the whole pack at any second.”
“That is not what I said.”
“It’s exactly what you meant!”
The frustration I’ve been carrying all night spills out before I can stop it.
“I literally just found out what I am, okay?” I shout.
Somewhere in the back of my head, a distant voice is telling me this is a bad idea.
That shouting at a pack elder is probably somewhere near the top of my “Terrible Life Decisions list”.
“You all keep talking about danger and pack stability,” I continue with my voice shaking with anger, “but nobody is actually asking me what I want!”
Torin looks genuinely confused now.
“Sebastian, I don’t think you understand–”
“And just because everyone says I’ll be a danger doesn’t mean I actually will be one!”
The words burst out of me.
Torin goes still here.
“…Danger?”
“Yes!”
I pace a step forward and back, frustration boiling over me.
“Everyone keeps acting like I’m some kind of dangerous weapon!”
The memories flash through my mind.
Dax’s warning.
Ragnar’s careful distance and his lies.
“I’m not some monster that’s going to kill everyone just because I exist!” I snap.
Torin’s confusion deepens.
“Sebastian, no one said you were a monster.”
“Oh really?”
I laugh out bitterly.
“Because that’s definitely the vibe I’m getting from literally everyone lately.”
His expression shifts slightly to concern now.
“Sebastian,” he says slowly, “what exactly are you referring to?”
“They keep talking about how dangerous it is,” I mutter with my fists clenched at my sides.
“How unstable it is.”
“How the pack hierarchy could collapse.”
I glare at him.
“Like I’m some kind of walking apocalypse.”
Torin opens his mouth and closes it in confusion.
Then says carefully to me, “I think there may be a misunderstanding here.”
But the words keep spilling out of me without any caution.
“And just because I’m an ancient wolf doesn’t mean I’m going to start slaughtering everyone!”
The moment the sentence leaves my mouth–
Everything stops and goes quiet.
Even the sounds from inside the communal house seem to fade as Torin just stares at me.
For a full second he doesn’t move or breathe.
He takes one slow step backward as shock spreads across his face.
“…You’re an ancient wolf?”
The words are barely above a whisper from his mouth.
My brain catches up to my mouth and I realize what I just did or rather what I just blurted out.
Oh.
Oh no.
I wasn’t supposed to say that, I wasn’t supposed to say any of that.
Torin wasn’t talking about that, he was probably talking about something else entirely.
Which means I just stood here and announced one of the most dangerous secrets regarding me to an elder.
My stomach drops as Torin is still staring at me with his mind clearly racing.
“You’re… an ancient wolf?” he repeats slowly.
His eyes search my face like he’s trying to determine whether he heard me correctly or it was just an expensive joke.
I open my mouth and close it again.
My thoughts scramble for something to do or say, anything!
An excuse or a lie would help this instance.
But nothing comes out.
The silence stretches painfully with the only thought in my head one single word.
Fuck.