Chapter 169
Iris's POV
I stared at the small box in Sebastien's hand, the elegant "Moonlight & Silver" logo catching my eye immediately. The prestigious jewelry boutique was known for its exquisite pieces that cost more than what most people earned in months. My fingers twitched but I kept them firmly at my sides, refusing to reach for the gift.
"This is..." I began, then stopped myself.
Something about the sight of that box sent my mind spiraling back through time, back to when things between Sebastien and I weren't so complicated, so painful.
I was fifteen, sitting cross-legged on the window seat in my bedroom at the Stone estate. Sebastien had shown up unexpectedly, a small velvet box in his hand. He'd tossed it to me without ceremony, his expression unreadable as always.
"What's this?" I'd asked, turning the box over in my hands.
"A birthday gift," he'd replied, leaning against my doorframe with casual confidence that only a teenage Alpha heir could possess. "Open it."
Inside was a delicate silver chain with a moonstone pendant, the stone set in an intricate silver filigree cage that caught the light in a way that made it seem alive.
"A wolf girl with nothing around her neck looks ridiculous," he'd said, stepping forward to take the necklace from my stunned hands. "Turn around."
I'd obeyed without thinking, my heart hammering as his fingers brushed the nape of my neck while he fastened the clasp. The pendant rested cool against my skin, and I couldn't stop touching it.
"Did you like it?" he'd asked, his voice uncharacteristically uncertain.
"It's beautiful," I'd whispered, meaning it with every fiber of my being.
It was only months later I discovered he'd designed it himself, spending hours working with the jeweler to get it exactly right. That night, I'd made a silent promise to myself that I would be his mate forever, that nothing could come between us.
I blinked hard, pulling myself back to the present. My fingers had unconsciously risen to my throat where that necklace had once rested. I'd stopped wearing it after our divorce, tucking it away in a box I rarely opened.
"When did we change, Sebastien?" I asked quietly, surprising myself with the question. "When did everything between us become so... broken?"
He didn't answer, his expression giving nothing away. But I didn't need his response. I already knew the answer.
We'd broken the night I'd gone to him, heart full of love and hope, only to be coldly rejected. The night he'd told me I wasn't what he wanted. The night Megan had smiled triumphantly from his doorway.
I straightened my shoulders, gathering my dignity around me like armor. I wouldn't be that naive, heartbroken girl anymore. The girl who'd cried herself to sleep for weeks. The girl who'd accepted a marriage of convenience because even a hollow version of him seemed better than nothing.
"I know Moonlight & Silver pieces are valuable," I said evenly, "but I'm not interested in any gifts from you, Alpha Grey. Our relationship is over."
Sebastien's eyebrows drew together, his jaw tightening. "Iris—"
"Has Alpha Grey somehow failed to distinguish me from other people?" I asked, my voice colder than I intended. "Or is this some new tactic to get what you want?"
His confusion looked genuine, which only irritated me more. Did he really not understand how his actions affected me? How every mixed signal tore at wounds that had never properly healed?
"Megan's birthday is tomorrow," I said, watching his face carefully. "You've delivered your gift to the wrong person."
I saw his expression change instantly, eyes widening before narrowing dangerously. His fingers tightened around the gift box.
"Megan?" he growled, his voice low. "You think this is for Megan?"
"Isn't it?" I challenged. "She's always been your priority."
"Dammit, Iris," he snarled, taking a step toward me. "I never had anything with Megan. Not then, not now. It was a stupid bet. I never even touched her."
I froze, trying to process his words. "A bet?"
"Yes, a fucking bet," he said, running his free hand through his hair in frustration. "The guys were giving me shit about not having a girlfriend. I told them I could get anyone I wanted. They picked Megan. I played along for a while, let people think what they wanted, but nothing happened between us."
My mind raced, replaying every interaction, every rumor, every painful moment through this new lens.
"So Megan was..." I struggled to find the words. "She was just my imaginary rival all this time?"
Sebastien's eyes held mine, intense and unblinking. "There was never anyone else, Iris. Not then."
"If that's true," I said slowly, fighting to keep my voice steady, "then why did you say those things to me that night? Why did you push me away when I came to you?"
He looked away, his profile sharp in the moonlight streaming through the window. The silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken words.
"It doesn't matter anymore," I finally said, my heart squeezing painfully in my chest. "The past is the past."
I walked to the door and pulled it open, relieved to see no sign of Dina in the hallway. "It's late, Alpha Grey. Unless you're planning to spend the night on Lowell territory?"
His jaw clenched, his eyes darkening at my dismissal. He looked down at the gift box still in his hand.
"Take your gift with you," I said firmly. "I don't want it."
"The gift is yours," he said, his voice controlled but with an edge of tension. "If you don't want it, throw it away. I don't take back what I've given."
He walked toward the door, pausing when he was right beside me. His scent—cedar and something uniquely him—washed over me, making my heart beat faster despite myself.
"Happy birthday, Iris," he said softly before walking out.
I closed the door and leaned against it, my legs suddenly feeling weak. My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. His scent lingered in the room, an invisible reminder of his presence that I couldn't escape.
My eyes drifted to the gift box he'd left on the small table by the window. I should throw it away, I told myself. I should want nothing to do with him or his gifts.
But his words kept echoing in my head. "I never had anything with Megan."
All those years of jealousy and hurt... had they been based on a misunderstanding?
I walked to the window, watching as Sebastien exited the front door below. He paused at the edge of the property, turning back to look up—directly at my window.
Something in me snapped. I grabbed the gift box from the table and tore off the wrapping, flipping open the velvet case. Inside sat a stunning pink diamond ring, the stone catching the moonlight and sending tiny rainbows across my walls.
For a moment, I stared at it, transfixed by its beauty and what it might represent. Then all the years of pain, misunderstandings, and heartbreak surged through me like a tidal wave.
I threw open the window, the cool night air rushing into the room. Sebastien remained motionless below, his eyes locked on mine.
"I don't need your gifts," I called down, my voice steady despite the storm of emotions inside me. "And I don't need you."
I hurled the ring out the window with all my strength. It glinted like a falling star as it arced through the darkness before disappearing somewhere in the garden below.
Sebastien's face showed genuine shock—perhaps the most real expression I'd ever seen from him. His jaw tensed, his hands clenched at his sides. For a long moment, he just stood there, his eyes never leaving mine.
Then without a word, he turned and shifted into his wolf form, his silver fur gleaming in the moonlight as he vanished into the darkness.
I closed the window and pressed my forehead against the cool glass, my heart pounding.
"Why did you come tonight?" I whispered to the empty room. "Why tell me now, after all this time?"
The empty box sat on the table, as hollow as the promises it had contained.