Chapter 14 – The Breaking Point
Rhianna’s POV
The hallway outside the council chamber was buzzing with noise as the elders began filing out, muttering amongst themselves. Hardin’s grip on my wrist was warm, grounding, as he led me out of the restroom. My heart was still thumping from crying, but I had wiped away every last tear. I didn’t want them to see me broken.
Then I saw him.
Sebastian.
He stood at the far end of the hall, tall and intimidating, his hands clenched at his sides. His blue-gray eyes locked on Hardin’s hand still around my wrist.
“What the hell,” Sebastian said, his voice low but lethal, “are you doing with my mate?”
The words cracked like a whip in the hallway.
Hardin didn’t flinch. If anything, he smirked. “Helping her breathe,” he said calmly, his thumb brushing over my wrist before letting go.
Sebastian’s jaw tightened. “Helping her breathe? Or just waiting for the right moment to steal her from me like you’ve stolen everything else?”
Oh no.
The tension was a living thing, crackling in the air between them.
“Sebastian—” I started.
“Stay out of this, Rhianna,” he snapped, his eyes still locked on his brother.
But Hardin stepped closer, his expression turning cold. “You want to talk about stealing? You stole this entire pack from me when our parents died.”
“You left!” Sebastian roared. “You ran away, Hardin. Don’t you dare stand there and pretend you were fit to lead anyone. You weren’t here when the rogues came. You weren’t here when our parents—”
“Don’t you put their deaths on me!” Hardin’s voice was sharp enough to cut stone. “I left because of you. Because you made it clear there was no place for me here.”
They were almost nose-to-nose now, both of them breathing hard, and my heart was hammering so loudly I thought it would burst.
“This is insane!” I said, stepping between them, pressing my hands against Sebastian’s chest to hold him back. “Do you hear yourselves? The pack is under attack. Villagers aren’t safe. Rogues are killing people and you’re here fighting about me?”
Neither of them spoke.
“You’re brothers,” I said, my voice cracking. “You should be putting your heads together, not tearing each other apart!”
For a moment, there was silence — then Sebastian’s cold voice cut through it.
“Maybe I wouldn’t have to fight my brother if my mate didn’t keep running to his arms every time something goes wrong.”
The words hit me harder than any slap could have.
“Running to him?” I whispered, my hands dropping from his chest. “Sebastian, do you even hear yourself right now?”
His jaw was tight, but he didn’t look away.
“You didn’t defend me,” I said, my voice rising with each word. “When the council told you I was a weak Luna, that I should be replaced — you didn’t say anything. You just sat there. Do you know what that felt like? Do you know how small that made me feel?”
Around us, a few warriors and pack members had slowed, pretending to be busy but clearly listening. The gossip would spread like wildfire by nightfall.
Sebastian’s eyes flicked to them, then back to me. His face darkened. “Enough.”
“Enough?” I laughed bitterly. “No, Sebastian. You don’t get to shut me up just because people are listening. Not after what you—”
He grabbed my wrist suddenly, not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough that I stumbled forward.
“You. Me. Home. Now,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Sebastian—”
“Now, Rhianna.”
The entire hallway went silent as he all but dragged me away. I could feel every pair of eyes on my back.
And for the first time, I didn’t know if I wanted to cry… or scream.
Sebastian didn’t say a single word on the way back. His grip around my wrist was firm, his steps long and fast, and I could feel every ounce of anger radiating off him. The silence was so loud, it was suffocating.
“Sebastian, you’re hurting me,” I whispered when his fingers tightened, but he didn’t stop until we reached the pack house.
He yanked the front door open and practically pulled me inside, slamming it shut behind us.
The air felt heavy, too heavy, as he finally turned to face me.
“What the hell was that back there?” His voice was a low growl, but there was nothing calm about it. “You just stood there in front of half the pack, making a scene like that?”
I blinked at him, my chest tight. “Making a scene? Sebastian, I was defending myself. I was defending us. You just sat there and let them call me weak—”
“Because you are!”
The words hit me like a physical blow.
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.
Sebastian ran a hand through his hair, his jaw tight. “Ever since Hardin came back, you’ve been different. You talk back, you challenge me in public. You keep running to him like he’s your savior—”
“That’s not true!” My voice cracked. “Hardin just listens, Sebastian. That’s all. I go to him because I can’t keep everything inside. I need someone to talk to, and you—”
“And I’m not enough for you, is that it?” His eyes were cold now, his words sharp.
“That’s not what I said.” My hands were shaking. “Sebastian, I love you. You’re my mate. I chose you.”
“Then act like it!” he snapped. “Because right now, Rhianna, you’re making me look like a fool. Do you know what it feels like to have the council question my judgment? To tell me I need a stronger Luna?”
“I heard them!” My voice rose, tears stinging my eyes. “I heard every single word. And do you know what it felt like? To sit there and listen to them tell you to replace me, and you said nothing. You didn’t defend me, Sebastian. Not once. Not even with a word.”
“I can’t defend what’s true,” he said quietly.
I flinched as if he’d struck me.
“You think I don’t know I’m not like the others?” My voice trembled now, thick with tears. “You think I don’t see the way they look at me? I have tried, Sebastian. I have tried to be strong, to be the Luna you deserve—”
“You’re not trying hard enough.”
The words broke something inside me.
I took a step back, shaking my head. “This isn’t you. This isn’t what you promised me. You said you’d stand by me no matter what. You said I wouldn’t have to fight alone. You said—”
“I said a lot of things,” he cut in bitterly, his tone sharp enough to slice through me.
Tears rolled freely down my face now. “Stop. Please. Just stop saying these things to me. I can’t—”
But he was already turning away.
“I need space,” he muttered, heading for the stairs.
“Sebastian—”
He didn’t stop.
He disappeared into our bedroom and slammed the door shut so hard the sound echoed through the house.
I stood there frozen, the silence deafening, my tears falling faster.
I sank to the floor, pulling my knees to my chest as my sobs broke free.
And for the first time since becoming Luna, I wondered if I had made the wrong choice.