Chapter 21 –
Rhianna’s POV
The second chime of the doorbell made my pulse leap into my throat.
Hardin gave me a sharp look before moving toward the door, silent and dangerous. My fingers twisted in the bedsheet as if that would anchor me, but my wolf was already pacing, hackles raised.
What if it was Sebastian?
I wasn’t ready to face him — not after last night, not after those words that still echoed in my head like a curse.
My stomach churned as Hardin opened the door.
Then came a soft scoff and a muttered curse.
“Relax,” he called over his shoulder, voice calm. “It’s just the mailman.”
My body sagged with relief. “Mailman?”
“Yeah.” He returned, holding a thin brown envelope between two fingers. “Document from the council and a bunch of boring legal crap.”
I let out a shaky laugh. “Oh, goddess. I thought—”
“You thought lover boy had tracked you down?” Hardin smirked, tossing the envelope onto his table without even looking at it.
I scowled. “I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to, Little Wolf.”
“Shut up,” I muttered, grabbing my phone to avoid looking at him.
Three missed calls from Tia lit up my screen. My stomach sank again. I called back, and she answered instantly.
“Oh, thank the goddess,” she said without a hello. “Rhianna, are you alive?”
“Yes, I’m alive. Why?”
“Because Sebastian came banging on my door this morning like a lunatic,” she said, her words flying. “Girl, he was about to rip it off the hinges. He was shouting your name like the whole street needed to know you were missing!”
I froze, phone pressed to my ear.
“He—he came looking for me?”
“Yes! And you should have seen his face. He was crazy mad. Girl, if I didn’t know better, I’d say he was going feral.”
My heart throbbed painfully at the thought of Sebastian outside, desperate and angry.
“Are you going home or not?” Tia pressed.
I chewed on my lip, pacing the room. “Not now. Not in daylight.”
“Why not?”
“Because can you imagine what people would say if they saw me walking out of Hardin’s house first thing in the morning? It would spread like wildfire. I’d rather die.”
Tia chuckled. “The drama would be delicious.”
“Tia!”
“Fine, fine. So when are you planning to go back, Miss Perfect Image?”
I sighed, dragging my fingers through my messy hair. “Tonight. Late. When everyone’s asleep. I can’t face him yet. Not after what he said.”
“Good,” she said softly. “Let him sweat. He deserves it.”
We said goodbye, and I lowered the phone, staring at my reflection in Hardin’s mirror.
I looked like a girl who had been crying all night — dark circles under my eyes, hair sticking in every direction. And still, somewhere in there, I was his mate.
I didn’t hear him until he was right behind me.
A large, warm hand slid around my waist, pulling me back against a hard wall of muscle.
I gasped, phone slipping from my hand onto the dresser.
“Relax,” Hardin murmured, his voice a low rumble against my ear.
My body went rigid for a heartbeat, but then something in me loosened — maybe my wolf, maybe just my exhaustion — and I let myself sink back against him.
His chest was solid heat at my back. His breath tickled my ear. His other hand came to rest just under my ribs, fingers splayed wide, firm but not rough.
“Hardin,” I breathed, my voice embarrassingly shaky.
“Mhm.”
“What are you doing?”
“Stopping you from overthinking.” His tone was soft, almost teasing, but there was something underneath it — something darker, heavier.
My heart pounded as I felt every inch of him behind me. His slow, steady breathing. The weight of his body, grounding me.
And lower —
My breath caught. Heat licked through me like fire under my skin.
“You can’t just…”
“Why not?” His lips brushed my temple as he spoke, sending a shiver down my spine.
“Because this is…” My words tangled on my tongue. “Confusing.”
“Only if you make it,” he said.
My wolf purred at his voice. I hated that. I hated that my body seemed to lean into him on its own, like it wanted this — wanted him — even when my mind screamed that it was wrong.
I closed my eyes. “You shouldn’t be touching me like this.”
“Maybe I should,” he murmured, his nose skimming along my hairline until he reached my ear. His breath was warm and maddeningly slow. “You’re shaking.”
“I’m fine,” I lied.
“No, you’re not.”
His thumb brushed over my stomach, a small, careful motion that made my insides twist.
“Stop,” I whispered, but it came out weak.
“Tell me to really stop,” he challenged, his voice a low growl now.
I swallowed hard, but the words wouldn’t come.
Instead, I leaned back against him just a little more.
His grip tightened, his chest rising sharply behind me.
The silence stretched, thick with heat and something unspoken.
When I finally stepped away, it was like tearing myself out of a warm blanket on a freezing morning. I almost turned back.
“Thank you,” I said softly, keeping my eyes on the floor.
He didn’t reply. He just stepped forward, tilting my chin up with a finger until I had no choice but to look at him.
His gaze was steady, unreadable, but something flickered there — something that made my stomach drop and my pulse jump.
“Anytime, Little Wolf,” he said finally, his voice quiet but charged.
And then he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there with my heart beating too fast and my skin burning where his hands had been.