Chapter Eight
Chapter 8
Hardin didn’t wait for Tia to open the door — he just stepped inside like he owned the place, like he’d been here a thousand times before.
And maybe he had.
“Hardin—” Tia started, but he didn’t look at her. His eyes were already locked on me, pulling me to my feet without a single word.
“Little Wolf,” he said softly, and my pulse jumped at the sound.
I folded my arms over my chest, willing my heartbeat to calm down. “What are you doing here?”
He took his time answering, his gaze sweeping over me from head to toe like he was checking for any damage, making sure I was still in one piece. “You fainted last night.”
I swallowed. “I’m fine now.”
“You don’t look fine.”
His voice was low, rough — but there was something under it too, something softer, something that scared me more than his possessiveness ever could.
“Hardin…” I took a step back. “This is wrong.”
He raised a brow. “Wrong?”
“Yes.” My throat felt tight, but I forced the words out. “I love Sebastian. He’s my mate. The moon goddess paired us for a reason. You need to leave me alone.”
For a second, something flickered in his eyes. Pain. Anger. Hunger. Maybe all three. But then his mouth curved into a slow, humorless smile.
“You really believe that, don’t you?” he said quietly.
“I do,” I whispered, though my voice shook.
Hardin leaned in, his breath brushing my cheek. “The moon goddess might’ve chosen him for you, Little Wolf… but my heart chose you a long time ago.”
The words slammed into me, knocking the air from my lungs. He didn’t touch me, but he didn’t have to — he’d already stripped me bare with just his stare.
“Hardin—”
He stepped back suddenly, turning toward the door. “Fine. Go back to him. Pretend he’s enough for you.” His eyes met mine one last time, sharp and unrelenting. “But one day, when you finally realize he’s not… remember I warned you. Whilst still on the topic little wolf you are mine. No freaking moon goddess is going to change that fact…”
And then he was gone, the air rushing back into the room like a storm had just passed.
Tia let out a low whistle. “Well… that was intense.”
I sank back onto the couch, burying my face in my hands.
“You okay?” she asked softly, sitting next to me.
“I need to go home,” I said after a long silence.
“Home?”
I nodded. “To Sebastian.”
Tia blinked at me like I’d just said I was going to run headfirst into a burning building. “You’re kidding, right? You’re going back to the guy who didn’t even check on you after you collapsed yesterday?”
“He’s my mate, Tia,” I said quietly. “I have to try. I can’t just give up on him.”
Tia scoffed. “You don’t have to give up on him, but you don’t have to kill yourself over him either. News flash — mates are supposed to actually care. Hardin showed up the second he heard you fainted. Sebastian? Busy. With who? Probably Brittany.”
I flinched, but she wasn’t wrong.
“You deserve someone who will move heaven and earth for you, Rhi,” Tia said firmly. “I don’t care what the moon goddess says. If your mate can’t be bothered to show up when you’re hurting, then maybe he’s not the one you should be fighting for.”
Her words sat heavy in my chest, but I shook my head. “I just need to see him. Talk to him. If I don’t, it’s going to eat me alive.”
Tia sighed, clearly unhappy, but she didn’t stop me as I grabbed my bag and headed for the door.
“Fine,” she called after me. “But just know — I’m Team Hardin now. Full stop.”
I didn’t answer, but a small, humorless laugh escaped me. Leave it to Tia to turn my love life into some kind of spectator sport.
By the time I reached home, my nerves were a mess. The house was too quiet at first, and for a brief second, I thought maybe I’d gotten lucky — maybe Sebastian wasn’t here.
Then I heard laughter.
Brittany’s laughter.
I froze in the hallway, my stomach twisting.
When I stepped into the living room, there she was, perched on my couch like she owned it, her perfectly manicured hand brushing Sebastian’s arm as she whispered something that made him smile.
The sight lit something sharp and ugly in my chest.
“Wow,” I said, my voice sharper than I meant it to be.
Brittany’s head snapped toward me, her fake smile dropping. “Rhianna.”
“Brittany,” I said coolly. “I don’t remember inviting you into my house. Or my mate’s lap.”
She flushed, her lips parting, but I didn’t give her the chance to speak.
“Get out.”
Sebastian stood quickly. “Rhi—”
I held up a hand, my voice colder than ice. “You can stay. She can’t.”
For a second, Brittany looked like she might argue, but then she caught Sebastian’s expression and thought better of it. With a toss of her blonde hair, she brushed past me toward the door.
When it slammed shut behind her, I turned to Sebastian.
“Why didn’t you check on me?”
He blinked, like the question surprised him. “What?”
“I fainted yesterday,” I said, my voice trembling now, but not from weakness — from anger. “I collapsed in front of everyone, and you didn’t even come to see if I was okay. Why?”
Sebastian sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I was busy.”
“Busy?” I repeated, my chest aching.
“It was a council matter, Rhi. Important.”
I let out a humorless laugh, tears pricking my eyes. “Right. Busy.”
I turned toward the stairs, my voice quiet but cutting. “Funny… Hardin wasn’t.”
That made him stop.
“What do you mean Hardin wasn’t?” His tone had changed now, sharper, suspicious.
I didn’t answer. I just kept walking upstairs, leaving him standing there, staring after me.