CHAPTER 5

Sebastian spent the night in a different room, and I spent the night tossing and turning. My wolf wouldn’t calm down, no matter how much I tried to pacify her. I always liked to think we had one and the same mind, but apparently not. She wanted me to rethink my decision, and she wasn’t backing down. So eventually, I settled on talking to Luna about it. Catherine was one of the people who knew about Sebastian’s true feelings towards my sister, so her opinion on the matter was very much important.

I took my time getting ready. I carefully applied my makeup and hoped that it would serve as some kind of shield and provide me with the courage I needed. I even decided to take a break from my normal attire of jeans or sweatpants, and picked out a beautiful dress. I stared at myself in the mirror after I wore my dress, barely recognizing myself. I felt beautiful, but all I could think about was the fact that the exact same dress was resting somewhere in Lilith’s closet. The thought made me sick to my stomach.

There was a faint knock on the door, and Sebastian appeared when I opened it.

“Hey,” he said softly.

“Hey,” I echoed back.

“Do you want to sit for a bit?” Sebastian asked.

I hesitated, but eventually made my way to one of the chairs in the room. He sat next to me, looking guilty. Maybe I was wrong, maybe yesterday affected him after all.

He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry… about yesterday.” His apology caught me by surprise and my eyes widened as I looked at him. He chuckled humorlessly. “I know I can be an asshole, but I shouldn’t have said any of those things to you yesterday. I was wrong.”

His voice was soft, and he sounded so sincere. I couldn’t continue to stay mad at him, even if I tried. This was the Sebastian I fell in love with. He reminded me so much of that little boy I had met all those years ago. The one who was kind and honest and caring. The one who fought off bullies from other packs just to protect me.

Those kids were bigger than him, but even as a young wolf, Sebastian had always been brave. I could still remember the first time I knew I liked him— I had fallen from one of the swings in the playground, and Sebastian had raced all the way inside his home to bring me a band aid for the cut on my knee. He had been so attentive as he carefully took care of my knee, and I knew I was in love then.

That was about ten years ago, and my feelings for him hadn’t changed one bit.

And finally, when I turned sixteen, I decided to just tell him how I felt. I wanted us to be boyfriend and girlfriend. But Sebastian didn’t want the same thing. He wanted Lilith, and he told me that he was going to marry her. It broke my young heart, but there was nothing I could do. Our friendship meant a lot to me.

I was going to let things go and love him quietly, until we found out we were mates. And eventually, we had to get married. Sebastian’s true love never faded though, despite being married to me.

“You look beautiful.”

The sound of his voice dragged me back to reality. “What?” I asked, not sure what he had said before.

He smiled. “I said you look beautiful. That dress looks perfect on you.”

“Tha—” the smile on my face was wiped off as he cut me off and continued.

“I think Lilith has something similar. You must have seen her in it. You know, Alora, you should pay more attention to what you wear. Take advice from the other women and try to dress more like them. You’re my Luna, and you should look like it, not like a warrior. You should try to be more feminine, like your sister.”

My nose flared in anger, and this time, my wolf agreed with me. I balled up my fists in my lap. I stood up and faced Sebastian. “You’re so quick to make comparisons when it comes to me and Lilith, but do you even know that she’s the one who has stolen everything from me? Do you have any idea that those dresses you praise her so much for are the exact same dresses in my closet? Do you have any idea how much work I’m putting in to become the perfect Luna? You hate the way I dress, but do you realize that I only dress that way to be able to properly train the female warriors on the training ground? You have no idea how hard all of this is for me, and all you do is point fingers and talk down on me!”

“Alora,” he stood up and placed his arms on my shoulders. “I didn’t mean any of it that way. All I was saying is that your appearance matters a lot here. Lilith embodies the Luna even more than you do and it shouldn’t—”

“Get your hands off me!” I spat as I shrugged off his hands. “You know what, Sebastian? Just leave. All you’re doing is making things worse, so just leave me alone. Please.”

“Why are you so angry all the time!?” He yelled in my face, now getting angry too. “You’re so angry and this is exactly what I’m talking about. If only you were softer and considerate like your sister!”

Something broke inside of me. My wolf stood on all fours, wanting to come out. I knew she was angry, and that she would go straight for the kill if I let her out.

My heart broke and tears filled my eyes. I slapped him, and my fingerprints remained in an angry red shade on his face. “I’m leaving you, Sebastian. I can’t take this anymore. I’m leaving you. I’m leaving the pack.”

“Alora—”

“No, Sebastian! You’ve been talking for years and now it’s time for you to listen to me,” I fired, cutting him off. I was done listening to him. “I’m done. I’m done for real this time.”

My heart pounded in my chest. My wolf was restless, like she knew what was about to happen. I didn’t think. I couldn’t let myself think about it or I would chicken out. So I took a deep breath and made sure my next words were loud and clear. “I, Alora Blue Richardson, reject you Sebastian Wolfe, as my mate.”