Cecilia’s pov
"You’ll keep your word on that, right?"
Alpha Sebastian’s voice was low and smooth, brushing against my skin like warm velvet.
My heart skipped a wild beat.
When I tried to turn away, he caught my chin with surprising gentleness, tilting my face up until our eyes locked.
His voice dropped another octave, dangerously close.
"Don’t even think about running-- I always notice."
I could barely hear him anymore - my pulse was thundering in my ears.
My eyes flicked to his lips. My throat went dry.
He leaned in, his breath warm against my mouth, his thumb trailing over my cheek like it belonged there.
I panicked.
"Alpha!" I yelped, pulling back and swatting his hand away.
He blinked, taken aback. I stared at him, wide-eyed and breathless.
Under the weight of his unreadable stare, I blurted the first thing that popped into my head:
"...That was very eco-friendly of you. Waste not, want not."
After spouting this nonsense, I squeezed his hand firmly, then quickly sat down, steadying myself against the table.
I lowered my head and focused intensely on my food.
God knows my calves were cramping!
I could barely breathe!
Did he just try to...? had he developed an addiction to kissing ? How could he do this?
He promised not to make things difficult for or act like so bandit! A man’s word truly is worthless!
Alpha Sebastian sat down.
I continued eating with my head bowed.
The atmosphere was quiet, tinged with awkwardness.
"Ah."
The quiet sigh broke through the hum of the dining room.
I paused mid-bite and glanced up, only to find Alpha Sebastian watching . Intently.
I froze, fork hovering near my mouth.
"Did I do sothing wrong?"
His gaze didn’t shift. "No. That was at myself."
"You don’t finish your food either?"
He actually chuckled - low and brief. Then he went still again, like soone was carving him out of stone.
"I keep telling myself I won’t make things harder for you," he said, voice quiet. "But I lose control too easily. I make you uncomfortable. I can see it every ti you flinch or avoid my eyes. And then I get frustrated with myself because it keeps happening."
I blinked. That level of self-awareness was unexpected.
He leaned back in his chair, eyes still locked on mine.
"You must think I’m exhausting to be around."
"What? No." I shook my head too quickly.
"Really. You’re... you’re better than most n I’ve t. I an that."
He gave a skeptical look.
I set my fork down carefully. "I’m serious. You’re not arrogant. You’re not fake. You’re just - intense. But at least you’re not pretending to be sothing you’re not."
His brow furrowed a little, but the corner of his mouth lifted - just slightly.
"And yet..." he said slowly, lacing his fingers together, "...the girl I want still doesn’t want back.
On that note, Cecilia, would it kill you to throw a little rcy?"
I stared at him.
Then, without a word, I picked my fork back up and shoved another bite into my mouth.
rcy?
That wasn’t a conversation opener - that was a trap with silver cutlery and linen napkins.
And he knew it, the smug bastard.
Alpha Sebastian didn’t push. He just poured another glass of juice, his voice soft again.
"Take your ti. If you’re full, I’ll pack the rest to go."
I ignored him.
After finishing, I prepared to slip away. "Alpha, thank you for dinner. I should get back to my room now. Harper will be bored alone."
"I’m bored too."
"Then I’ll ask Beta Sawyer to keep you company."
Alpha Sebastian laughed, amused by my response. He stood up. "Co on, I’ll walk you back to your room."
"No, no, no need," I said, rising quickly. "It’s just a few steps away. I’m not a child. Alpha, get so rest. Good night."
I was already heading for the door before finishing my sentence.
As I reached for the handle -
"Ding dong - "
The doorbell rang loudly in my ear.
Who could it be at this hour?
I continued reaching for the door, but a pale, elegant hand covered mine and pulled it back.
Alpha Sebastian guided away from the door, making a silencing gesture.
I gave him a confused look.
He led back to the living room and sat on the couch, then leaned close to whisper, "It might be Alpha Xavier."
"...What?" I whispered back.
Why would Alpha Xavier co looking for him in the middle of the night? Was he bored too and looking for soone to chat with?
That seed ridiculous!
"I think - "
I only got three words out before Alpha Sebastian made another shushing motion.
His expression was so serious that I had no choice but to lean closer to his ear and whisper, "It’s definitely not him."
Alpha Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Want to bet?"
I hesitated. "...No."
His words had a distinctly trap-like quality.
Seeing my cautious expression, Alpha Sebastian couldn’t resist gently pinching my cheek. "Why don’t you have any sense of adventure? I haven’t even ntioned the stakes yet."
I remained unmoved. "Not betting."
"If you win, I’ll tell you where Nicole’s real grandmother went."
He knew? My eyes widened instantly.
Earlier that afternoon, he had whispered in my ear that the woman in the yard wasn’t Nicole’s grandmother but an elderly lady she’d temporarily hired to lure them to the village.
Although I’d had my doubts about Nicole at the ti, I hadn’t been entirely certain.
"Betting or not?" Alpha Sebastian asked again.
"But if I lose..."
I didn’t dare agree so quickly now.
What if I lost and he made so... unreasonable demand?
Alpha Sebastian seed to read my thoughts and sighed again. "Don’t worry. If you lose, you’ll just have to accompany for a walk downstairs."
A walk? That’s it?
"I’ll bet!" I agreed with newfound enthusiasm, as if I were going all-in.
Just a walk? I wouldn’t be afraid even if it were a marathon!
Alpha Sebastian pulled back to the door.
He gestured for to look.
I took a deep breath and nervously peered through the peephole.
At this mont, whether Alpha Xavier was outside or not was crucial - it determined winning or losing, and my honor was at stake. I had to win!
Through the peephole, I saw a hotel staff mber in uniform.
"I won! I won!!" I exclaid triumphantly.
I knew it couldn’t possibly be Alpha Xavier!
Alpha Sebastian’s smile was indulgent as he gently stroked the back of my neck. "You’re that happy about winning?"
"Of course!" My eyes sparkled with excitent.
Alpha Sebastian opened the door.
"Alpha Sebastian, this is wine sent by your friend," the hotel staff mber said.
"Thank you," Alpha Sebastian replied, accepting the wine from him.
The staff mber glanced at standing behind Alpha Sebastian before smiling and leaving.
Alpha Sebastian closed the door.
"You have a friend staying at this hotel?" I asked curiously.
Alpha Sebastian glanced at it, then gave a small, unreadable smile."Sothing like that."
Sothing like that? That wasn’t an answer. Did he even know who sent it?
He moved to open the bottle.
"Would be a sha to waste a good vintage - care to join , Cecilia?"
I shook my head quickly. "No, thanks."
He didn’t press. Quietly, he poured himself a glass.
But when I realized he was actually about to drink it, I stepped forward instinctively.
"Wait - don’t. You don’t even know where it ca from. What if there’s sothing in it?"
Had he learned nothing from last ti?
The resort incident had been bad enough - no one expected the complintary water to be laced with sleeping pills.
But this? This felt deliberate.
He looked at over the rim of his glass, amused.
"With you here, Cecilia, I feel perfectly safe."
I stared at him.
"Well I don’t," I blurted, voice sharper than I intended.
Silence.
His brows lifted slightly, then his lips curled into sothing dangerously close to a smirk.
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