Cecilia’s pov
"You - " I gasped, feeling a sudden flutter of panic in my chest.
Xavier’s face darkened to a dangerous shade.
His jaw clenched so hard I could almost hear his teeth grinding.
Was he seriously this threatened by Sebastian? The thought sent a strange thrill through .
"Not him," Xavier growled. "Anyone but him."
I gathered myself quickly. "Yes, him."
"He’s off-limits!" Xavier’s eyes flashed amber.
"He’s perfectly suitable," I countered evenly.
"Suitable? How the hell is he suitable?" Xavier’s voice rose, attracting glances from passersby.
"In every way that matters," I replied, my voice deliberately light and airy.
Sothing wild flashed across Xavier’s face.
His hands flexed at his sides like he was imagining them around soone’s throat.
I took two cautious steps back.
Yes, Sebastian’s arrival had emboldened , but Xavier in this state was still dangerous.
If I had the physical strength to match him, I wouldn’t be dancing around his ego like this.
But beneath my composed exterior, fear still pulsed through my veins.
A warm, strong hand settled against my lower back.
Sebastian had appeared beside , his palm sliding protectively around my waist, pulling slightly toward him.
His face remained cold, but his voice softened a fraction when he spoke to .
"Don’t put weight on your injured foot," he murmured, the concern in his voice genuine.
My heart skipped a beat.
I tilted my head back to look at him just as he lowered his gaze to mine.
Our eyes t, and sothing electric passed between us.
"Lean on ," he continued, his voice a low rumble ant only for . "Then we can discuss with Alpha Xavier exactly why I’m perfectly suitable."
I pressed my lips together, fighting a smile as warmth blood across my cheeks. The heat rising to my face felt as obvious as if I’d been placed over an open fla.
Xavier looked ready to shift and tear sothing apart.
"Alpha Xavier appears to have lost interest in this little field trip," Sebastian observed casually. "The sun’s setting anyway. There’s really no point now." Without warning, he bent down and swept into his arms.
In the middle of a public street!
My mind scread in embarrassnt even as my body betrayed by lting against his chest.
"I can walk - " I protested weakly.
"You’re too slow," he replied simply.
Well... I couldn’t argue with that.
Sebastian turned and began walking away with in his arms, his stride confident and unhurried.
Xavier’s voice rang out behind us, dripping with mockery. "Did I miss the mo? Since when does Alpha Sebastian turn in before midnight? Thought you were the type to chase the dawn, not hide from it."
Sebastian paused mid-step.
I shot him a look that said: * I told you this overgrown wolf wouldn’t give up easily.*
"Perhaps we should humor him," Sebastian suggested, his tone almost compassionate. "Mr. Green seems fixated on this. I’d hate for him to do sothing... regrettable."
He turned back to Xavier. "If you’re coming, let’s go. We’ll take my car. It’s more spacious."
Without waiting for a response, he continued toward his vehicle, carrying as effortlessly as if I weighed nothing.
Xavier stalked after us, his scent still agitated.
Sebastian opened the passenger door and gently lowered inside, closing it with care before walking around to the back seat.
Xavier yanked open the door on the opposite side and climbed in, practically radiating hostility.
The atmosphere inside the car was suffocating.
I caught Sawyer’s panicked eyes in the rearview mirror.
On Moon Goddess, I wanted to escape too.
"Drive to the school next door," Sebastian instructed from the back seat.
"Yes, Alpha," Sawyer replied, starting the engine and carefully steering toward the high school.
After so discussion at the entrance gate and contacting a forr teacher, we were permitted entry with strict instructions not to disturb the students.
The tree-lined pathway through campus felt eerily different at night.
The aged buildings and towering trees created an almost supernatural atmosphere in the darkness.
Combined with the tension inside our vehicle...
As we glided slowly past the shadowy buildings, I half expected sothing sinister to erge from the darkness.
The silence was finally broken by Xavier’s low, pointed comnt, "Cecilia and I used to walk this path together every day."
Sebastian let out a soft laugh. The kind of laugh that ca with a dagger.
"Oh? What, did the other students take an underground tunnel to avoid the awkward third-wheeling?"
Xavier’s scent spiked with irritation. "What I an is that we were each other’s first loves. We fell for each other right here."
"How poetic." Sebastian replied with elegant disdain. " And here I thought your strategy was to lead with facts, not nostalgia and teenage hormones."
The two Alphas locked eyes in the darkness of the backseat, the air between them practically crackling with hostility.
I sat rigidly in my seat, saying nothing.
Sawyer gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles whitened.
"STOP THE CAR!" Xavier suddenly bellowed.
Sawyer flinched, the vehicle jerking slightly, but he didn’t stop.
He was waiting for his Alpha’s command, not Xavier’s.
I twisted in my seat, my voice ice-cold. "Xavier, cut the theatrics. You’re on school property, not the set of a teen soap. You’re the CEO of Blood Moon, not a toddler pitching a fit in Target."
He leaned forward like he was about to try charm for a change. Big mistake.
"I just want to walk around a little,"he said, all fake-sweet. "The academic buildings are right up ahead - I could carry you, if you’re tired. Rember how we used to - "
"No," I snapped. "I don’t rember anything."
My voice was sharp enough to slice through steel.
"Xavier. That past died a long ti ago."
"You’re just a faded photograph in my brain, and honestly, I should’ve burned it."
The words hit him like a slap. He reached for - fingers curling like he didn’t quite know if he wanted to hold or hurt .
"Cecilia,"he said hoarsely. "How can you be so heartless?"
Before he could touch , Sebastian intercepted his hand.
I startled, instinctively shrinking toward the door.
Sebastian firmly gripped Xavier’s wrist. "Even if you forced her into submission, she would never love you again."
"Why can’t you accept reality, Alpha Xavier ?" Sebastian’s voice was dangerously calm.
Xavier snarled and violently wrenched his arm free, causing Sebastian’s hand to slam against the window with a sharp crack.
The sound made flinch.
I whirled around, fear and anger colliding in my chest. "Stop it right now!"
I was terrified Xavier might attack Sebastian.
Once wolves started fighting, soone always got hurt.
I couldn’t bear the thought of Sebastian being injured.
Furious but trying to be reasonable, I addressed Xavier directly. "Didn’t you promise we would just drive through like old classmates? Didn’t I agree to that? Can’t you keep your word for once? Can you control your temper for five minutes?"
Sebastian was rubbing his wrist in the backseat.
When he saw defending him, a subtle smile curved his lips, his eyes warming in a way that made my heart skip.z
Xavier had no response to my accusations.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to regain his composure.
This clearly wasn’t how he’d imagined this little trip would unfold.
He took back to where we first fell for each other and wanted those mories would soften my resolve.
He truly believed I couldn’t have completely let go of our past.
I had loved him once. We had been in love. But that was just the past.
By now, the car had glided past the tree-lined path.
Xavier glanced out the window and spotted a large artificial lake.
Sothing flickered across his face, and he insisted that Sawyer stop the car.
This ti, Sebastian nodded his permission to Sawyer.
"Alpha Xavier," Sebastian said with false cordiality, "this is the final landmark on campus. Beyond this point, we’ll need to turn around. If you have any last wishes - pardon - requests, please state them now. Otherwise, it’s ti to head back."
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