Cecilia’s pov
The screen revealed sothing impossible.
We’d arrived before Luna Regina, no question. But in the footage, it was like we’d vanished. Luna Regina were still there, clear as day. We were just... gone.
We were completely erased, like we’d never stepped foot in the place.
I stared at the screen, my mouth slightly open, heart pounding in my ears.
Was this a glitch? Or a dream?
A cold chill crept up my spine, raising every hair on my arms.
Sebastian noticed too. He motioned Tang over.
"Did you watch this before you brought it to ?"
Tang shook his head.
"No, Alpha. I just copied the files, deleted the originals, and ca straight back. I didn’t even know what we were looking for."
"Take a look," Sebastian said, handing him the phone.
Tang watched in silence for a few seconds, his expression unreadable.
"I see Luna Regina with York, and it looks like they’re arguing.Is that what we’re trying to hide?"
Sebastian pointed to a spot on the screen.
"There should be another woman right here. She’s been completely removed."
Tang’s eyes widened slightly.
"That’s not normal. It must be a hack. Soone’s tampered with the footage."
He looked up, face serious. "Alpha, soone’s tracking her."
"Tracking?" The word barely made it out of my mouth.
Tang turned to , his voice calm but urgent.
"Think about it. This mall’s always crowded, and people usually show up without spontaneously.
If soone managed to catch that woman and Luna Regina in the sa fra and delete only her, they had to know exactly where she was going to be."
"They’re watching her. Every move."
My breath caught.
"That... actually makes sense," I whispered, suddenly lightheaded.
My mind spun.
Who would want to hide this? Who didn’t want Sebastian’s mother to find her so-called savior? Who else knew what happened that night?
Maggie Locke?
Or one of the other won who were there?
Sebastian’s expression turned sharp, his voice low.
"Looks like I’m not the only one keeping my mother in the dark. Soone else is working just as hard to keep them apart."
I glanced around the mall, suddenly hyper-aware of how open the space was.
The invisible weight of being watched settled on my shoulders.
Without thinking, I reached for Sebastian’s arm and stepped closer.
"Let’s go ho," I whispered.
Sebastian gave Tang a few quiet instructions, then led back to the car.
Once we were inside, the doors shut with a soft thud.
He turned toward , eyes focused.
"Cece, be honest. Why are you suddenly so invested in this?"
I took a quiet breath. Ti to spin sothing plausible.
"Okay, fine," I said.
"Harper and I were having dinner here earlier. When we left, I saw your mom. And... I don’t know. I had a weird mont and decided to follow her."
Sebastian blinked.
He looked genuinely surprised.
"I figured you’d catch doing sothing suspicious, so I panicked," I added, forcing an awkward laugh.
"It was dumb. I know."
He watched for a long mont.
"That doesn’t sound like you."
Then he reached over, gently brushing my hair back from my forehead.
"No more weird impulses, okay? Bad for your brain."
I swatted his hand away and buckled my seatbelt.
"Let’s just go ho."
I leaned back into the seat, letting the exhaustion show on my face.
Sebastian didn’t say another word. He just started the car.
Back at the penthouse, I imdiately pulled my phone from his pocket and slipped into the guest bedroom, locking the door behind .
I needed space. And ti.
A few minutes later, Sebastian knocked.
I didn’t answer.
--
I barely slept that night. Even in a penthouse with top-notch security, I couldn’t shut my brain off.
The next morning, I showered, got dressed, and headed to the dining room. Sawyer and Tang were already there, playing with Muffin while Liam set the table.
I greeted them with my usual mask of normalcy. At this point, I could fake calm in my sleep.
"Is the Alpha still asleep?" I asked, keeping my tone light.
"He is," Liam replied. Then, with mock-innocence:"Sawyer, why don’t you go wake him?"
Sawyer’s eyes went wide. "Do I look like I have a death wish? Cecilia, this mission is yours. You’re the only one qualified!"
I let out a dramatic sigh. "Fine. I’ll do it."
I walked up to the master bedroom and knocked softly. No response.
I hesitated, then pushed the door open just a crack.
The bed was empty, and from where I stood, the room looked quiet. He must’ve already gotten up.
I was about to walk off when the door suddenly opened from the inside.
He moved in my direction, wearing nothing but a towel slung low on his hips.
Caught off guard, I felt heat rush to my face.
I waved my hands like a traffic cop. "Nope. Put so clothes on. Imdiately."
Instead, he pulled into the room and shut the door behind .
"Looking for so early?" he teased. "Here to pick out my outfit?"
"I was sent to wake you up, not get pulled into your undressing montage."
He tugged toward his walk-in closet.
"Well, since you’re here, you might as well help choose."
Help with what? Choosing between fifty shades of black suits?
I didn’t want to linger.
I could already imagine the looks I’d get if I stayed in there too long.
I grabbed the first decent outfit I saw."This one. It’s fine."
"That was barely two seconds of effort, Cece."
"You don’t need effort. You’d look good in a paper bag," I said, already edging toward the door.
"Now go get dressed. I’ll wait outside."
I’d barely taken a step when he caught my wrist.
His lips brushed against my ear, warm and teasing.
"Help put it on."
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