Cecilia’s pov
I hadn’t taken more than a few steps when Luna Regina suddenly chirped,
"Oh, Sebas..."
I stopped cold.
Blood? Ice. Spine? Gone.
Looking up, I saw Sebastian step out of the private dining room.
Of course this was happening. The universe wasn’t just laughing at . It was having a full-blown cosmic ltdown.
I slapped both hands over my face like that would sohow make invisible.
Out of all the restaurants in Denver, in all the private rooms, I had to walk into this one. Straight into the lion’s den.
Luna Regina bead like a ga show host revealing the grand prize."Don’t be shy, sweetheart."
She looped an arm around my shoulders and added,
"Look, my son ca out just to et you. Isn’t that sothing?"
She started guiding toward Sebastian.
Zaria was standing nearby, her expression frozen sowhere between horror and fascination.
She stared at her mom as if she’d sprouted another head, then stepped closer like she couldn’t look away.
"This is my son, Sebastian." Luna Regina said proudly, presenting Sebastian like he was the bachelor on season finale night.
"H...Hello," I said.
Sure. Never t this man before in my life. Complete stranger.
Sebastian’s face was the picture of calm.
That smug bastard.
"Hello," he said smoothly, reaching out like we were eting at a corporate mixer.
I wanted to kick him in the shin.
Luna Regina nudged toward him to shake hands.
I reached out, ready for a quick handshake and nothing more.But Sebastian took my hand and held it.
His grip was warm and firm, and he didn’t let go.
I looked up, alard.
His cool expression lted into a smile that was all charm and trouble. Those eyes crinkled, soft and dangerous, as he turned to his mother.
"Mother, is this the guardian angel who saved your life?" he asked.
"She’s even more beautiful than you said."
I was burning. Not taphorically. My cheeks were actual fire.
Please, I begged in my head, please stop talking.
Luna Regina glanced down at our still-joined hands. She looked pleased... and a bit confused.
She pried us apart gently, shooting him a warning look, then looped her arm through mine like nothing had happened.
"He’s not usually like this," she whispered as we walked.
I gave her a smile that probably looked like I’d just bitten into a lemon.
"Let’s go inside," he replied, following us in like this was all perfectly normal.
Zaria floated in behind him, eyes wide like she’d just seen a UFO.
Inside the room, Alpha Yardley and York sat in complete silence, staring at the table between them. They looked utterly lost.
"This is the young woman who saved ," Luna Regina announced proudly.
Zaria raised an eyebrow.
"Ah, so this is the one with the perfect skin, great hair, tragic backstory, and heart of gold you’ve been waxing poetic about?"
"Yes," Luna Regina nodded. "I recognized her the mont I saw her."
York gave his mother a sarcastic thumbs-up.
Like this night needed another twist.
Alpha Yardley recovered first. He stood and smiled at politely.
"After everything we’ve heard, it’s a pleasure to finally et you. Thank you for helping my wife."
Sebastian stepped forward.
"Don’t worry, Father. I’ll make sure she’s properly thanked."
I smiled like a mannequin in a departnt store window. Pretty. Silent. Completely dead inside.
And then Sebastian opened his mouth again.
Damn it, Sebastian. Even your dad knows how to play it cool. Why are you freelancing lines like you’re auditioning for The Notebook?
Luna Regina blinked, startled.
"Let her sit next to ," Sebastian said smoothly.
His voice was honey, and his hand grazed my arm like we were already halfway through a second date.
Luna Regina’s eyes narrowed slightly.
I looked at Luna Regina, then at Sebastian. I didn’t have a choice. So I sat down next to him, acting polite because I was trapped.
Zaria tugged her mother down into a seat across from us, eyes sparkling with mischief like she was watching a live taping of her favorite reality show.
And just like that, I was back in the exact sa chair I’d abandoned earlier. My half-eaten al still sat there, quietly judging .
The awkwardness was stifling. It settled over the table like fog, thick and unrelenting.
"The food not to your liking?" Sebastian asked, tone smooth and mild, like a waiter politely checking in on a stranger.
I kicked him under the table.
Luna Regina, finally catching on, snapped into hostess mode."Zaria, get her fresh utensils."
Zaria handed a new set with a wink and a grin, like she was passing the final rose on a dating show.
I offered a weak smile in return.
Dinner resud. No one spoke. The only sounds were clinking cutlery and the quiet chewing of people pretending this wasn’t the weirdest al of their lives.
The silence was so thick it felt like we were all just waiting for soone to scream, ‘I did it!’ and confess to a murder.
"You seem to enjoy at," Sebastian said eventually, placing a slice of beef onto my plate." Please, help yourself."
"Thanks, but I’ve got it," I murmured, keeping my head down.
I took a few bites, trying to ignore everyone’s eyes on .
Then Sebastian picked up a shrimp, peeled it with practiced ease, and held it out to . Like it was the most natural thing in the world and we did this all the ti. And like an idiot, I opened my mouth and swallowed it. I just accepted the whole thing.
Only after I’d swallowed did my brain reboot and scream: WHAT DID YOU JUST DO? !
The table had gone dead silent again. All eyes were locked on us.
Luna Regina looked like soone had just served her a plot twist with dessert. Confused. Suspicious. Slightly horrified.
Sebastian, completely unfazed, leaned back with the smugness of a man who knew exactly what he was doing.
"We’ve spent ti together, Mother," he said smoothly." She’s charming. Sharp. Exactly what I’ve been looking for."
Luna Regina stared at him like he’d grown horns."You... you..."
"Wondering if I’m serious?" he asked, eyes glinting." I am. This isn’t a ga. I’m rather taken with her."
Then he looked right at . His eyes held mine, and for a mont it felt like we were the only people in the room.
"What do you think of ?" he asked, voice low and intimate. "Do we make a good match? If you’re open to it, we could make things official tonight."
Luna Regina’s face was a picture. She looked confused, shocked, and like she was wondering if soone had secretly replaced her son.
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