Chapter 12 - Lydia
Despite how quickly everything had changed and how well things seemed to be going with Sebastian, I was still somewhat on the fence about trusting him completely. He didn’t do anything wrong, but earning that trust would take time. As far as I could tell, he was more than willing to wait.
The thought of going to see his pack was daunting, too, given how we had initiated our bond, and that meant a change in dynamic for his followers. Still, I didn’t have any other choice.
I defied my parents and our alpha. I did the exact opposite of what was expected of me, and while I didn’t regret it, I knew it meant I couldn’t go back.
There was no doubting how severe those consequences would be, especially given what I had done with Sebastian, and I had no interest in facing them.
My parents hurt me by lying about Sebastian and pushing me to mate with our alpha, and I wasn’t ready to see them either.
The way I saw it, that bridge had been burned between us, and I couldn’t see a way for me to have both. Regardless of my lingering reservations, I made my decision, which involved maintaining my integrity. I was never after status or power, and I wasn’t going to give in to what my parents wanted.
That time was behind me, and as nerve-wracking as it was, I was prepared to continue on the path ahead of me.
It didn’t hurt that because of our new living and breathing bond, I felt more compelled to be around Sebastian. Being in his presence put me at ease, and that almost primal attraction I felt for him made it feel even more worthwhile every time. After getting a taste of our passion, it seemed impossible to give it up again, and no part of me wanted to.
Regardless of those changes, at least a shred of that old warning lingered in the back of my mind. I could still hear my parents’ voices trying to tell me never to trust Sebastian or his family. I always had to keep my guard up and do as they told me.
But at that point, I wasn’t interested. They hurt me enough already.
Shrugging that pesky thought away, I tried to concentrate on the present moment. I did my best to focus on the truths in front of me—Sebastian was being as sweet as ever and caring for me while it seemed like nobody else would.
After having breakfast and deciding to visit his home, Sebastian came back to the bedroom after cleaning up the dishes, slipped his arms beneath me, and scooped me up with ease, allowing the sheets to slip away.
“We could both use a quick shower after last night’s activities,” he hummed with an amused grin. He carried me into the bathroom, and I laughed in return. He was quick to turn the water on.
It wasn’t until the water was to his liking that he carefully lowered me back to my feet, steadying me as he guided me into the shower and beneath the stream.
The moment the warm water hit me, I relaxed under the sensation and closed my eyes to soak it in.
Before, I would’ve been completely on edge and nervous about the very idea of being seen by Sebastian like that, but with him near, arm wrapped around me as we both rinsed off, I felt at peace for the first time in a while.
In fact, it was the first time I had ever felt so centered.
His gentle gaze and affection made me feel more confident in myself and our mutual attraction. I allowed myself to give in and accept the moment, and while it was all so new to me, I felt grateful for that sense of ease.
That tether between us tightened as I felt both of Sebastian’s hands against my hips while he stood behind me, lowering his lips to the shell of my ear as he whispered, “Allow me.”
Without a word, I accepted it as he reached for the shampoo bottle, gathered some in his hand, and began running it through my hair.
I hummed my approval as his fingers rubbed it into my scalp, offering me that addictive sensation that made my entire body tingle. With the combination of his dedicated ministrations along with the water’s warmth, I was in complete heaven.
“You’re spoiling me,” I murmured, appreciating every second of it nonetheless.
Sebastian chuckled behind me. “I am. As I should.”
His words made my heart squeeze, and I couldn’t fight back my relaxed smile even if I wanted to.
There was something so different yet simple about our connection, and it made me feel better about what we were going to face together. Even if it was only the beginning stages of our bond, it felt natural and right.
As Sebastian continued to wash my hair, with both of us laughing and smiling as he tried his hardest to keep the suds from getting into my eyes, we lost ourselves in the moment and weren’t concerned about anything else.
Eventually, once we were washed up and ready to go, I let that comfort cloak me as we continued with the day.
After locking up the cabin, we piled into his car, and as I settled into the plush, luxurious passenger seat, I was immediately reminded of what was ahead. How, despite the warm bubble we formed around us in the cabin, we couldn’t stay like that forever.
Not only did we have to face the changes we were actively making due to our decisions, but Sebastian was also an alpha and had his responsibilities to attend to. Regardless of how nice our time in the cabin ended up being, we couldn’t ignore reality forever.
Music played quietly as he drove, and I took the time to appreciate our surroundings. The woods were dark and lush, and the crisp air suddenly felt more like home than my pack ever had.
Being with my parents and having no real friends around me seemed so isolating once I was away from it and able to consider it retrospectively. The house felt stuffy, and I was never granted the freedom to discover anything for myself. They always laid everything out in front of me and expected me to follow their every step without asking questions.
It took leaving for me to realize how closed in and narrow my world had been for far too long.
Regardless of the butterflies in my stomach, I smiled and welcomed that light feeling in my chest as the sun filtered in through the leaf canopy above. Soon enough, we were pulling into a quaint small town.
My brows lifted at the sight, immediately appreciating the peace that emanated from the place.
Sebastian took us down a main road that eventually came to a four-way stop. From there, it was easy to see the simple layout with all the necessities within reach. The main road continued right through, while two others led to various housing and other small businesses.
Everything looked fresh and green, accented by perky flowers and clean, well-maintained streets. It was all flanked by trees and felt like a perfect little paradise.
“This is all yours?” I asked, in complete awe of what I was seeing.
Sebastian smiled as he pulled up to a small parking lot and shut the engine off. “You bet. I snatched this place up as soon as I could. Although, it didn’t always look like this.”
I found it hard to imagine the small town looking anything other than perfect, and I certainly had to take his word for it.
“My buddies all did similar things since it’s easier to support your pack when you own most of the properties,” he continued, popping the door open as he glanced over at me. “Should we get to it then?”
Given how he owned most of the place, it struck me again to know just how wealthy he was. In my mind, he was still his old self, navigating through the world and trying to make a name for himself. It seemed he cracked the code eventually.
With a nod, I followed his lead and climbed out. We were immediately met by fresh air and warmth as the sun beat down on us.
“As you could probably guess, mostly everything we need is in one spot,” Sebastian explained as he guided me down the street, letting me take in the sights around us. “We’ve been working hard recently to come up with new small business initiatives to boost our local economy. So far, it’s been coming along nicely.”
As we walked by a group of storefronts, all containing various shops and a few empty ones, it was easy to see what he was talking about.
“It looks like you know exactly what you’re doing,” I commented, noting how neat and pristine everything looked.
Sebastian gave me an appreciative smile. “That means a lot to hear. I like to think the same thing.”
The tour continued through the main part of town as he pointed out local attractions and ensured I was somewhat familiar with the place. I listened intently as Sebastian explained certain things, enjoying the genuine pride and excitement in his voice.
From what I could tell, he found his stride and was doing far better than I would have expected. Although, knowing him, it shouldn’t have been a surprise.
Just down the street, a bell rang as the door to a coffee shop opened, and my heart lodged in my throat when I spotted her.
Sebastian brightened. “Zoe, hey, wait a minute!”
As I shrank slightly in my place, caught off-guard by the sudden sighting, I couldn’t miss how optimistic he seemed at the prospect of reuniting us after those years apart. It made me pull back even more, aware that the situation would be far from simple.
Even if I felt embarrassed and sheepish about it, I took that brief chance to look at her. It felt so long since I last saw her that it was almost like meeting someone completely new, even if her appearance hadn’t changed much.
Her raven-black hair was longer than before and sleek as it was up in a high ponytail, and those brown eyes that closely resembled her brother’s gleamed a little less with optimism. Overall, she looked so mature compared to the last time I saw her, and it brought such a strange sensation to me.
But the longer she looked at me and made that silent connection, the more hardened that stare became. She visibly bristled and shook her head before walking off with a coffee in hand, not even giving me a second look before disappearing.
My heart dropped at that, clenched by the pain of her rejection.
As much as it hurt to know she wasn’t interested in seeing me, I couldn’t blame her.
She still didn’t know what I had recently discovered about my parents or how I was starting to disentangle myself from their lies. She likely assumed I hated her. But that was far from the truth.
“Jesus Christ, Zoe,” Sebastian murmured under his breath, somewhat irritated by his sister’s reaction.
Seemingly realizing my reaction as I stood there dejectedly, he glanced at me, and his expression softened. He put a reassuring hand against my shoulder. “I’m sure she was just surprised and didn’t know what to do. When you left, it was hard on her, but she’ll come around with time.”
“It’s not her fault,” I returned in a mumble, trying my hardest to keep a brave face despite how that guilt pulsed in my chest.
I left her behind without any kind of explanation, and while I couldn’t control what my parents planned for us, I went along with it. I never even tried to reach out, especially not after everything they did to keep me away from her and Sebastian.
His voice reached me in a gentle tone, pulling me from my quiet contemplation. “It’s not yours either. Everything will work out eventually.”
Meeting his gaze, I pulled a slight smile despite feeling far from reassured at that moment and knew that no matter how hard either of us tried to avoid each other, it would all come to a head at some point.
If I was going to stay with Sebastian’s pack, then seeing Zoe was a simple fact I had to accept.
Overall, I had to accept the transition. I couldn’t go back home after fleeing, and as difficult as it was, I told myself to get comfortable.
My life had changed entirely, at least for the time being, and it would only continue to change.