Chapter 19 - Sebastian
My blood felt like it was on fire with fury as I stood on the front porch with Zoe and Roman. I was forced to accept the fact that Jack had been lurking around my territory, and there was no ignoring the threat right in front of me anymore.
Looking over at Roman, I tried to temper that anger as best as I could. “Go tell the others to be on the lookout for any other wolves they aren’t familiar with. Everyone is to ensure Lydia’s safety.”
Roman nodded once, already turning by the time I met Zoe’s startled gaze. “Go with him, please. Make sure the message gets around. I’ll make sure Lydia’s all right.”
Without arguing, Zoe looked at me with understanding. Her gaze lingered on me for a moment longer, as if prepared to say something, only to turn away and follow my order.
Left alone on the porch with anger pulsing within me, I knew I had to restrain it. I couldn’t show Lydia the extent of my wrath—not after she had endured enough already. I needed to be the calm in her life, even when I felt the opposite.
Pulling in a deep, reassuring breath, I forced that tumultuous emotion down and walked through the door.
Aware that she wasn’t downstairs, I went to the second floor and sensed Lydia in the bedroom. Her fear and concern were a tangled mess as I felt it from the hallway, and I knew it wouldn’t be easy for her to forget.
Quietly, I stepped into the bedroom to find her sitting on the side of the bed, dressed in more comfortable clothes instead of her bathing suit. She looked visibly shaken still, and my heart immediately longed to reach out for her.
Approaching her, I made sure I was completely composed before I sat on the bed beside her and placed a gentle hand on her forearm. At the contact, she closed her eyes and relaxed. Even if the guilt of letting her out of my sight ate away at me, seeing how my touch could put her at ease was a balm to my worry.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there sooner,” I said, keeping my voice calm and steady so as not to disturb her further. “I didn’t think they’d be bold enough to move in during the day like that. Are you alright?”
Lydia exhaled softly, allowing herself to completely decompress in the safety of the house. “I’ll be fine, I’m just still trying to process what happened.”
Nodding my understanding, I reached for her hand and felt reassured as her fingers easily intertwined with mine. “What did that beta say to you?”
“Just that Jack was expecting me to return with them, and he won’t give up until he has me back,” she murmured, looking distraught about the idea. “But I don’t want that, and I never will.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t let that happen,” I said, words laced with my promise.
“It just seems so out of the blue…why show up now and make these demands?”
Sighing, aware that I didn’t need to hide it anymore, I glanced at her with slight remorse. “Roman detected them along our borders a while ago. I didn’t tell you at the time so that you could focus on adjusting instead of worrying about what was going on; plus, I didn’t have concrete evidence it was him at the time,” I explained to her, hoping she didn’t mind me withholding it from her. “But now I know it really was him and his betas. Now we’ll be better prepared if they show up again.”
To my surprise, she only nodded her understanding and looked at me with fear in her eyes. “I just don’t want anyone to take me away from you—from this. We’re on the right track and I don’t want anything to ruin that.”
Returning her earnestness, I reached over and gently cradled her opposite cheek, allowing my thumb to stroke her chin as I showed her my resolve. “Nobody will. You have my word. I don’t care what it takes, we will be together, Lydia. You are my mate, and nothing will ever change that.”
Through our eye contact, a mutual understanding seemed to move between us. We were a team, and regardless of what might cross our path, we were going to see it through to the other side together.
Despite the tender newness of our connection, it was still just as strong. Our souls were bound together, and as some believed, we were made for each other.
But even as Lydia seemed mostly reassured by my words, a slight hesitance scattered across her cheeks. My brows furrowed lightly in response. “What’s wrong?”
As she took me in, studying my face, Lydia swallowed hard. “It’s just that…I have another reason to be more afraid of Jack interfering.”
Lifting a brow, silently letting her know I was listening, I stayed quiet.
She pulled in a brave breath and came out with it. “I haven’t confirmed it yet or anything, but I think I might be…pregnant.”
I blinked back at her as the initial surprise overcame me, unable to find the proper words at first. But as I sensed her sincerity, that genuine happiness broke through the surface, and I smiled at her in disbelief. “Really?”
She mirrored my gentle smile back at me, relaxing from my reaction. She nodded. “I think so. I’ve been feeling nauseous, and as far as I know, the timeline checks out.”
I softened from her every word, allowing that reality to settle in completely. Letting go of a surprised chuckle, I pull her in for a hug, overjoyed by the news. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around me and eased into the embrace.
“That’s incredible news, Lydia,” I hummed to her, holding her close to let her feel just how overjoyed I was. Pulling back enough so I could look at her as I cradled her face, warmed by the way her smile reached her eyes. “We’ll see someone about it to confirm. But I sure hope it’s true.”
As if finally able to let go of the last of her defenses, Lydia looked completely at ease, and every trace of her resistance from before ebbed away. It was almost like watching her reach a revelation that erased any remaining traces of doubt she may have had about us.
“I know we didn’t start this bond in the best place, but to me, it doesn’t matter what preconceived notions existed between us. What matters now is how we move forward,” I said, gently stroking her cheeks. “You’re my mate, Lydia, and it doesn’t matter who tries to get in the way of that. I’ve waited far too long to let it slip through my fingers, and as long as we’re on the same page, I intend to do everything I can to protect our bond, you, and the life you’re growing inside you.”
Happy, relieved tears filled her eyes as she looked back at me, acknowledging my words with a careful nod. “Whether I wanted to believe it or not before, it’s always been you, Sebastian.”
My inner wolf keened at her declaration in time with the tether pulling between us, and the feeling I always longed for consumed me at once.
I craved that closeness since I was young, both emotionally and physically. Knowing that Lydia was more than likely carrying our child, I couldn’t help but become aroused at the thought.
As I drank her in, reveling in the idea of my mate being pregnant, I glanced down at her lips. They drew me in, and I cut the space left between us without needing to think about it.
Kissing her urgently, I felt her hand press against mine and held her in place in response, and the moment she deepened the kiss, I knew there was no going back.
I wanted her, and that was the only catalyst I needed.