Chapter 30

He gently leads me into the house, his arms wrapped protectively around my waist. Without any words, he guides me up the stairs and into our bedroom.

The moment we get there, I get on the bed, the events that happened and staying up with Krystal already draining me. I look up at Sebastian, expecting him to leave now that I was in bed, but he doesn't. Instead, he comes and sits next to me.

“Does it hurt?” he asks, his fingers gently caressing my neck.

I knew without looking that I had bruises. The good thing about being a werewolf is that they would heal within a few hours. You are probably wondering, if that's the case, then why hasn't Krystal's wound healed already? That's because she’s still a kid and she has yet to shift. We usually shift when we are around thirteen. That's also when all the perks of being a wolf kick in.

"A bit," I reply, staring at his eyes.

I don't know how his eyes always have this ability to draw me in. I could honestly drown in those green orbs.

His growl brings me back to the present. At first, I thought he was angry because I was eyeing him up, but I soon realize it's because of what I had just said.

“It's okay. It will heal like it never happened,” I reassure him, grasping his hand in mine.

He looks at where I have touched him for a while before gently shaking my hand off. If I am being honest, I'll have to admit that his actions stung a little.

I fold my hands on my lap and look anywhere but at him.

“I'll just get some rest. Could you get Monica to watch Krystal for a bit? She went to sleep a few minutes ago and I would appreciate it if someone was with her when she woke up,” I say softly.

In a way, I was dismissing him, but it was for the best. I needed sleep and I needed to put my walls back up.

I couldn't allow myself to fall for him because he would never love me back. No matter what, I didn't deserve to love another man who didn’t love me back.

He nods his head and gets off the bed. “I'm really sorry that you got attacked in my own compound. First Krystal and now you. I promise it won't fucking happen again.”

With that, he leaves, closing the door behind him. I slump against the bed before lying down.

The constant ringing of my phone wakes me up. I try to ignore it, but it keeps on ringing. Frustrated, I open my eyes and pick it up from the bedside table.

Seeing Claire's name flashing, I answer it.

"Oh, Goddess. Brent just told me what happened. I am really sorry. We honestly didn’t think that he would come and attack you."

From her rumbling, I deduce that she was talking about Darren. I push the hair out of my face and sit up, leaning against the headboard.

“It's okay, Claire...” I try to say, but she cuts me off.

“No, it's not okay. We told him off since you mentioned that he hasn't been picking up your calls. But we never imagined that he would come and attack you.”

My hand automatically goes to my neck. It felt better now; it wasn't burning like before. Thank the Goddess for the quick healing. Otherwise, it would be hard explaining how I got bruises on my neck. I sigh when she continues to rumble, pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration. If only she would allow me to talk, then she would know that I don’t blame her at all. She shouldn't feel responsible for Darren's actions.

“Claire!” I shout, finally having enough. “I want you to listen to me and listen well. It isn’t your fault. And you shouldn't blame yourself because of that selfish prick. It's all on him.”

I hear her release a whoosh of breath before she speaks.

"Okay then, if you say so... so how is Krystal doing?”

We fall into our normal conversation. I fill her in on Krystal's progress and she tells me what has been going on her side, including the fact that Darren's parents are pissed at him for attacking me. I make a mental note to go visit them soon. Darren and I have bad blood, but his parents always treated me like their daughter.

After talking for close to an hour, we say our goodbyes and hang up. Now that I was up, it was impossible for me to go back to sleep. I get out of bed before going to check up on Krystal. She was still asleep.

I also check on Jax, since it was after school. When I don't find him in his room, Monica informs me that he was at soccer practice.

I was just about to bake some cookies when Sebastian pops up in the kitchen.

“Do you mind setting the baking aside for a while? We need to talk,” he tells me.

Since I had not even begun, I agreed and followed him to his office. Once we get inside, he closes the door behind him. I take a seat and he does the same.

"How's your neck?” he begins, concern swimming in the depth of his eyes.

"Good. Doesn't hurt anymore.”

He studies me for a while. An awkward silence descends on the room. I keep shifting in my chair, unable to find a comfortable spot.

He clears his throat. “That's good.” He pauses before continuing. “I need a clear picture of what happened today,” he says, his brows a little bit furrowed.

I study him and see the tiredness in his eyes. I don't know if he has even slept these past few weeks. He needed rest and he needed it badly.

“I don't know what you want me to say. He came shouting my name and accusing me of not informing him about Krystal's attack. I did try calling him but he never answered. He accused me of being a bad mother and said some other nasty stuff. I got angry and said some nasty stuff back,” I say with a shrug.

I didn't want to go through it all over again. I'm still scared of how easily I lost control today. I felt it the moment I did, but it was like I was stuck inside my own body while someone else controlled it.

"What nasty stuff did he say?” he asks, but I keep quiet instead.

If only Darren knew how wrong he was about me riding Sebastian. How shocked he would be if he found out that my current mate has never even kissed me.

“Red?” he enquires in a taut voice.

“Can we just let it go? I don't feel like rehashing it... by the way, where were your warriors?”

“Don't think I don't see what you're trying to do,” he glares at me, but I just smirk.

Yes, I was trying to change the subject, but I was also curious. They should have been there, and who the hell let him in, in the first place?

He sighs. “Apparently, they had gone to follow a lead about the attack on Krystal. They heard the shouting and by the time they got back, the dick had already attacked you. Don't worry, I have dealt with them for leaving their posts.”

It makes sense why Darren had easily entered Sebastian's compound and why he felt confident enough to attack me.

Of course, it was stupid for all of them to leave, but if Hunter took all of them with him, then it means that it was likely a big lead—one that would probably require backup.

"Did they find anything?” I ask in hope. Maybe we could finally get answers and put a stop to what has been happening.

He blows out a breath and sags in his chair. “No, it was a dead end.”

He looks so dead tired that I feel sorry for him.

“Maybe you should give him a shoulder massage,” Blue tells me, giving me one of her outrageous suggestions.

“As if he would ever let me touch him,” I snort.

I tried holding his hands just a few hours ago; the man shook it off, so what makes Blue think that he'll want me massaging him?

"Just try it. I have a good feeling about this. Besides, he is too tired to resist,” she replies, and I can imagine her shrugging her shoulders.

It wouldn't hurt to try, right? The worst that can happen is him rejecting me and ending me up with a bruised ego.

“Fine, but if it blows up in my face, the blame is on you,” I tell her, getting up from my seat. She doesn't reply, just grins at me.

I quickly round his desk before I chicken out and go stand behind his chair. Before he can say anything, I spread my hands on his shoulders and start massaging him.

"Red?" he questions, trying to stand up.

I push him back into the chair. “Relax, it's just a massage. You're so tense, I can feel it under my fingers.”

He doesn't say anything, just sits there in a stiff position. I begin working my magic and soon he relaxes and melts into the seat. His musky scent surrounds me and I can't help but take a discreet sniff.

“Told you,” Blue chimes in.

I groan internally, which just makes her laugh. I don't say anything, afraid that if I opened my mouth, it would interrupt the atmosphere. I continue massaging him. Slowly but surely, the tension starts leaving him.

We continue in silence, but that's until I catch the reports and pictures on his desk.

“That is disturbing,” I murmur, cringing at the sight of the dead bodies. “Nothing yet?”

He sighs before answering. “Nothing. The latest victim was murdered a few days ago, and just like with the rest, there was no clue left behind.”

I study the pictures. Just like with the others, the body was torn apart. It honestly surprises me that humans think this was done by a man. By how torn and shredded the bodies are, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that it was done by something else.

It would have been better if they said it was an animal attack instead of a human. But then again, humans are afraid of what they don't know, and most of them prefer living in denial instead of facing reality.

“Maybe you should talk to Krystal once she’s better,” I tell him, remembering that day in the living room. “She went into some sort of trance when she accidentally saw the news about the murders. She started speaking in what Monica told me was the forgotten language of the deities. Maybe she was shown something.”

I shouldn't be using Krystal like this or exposing her to these deaths, but I believe she was shown something concerning these deaths—something that could help.

Sebastian nods his head just as I hear Krystal calling my name. I stop massaging him. “I should leave. Let you get back to work,” I say before turning to leave.

“Red,” he calls me. “We have a charity gala we have to attend next week. Wear something eye-catching.”

“Definitely,” I smile at him, already excited about it.

"And thanks for the massage,” he adds, not looking at me. It was okay, though. The warmth in his tone was enough for me.

“Anytime, Alpha mate,” I reply, feeling happy with the progress.