Chapter 0223

"What if we had completed the blood bond?" Her voice was quiet, hesitant. "What would have become of me then?"

She'd been holding onto that question for days. I could see it weighing on her.

"He would have shattered you." I kept my tone even, controlled. I deliberately stripped any emotion from my words. He likely would have ended her life too, but that detail wasn't necessary. Not now.

Her frown deepened. Her gaze drifted toward the closed kitchen door, toward the hallway beyond. "I hope whoever ended him... made it quick."

She still held onto an idealized version of him. A ghost from her past. The urge to shatter that illusion was strong. I wanted to tell her everything. About the monster he truly was, long before he ever convinced Victoria to change him. About the darkness he willingly embraced.

But I swallowed the truth. Let her keep the few faint, good memories. The fault was mine for allowing him to exist as long as I did.

A small, sad smile touched her lips. Jealousy should have flared, but it didn't. I couldn't begrudge her the love she once felt, even if it was built on a foundation of deceit.

"You should..." She picked up her spoon, digging it back into the soupy remains of her ice cream. "You should tell the others. Alexander and Athena will be thrilled."

I moved around the table to embrace her. She immediately pointed the spoon at me like a weapon. "Don't you dare touch me. I'll stab you. I swear it."

"I just want to hold you."

"I hate being touched during my cycle. You know this! It happens every single month without fail!"

"If you let me put a pup in you, it would stop."

I left her sputtering in the kitchen.

My knuckles rapped sharply on the office door.

"Enter." Alexander's voice was a low command.

Inside, Sebastian was slumped in a chair. His eyes were glazed, struggling to focus. A powerful scent of whiskey clung to him.

Sebastian still hadn't resumed his Beta duties. Theodore had effectively taken over, though no official announcement had been made. It was for the best. A pack couldn't function with a drunkard as its second.

"Sebastian, leave." Alexander's order was flat.

"Sure thing, Alpha." He stood, swayed dangerously, and collapsed back into the seat.

"Drunk. Again." I kept my tone neutral, but disgust churned in my gut. He was a disgrace to his rank. Alexander needed to formally strip him of it. Their old friendship shouldn't matter. The title belonged to someone who deserved it. Like Theodore.

"What's it to you?" Sebastian snarled, his words slurring.

He was a functioning alcoholic. That was the human term for it. He could hold a conversation, but his motor skills were failing. He fit the definition perfectly.

"Sebastian. Go home. Sleep it off." Alexander's growl rumbled through the room.

Sebastian stumbled out. Alexander immediately called for an Omega to follow him, ensuring he made it home safely.

"You need to get a handle on that situation," I stated.

"I discovered someone is supplying him. I've issued a warning. Anyone caught bringing him alcohol will be torn apart by the pack."

My eyebrow rose in surprise. He had let this slide for months. Something had shifted. I didn't ask for details. It wasn't my place to question my Alpha.