Chapter 24 The Damaged Goods
Emilia’s POV
I walked down the stairs with my suitcase clutched in both hands, my mother’s personal belongings wrapped inside.
Dorothy and Henry stood at the bottom of the stairs both forcing bright smiles. Behind them, Linda slumped against the doorframe like a deflated balloon, her earlier confidence completely gone.
I didn’t know what had happened while I was upstairs, but whatever it was had been devastating.
And Moon Goddess, it felt good.
Sebastian appeared beside me, taking the suitcase from my hands. His movements were sharp, almost aggressive as he strode toward the Rolls-Royce. The trunk opened with a click, and he practically threw my luggage inside.
"Safe travels, darling," Dorothy simpered. "Do visit again soon."
The hypocrisy was so thick I could choke on it.
"We’ll see," I said coldly, already moving toward the car.
Henry stepped forward, his hand extended toward Sebastian. "Alpha Sebastian, it’s been an honor—"
Sebastian walked past him without a glance, opening the passenger door for me instead.
The engine started up as we pulled away from the packhouse. I watched the Frostridge Pack territory disappear in the side mirror, and something tight in my chest finally loosened.
A long breath escaped my lungs, tension draining from my shoulders. I turned to look at Sebastian. "Thank you for today. For playing along with everything. I know it was probably annoying—"
I trailed off, noticing something was wrong with him. Sebastian’s hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles had gone white. His jaw was clenched.
"Sebastian?" I asked carefully. "Is something wrong?"
Silence. His eyes stayed fixed on the road.
"Why are you being so quiet?" I tried again.
Without warning, the Rolls-Royce screeched to a halt. My seatbelt cut into my chest as momentum threw me forward. We’d pulled onto the shoulder of a deserted stretch of road.
Sebastian turned to face me, and the look in his green eyes made my stomach drop.
"You should have told me." His voice was cold. Controlled. Which somehow made it worse. "Before the bride selection. You should have been upfront."
My heart stuttered. "Told you what?"
He glanced at me, his expression hesitant, then finally said, "Don’t play dumb, Emilia. It doesn’t suit you."
"I genuinely don’t know what you’re talking about."
"Your father had you with some dancer." The words came out clipped. Designed to wound. "A witch who worked in clubs, entertaining men. You’re an illegitimate daughter. A half-breed bastard with no wolf and a mother who sold her body for money."
The air left my lungs in a rush.
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Every word was like a knife twisting in an old wound, hitting exactly where I was most vulnerable.
Illegitimate. Bastard. Mother who sold her body.
I’d spent years building walls around those wounds. Years convincing myself that I was stronger than their words, that I didn’t need their approval or acceptance.
But hearing it from Sebastian, from the man I’d started to think might be different, shattered something inside me.
"Your stepmother was doing you a favor by sending you to that bride selection," Sebastian continued, with disdain. "And you didn’t think that information was relevant? That maybe I deserved to know I was being offered damaged goods?"
Damaged goods.
My hands trembled in my lap.
"Yes," I said. "My mother was a dancer and a witch. But I’ve never been ashamed of that."
"Really?" Sebastian’s eyebrow arched. "Because it seems like something you deliberately hid."
"There are only two types of people who introduce themselves by announcing they’re illegitimate," I shot back, anger finally overtaking the hurt. "People who are so broken by shame they can’t see past it, and people looking for sympathy. I’m neither."
"Then what are you?" Sebastian’s voice rose slightly.
I did not want to comment further, so I remained silent. He sneered and said, "I’ll answer it for you. You are the most self-righteous person in the world."
"Yes, I am. I thought all you needed was a wife to keep your father off your back and stop the pack gossip. I thought it didn’t matter who I was, as long as I could play the part!"
"Well, you thought wrong," Sebastian snarled. "Even with six dead wives in my past, I have standards."
Before I could stop myself, I swung my hand at his face.
Sebastian caught my wrist, his grip tight.
"Don’t," he growled.
"Why?" I yanked against his hold, fury making me reckless. "Because it’s disrespectful to your precious Alpha status? Because someone like me shouldn’t dare raise a hand to someone like you?"
"Because you’ll regret it."
"The only thing I regret is agreeing to this whole insane marriage!" The words ripped out of me. "At least your previous wives had the good sense to die or disappear! Maybe they were the smart ones, getting away from you before—"
I stopped, horrified at what I’d just said.
Sebastian’s face went completely blank. He released my wrist like it burned him.
"Before what, Emilia?" His voice was whisper-soft now, deadly. "Before I killed them? Is that what you think? That I’m not just cursed but actually responsible?"
"That’s not—I didn’t mean—"
"No, please. Continue." He leaned back in his seat, a terrible smile playing at his lips. "Tell me more about how foolish they were to marry me. Tell me how you’re different because you’re too smart to actually care about a monster like me."
"You’re twisting my words!" I raised my voice. No matter what, I would protect myself.
I angrily jumped out of the car and slammed the door shut, fighting back tears of rage. Just when I thought everything was going well, this had to happen. I couldn’t stand Sebastian looking down on me like that.
After I’d walked a few steps, I felt someone grab my arm. "Get in the car."
That commanding tone only made me angrier. I shook off his grip and shot back, "Even if I have nothing left, I’ll never give up my dignity."
I heard a cold voice behind me. "I only have three minutes of patience for women. Are you getting in the car or not?"
The meaning was clear. He wouldn’t repeat himself more than three times.
I closed my eyes and whispered silently in my heart, "Mom, I’m sorry. Just let me throw a tantrum this once."
Seeing that I had no intention of accepting his offer, Sebastian turned and got back in the car. He angrily slammed the door, started the engine, and drove off...