Chapter 223 Banished to the Guest Room
Sebastian’s POV
I sat on the edge of the sofa in our bedroom, my leg bouncing. This was ridiculous. I was Sebastian Simons, Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, and here I was, sweating over what my wife might say when she walked through that door.
The thing was, what Mom blurted out downstairs wasn’t even that big a deal. It happened years ago, back in college. One stupid mistake after too many drinks at a business dinner with Dad. But the look on Emilia’s face when Mom brought it up? That cold, unreadable look that somehow told me exactly how much trouble I was in?
Yeah. That look.
"Great job, Mom," I muttered. "Really appreciate you throwing me under the bus."
Ryder stirred in the back of my mind. "You’re overthinking this."
"Easy for you to say. You’re not the one who has to explain."
"She’s our mate. She’ll understand."
"She just fought with me over Abigail last week. We barely patched things up, and now this? I’m about to be collateral damage in my parents’ marriage drama."
The door opened. Emilia walked in and closed it behind her, her face carefully blank.
I shot to my feet. "Honey, look, don’t take what my mother said too seriously. She’s stressed out and saying things she doesn’t mean."
Emilia crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. "Really? So she’s just making it up? Or is somebody feeling guilty?"
"I’ve got nothing to feel guilty about. I’m a perfect gentleman with nothing to hide."
"A perfect gentleman?" She raised an eyebrow. "Sebastian, I’m not some naive girl who thinks you lived like a monk before we met. I don’t care about your past. What I care about is what your mother said downstairs. That all men cheat, sooner or later. That even your father, who’s supposed to love her more than anything, can’t be trusted." Her voice hardened. "Is that what I’ve got to look forward to? You pulling the same crap your dad’s apparently pulling right now?"
And there it was. My stomach dropped. This wasn’t about my college hookup at all. It was about Mom’s accusation, about Dad. Emilia wasn’t scared of my past. She was scared of my future.
I took a breath and stepped toward her. "Emilia. I’m not my father, and whatever’s going on between him and Mom, it’s got nothing to do with us. I would never do that to you. Not ever."
"Save it." She grabbed a pillow off the bed and shoved it into my chest. "I think you need some time to reflect on your family’s questionable track record with fidelity. Go sleep somewhere else tonight."
"Are you serious? Where am I supposed to go? It’s freezing out there."
"I don’t know. Go find your father. You two can have a nice father-son bonding session about how not to wreck your marriages." She walked to the door and opened it, waving me out.
"Emilia."
"Out. Now."
The door shut firmly in my face. I stood there a second, pillow tucked under my arm like some pathetic refugee.
"Well," Ryder said dryly, "that went great."
"Shut up."
I trudged down the hallway toward the guest room, my pride taking a beating with every step. When I pushed the door open, I found Dad by the window with a glass of whiskey in his hand, staring out at the dark grounds.
He turned as I came in, his eyebrows going up. "What are you doing here?"
"Thanks to you, I just got kicked out of my own bedroom." I tossed the pillow onto the guest bed and dropped down next to it.
Dad’s face darkened. He took another sip and turned back to the window without a word.
I watched him a moment. The man almost never drank. Seeing him nurse a whiskey like this was more unsettling than I wanted to admit.
"Dad." I leaned forward, elbows on my knees. "Be straight with me. Are you actually having an affair?"
He spun around, his eyes flashing. "What kind of question is that? Who would I be having an affair with ?"
"Then why is Mom so sure you are?"
"Your mother’s not thinking straight tonight." His jaw tightened. "That’s all this is."
"Mom doesn’t just stop thinking straight for no reason. She’s not the type to throw accusations around unless something’s really wrong."
Dad let out a long breath and set his glass on the windowsill with a soft clink. "Sebastian, your mother and I are fated mates. True mates. Do you know what that means? The bond between us can’t be broken or replaced. Without it, you and Tiffany wouldn’t even exist." He ran a hand through his graying hair. "I would never betray her. Not for anything, and not for anyone."
The conviction in his voice was absolute. I wanted to believe him. Hell, I did believe him. But something was clearly eating at Mom, and it wasn’t going to sort itself out overnight.
I sighed and flopped back onto the bed. "Well, for what it’s worth, Mom decided to take me down with you tonight. Told Emilia all about my college one-night stand. That was a fun conversation."
Dad actually snorted. "Serves you right for being dumb enough to get drunk at a business dinner."
"Thanks for the sympathy, Dad. Really feeling the support here."
I pulled the blanket over my head, trying to block out the whole disastrous evening.