Chapter 153 Old Scars
Emilia’s POV
I walked back into the bedroom, my hand still stinging from that slap. The weight of Scott’s confession pressed down on my chest like a heavy stone. This couldn’t go on. His feelings were bleeding into every corner of my life, making even work unbearable.
Maybe it was time to leave Hanson Group entirely.
"You’re thinking too loud," Eve said in my mind. "Your anxiety is giving me a headache."
"Sorry," I muttered. "But Scott’s not going to let this go. If he keeps pushing like this, we won’t even be able to stay friends."
Sebastian was already out of the shower when I stepped inside, stretched out on the bed watching some business news channel. His damp hair fell across his forehead, and he looked unfairly relaxed.
"Where did you go?" he asked without looking away from the TV.
My heart skipped. "Just... went out for a run. Needed some air."
His green eyes slid toward me, doubtful. "A run? After eating half the ocean’s crab population?"
"Maybe I ate a little too much," I admitted, shrugging out of my coat.
Sebastian’s expression softened. "That’s my fault. I only meant to stuff myself, not you."
"Well, I’d rather be the one stuffed than watch you explode from seafood overdose," I shot back. "Besides, someone had to save you from your own dramatic spite-ordering."
He burst out laughing. "Go shower. I’ll wait for you."
I raised an eyebrow. "Wait for me? How considerate. Should I be worried about your plans?"
"Worried?" His voice dropped. "You should be terrified. Fynn interrupted us this afternoon, and I nearly lost control and wiped out his entire bloodline."
"Sebastian!" I gasped, trying not to laugh. "That’s horrible. You can’t wipe out someone’s bloodline just because they knocked on your office door."
"Which is exactly why I held back," he said with a smirk. "See? I have incredible self-control."
"Is that what we’re calling it now?"
I headed toward the bathroom, feeling his eyes on me the whole way. The hot water felt amazing against my skin, washing away the tension from that awful confrontation with Scott.
I dried off quickly and stepped back into the bedroom. Sebastian’s eyes darkened the moment he saw me.
"Come here," he said, his voice rough.
I barely made it two steps before he was off the bed, pulling me against him. His mouth found mine, hungry. The mate bond sang between us, still so new and intense it made my head spin.
"Sebastian," I gasped when he finally let me breathe. "I just showered..."
"Then we’ll shower again," he murmured against my neck, his hands already at my towel. "I can’t get enough of you."
He picked me up easily and carried me back to the bed. His lips brushed the mark on my neck, and heat shot through my whole body. I arched into him, my fingers sliding into his hair.
"You’re insatiable," I managed to say.
"Only with you," he growled, moving behind me. He gripped my hips and pushed in slowly, and we both moaned. "Only ever with you."
He moved slow, too slow. It was maddening.
"Sebastian, please..."
"Please what?" he murmured in my ear, his voice dark. "Use your words, wife."
"Faster," I gasped. "Stop teasing me."
His laugh was low and wicked. "As my Luna commands."
He shifted his angle and picked up speed, one hand sliding down between us. The double sensation was too much. I buried my face in the pillow, biting back my cries as the pleasure built and built and finally crashed over me in waves.
Sebastian followed a moment later, his hands tightening on my hips as he groaned my name. We collapsed together, both breathing hard.
"Goddess," I panted. "You’re trying to kill me."
"What a way to go though," he said smugly, pulling me against his chest. "Besides, you’re the one who wanted me to go faster."
"Shut up."
He kissed my shoulder, laughing softly. "Never."
We lay there in comfortable silence until exhaustion pulled me under.
I woke in the middle of the night, my throat dry. Reaching for the glass of water on the nightstand, I took a long drink. That’s when I heard it.
"Why did you betray me..." Sebastian’s voice, thick with sleep and pain. "Why did you leave me... Abigail... Why..."
My heart squeezed. Even in his dreams, even after everything we’d shared, she still haunted him.
I set down the glass carefully, afraid any sound might wake him. In the darkness, his face looked so vulnerable. My fierce Alpha, still wounded by a betrayal that happened years ago.
"He loves you," Eve said softly. "Those are just old scars. They’ll fade."
"Will they?" I whispered back. "Or am I just a placeholder until he fully heals?"
"Don’t be ridiculous. You’re his fated mate. She was just a mistake he made before finding you."
I wanted to believe that. But lying here, listening to him call another woman’s name in his sleep, doubt crept in.
And I was keeping so many secrets from him. What would happen when the truth finally came out?