Chapter 135 No More Hiding
Emilia’s POV
"Why don’t you go in first?" I suggested, standing outside the pack house.
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "What’s the problem?"
"Maybe warn them first? So they don’t have a collective heart attack when we walk in holding hands?"
"Is it that serious?"
"Sebastian, you spent months treating me like I was some kind of plague. If we suddenly stroll in acting like newlyweds, someone’s definitely going to faint." I crossed my arms. "Probably your mother."
"It’s not a scandal, Emilia. There’s no need to sneak around." He turned toward the door like he was going to leave me standing there. "If you’re not coming, I’ll go in myself."
I took a deep breath and followed him inside.
The moment we stepped into the living room, everyone froze.
Titus was mid-sip of his coffee. Mila had been knitting something. Tiffany was scrolling through her phone. All three of them looked up at the exact same time, and their expressions shifted from normal to completely shocked in about two seconds.
"Hi, Dad, Mom, Tiffany," I said, waving awkwardly. My smile felt like it might crack my face. "I’m... back."
Nobody moved.
"Mom?" Tiffany finally said, her voice weirdly high. "What’s happening right now?"
"Honey?" Mila turned to Titus, her knitting needles hanging uselessly in her hands. "What’s going on?"
Titus stood up slowlyand walked over to us. "Would someone please explain what exactly is happening here?"
Sebastian shrugged, completely calm. "I went to Paris for business. She went to Paris to study. We ran into each other in a foreign country, and now she’s shamelessly followed me home."
I pinched his arm hard.
"Ow..." He didn’t even flinch, the jerk.
"That’s not what happened!" I said, glaring at him. "You cornered me at the airport and basically kidnapped me onto a plane, saying something ridiculous about a honeymoon!"
Honeymoon.
The word dropped into the room and everyone went still.
All three of them just... stared at us.
"Whose story do you think they’ll believe?" Sebastian asked, smirking at me.
I wanted to smack him. Of course they’d believe me, I was the trustworthy one. But knowing Sebastian’s personality, my version probably sounded completely impossible.
"You’re unbelievable," I muttered.
I grabbed my suitcase and turned to head upstairs, but Sebastian caught the back of my collar and yanked me backward like I was a misbehaving puppy.
"Hey!" I stumbled into him. "Mom, Dad, how can you not believe me?"
"Listen up," Sebastian said, his voice suddenly serious. He kept one hand on my shoulder, holding me in place. "I have something important to say."
The room went completely silent.
Sebastian took a breath, and for the first time since we’d walked in, he looked... nervous?
"Emilia has always been my fated mate," he said clearly, his green eyes sweeping across his family. "From the very beginning. That’s why I chose her at the bride selection."
"I didn’t tell any of you because..." He paused, his jaw tightening. "Because I needed time. Time to figure out if she was really the right person to be my Luna. To be my partner. To handle everything that comes with being mated to me."
My heart was pounding. Eve was stirring inside me, listening closely.
"And now," Sebastian continued, his hand squeezing my shoulder, "I’ve made my decision."
He turned to look at me, and there was something in his expression that made my breath catch.
"I’m done testing her. Done pushing her away. Done pretending this bond doesn’t exist." His voice dropped lower. "I’ve marked her. She’s mine, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure everyone knows it."
Oh my God.
The room exploded.
"WHAT?!" Tiffany actually screamed, jumping up from the couch.
"Marked?!" Mila’s knitting fell to the floor, forgotten.
Titus just stood there with his mouth open, completely frozen.
"You... you marked her?" Mila asked, her voice shaking. "Your fated mate? You found your fated mate and you’ve been hiding it from us this whole time?"
"In my defense," Sebastian said dryly, "I had my reasons."
"Your reasons?!" Mila was walking toward us now, her eyes getting wet. "Sebastian Simons, you’ve been living with your fated mate under this roof for months and didn’t tell us?!"
"Mom..." I started, but she wasn’t listening.
"And you marked her! Oh, Moon Goddess, you actually marked her!" She was fully crying now, grabbing both of my hands. "Emilia, sweetheart, show me. Let me see it."
Heat rose to my cheeks. "Um..."
"Mom, you can’t just ask to see someone’s mating mark," Tiffany said, but she was grinning like crazy and walking over too. "That’s so inappropriate."
"I’m her mother-in-law, I can ask whatever I want," Mila said firmly, then paused. "Wait. Emilia, there’s something different about you."
Tiffany’s eyes widened. "Oh my God. Mom, look at her aura."
All three of them suddenly focused on me with that weird werewolf sixth sense they all had.
"You have a wolf," Tiffany breathed. "Emilia, you actually have a wolf now!"