Web Novel
Chasing His Wolfless Luna Back Chapter 118: Second Chances
Sebastian's POV
That kiss. That fucking kiss from two nights ago still replays in my mind like a broken record I can't—and don't want to—shut off.
I slouch in my leather office chair, staring at quarterly reports without absorbing a single word. My mind drifts back to her living room, to the moment when her lips parted beneath mine. I'd gone there to check on her, not expecting anything, certainly not expecting her to respond when I leaned in. But holy shit, she did.
The sensation of her mouth against mine, warm and yielding—it knocked the breath right out of my lungs. For those few glorious seconds before reality crashed down, I felt alive in a way I hadn't in years. Maybe ever. I could spend my entire life just kissing her and it would be enough to make me feel complete.
Looking back, I was such a goddamn idiot. Every time I refused to kiss Thea during our marriage, I thought I was punishing the wolfless weakling. I had no idea what I was missing. And for that, I'll regret forever, because I missed so many precious moments with her.
Now I completely unable to focus on work. I had important alliance meetings in the neighboring state over the next few days, but all I could think about was that kiss playing on repeat in my head.
I felt like a fucking teenager. Kissing her and seeing her respond was like the excitement of a first kiss. It had me buzzing, feeling like I was standing on top of the world.
"What's got you smiling like an idiot?" Damien's voice interrupted my thoughts.
I looked up to see him sitting down in the chair across from my desk.
"Nothing," I cleared my throat.
"That's definitely something. And if I had to guess, it has to do with Thea."
I didn't answer, but we both knew he'd hit the mark.
"So what happened?" he asked curiously.
I debated whether to tell him. Eventually, I gave in. He was my twin brother, what was the point of hiding anything?
"I kissed Thea, and she didn't reject me," I told him proudly.
It felt so fucking good, like I'd accomplished some kind of miracle. Those few minutes where she didn't push me away gave me hope. Hope that maybe she still had feelings for me.
Damien grinned at me happily. "That's progress."
"Yeah," I said, then groaned, "Everything was going great until she remembered what I'd said to her and pushed me away."
See, the problem with hurting someone is that when you try to make amends, you're fighting against memories. You're fighting against pain. You're fighting against the scars you created.
That's how it was with Thea that day. The memory of my hurtful words came back. Those words, and the pain she must have felt when I first said them to her.
Those two things reminded her that I was the enemy. I was the one who hurt her, who caused her pain. Those two things were like a warning. A warning that trusting me might bring more pain. So she did what any sensible person would do in that situation—she asked me to leave.
"What did you say to her?"
I didn't want to repeat those words, but I told him anyway. I told Damien everything, from how Aurora had lied and manipulated me, to how I'd stormed into Thea's home and said those cruel things to her.
When I finished, Damien stared at me with an unreadable expression.
"You're a fucking idiot and an asshole," he said bluntly.
I rubbed my face with my hands. "I know."
"I won't even bother telling you where you went wrong. The fact that you're beating yourself up about it is enough."
I don't know how she even tolerated me. Every time I thought about what I'd done to Thea, I couldn't stand myself. It made me appreciate her even more, knowing she put up with my shit for all those years. Not all women would have stomached my crap.
"On the bright side, she did respond. That has to mean something, right?" he asked after a moment.
I was about to agree when a thought struck me.
"What if it was just hormones?" I asked in panic, grabbing my hair. "Most she-wolves' desires increase due to pregnancy hormones. Maybe that's all it was. Fuck."
All my hope shriveled up. Did I even have a chance to make things right? Was winning back her heart actually possible?
"I don't think it's just that. We both know Thea. If she didn't want it, she wouldn't have allowed it. Hormones or not," he tried to encourage me, but now I really wasn't so sure.
My door opened and Roman walked in. He looked like absolute shit. He walked over and sat down next to Damien.
"You look like shit," Damien told him.
Roman sighed. "I know. I feel like it too."
Things had been a complete mess since discovering his precious sister had a child she'd kept secret for eight years.
"How are things?" I asked.
"Bad. I can't stand to be in the same room as Aurora right now. Mom can't either. In fact, she gave Aurora an ultimatum. Either she establishes a relationship with Wyatt, or she's out of the Pack."
Damien and I stared at him in shock. I never thought Margaret would threaten to disown Aurora.
Even when Thea and I fucked everything up, she never disowned Thea. Sure, she and Derek were cold to her, but they never completely cut ties.
"Are you serious?" Damien said.
"As a heart attack," he mumbled, then took a deep breath. "Anyway, I don't want to talk about that, let alone think about it. What were you guys discussing before I came in?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Thea," Damien answered.
"What about Thea?"
He always had that pained expression whenever Thea was mentioned. I knew he felt even worse now after what he said to her that day.
"I think Sebastian might have a chance to win her back," Damien answered.
Roman looked confused. That's when I realized he didn't know about my feelings for Thea.
"Why? Are you pursuing her?" he looked bewildered, like he was trying to piece together this information.
"Yes," I growled. "You got a problem with that?"
"No," he sighed. "I figured you had feelings for her. That's fine. She deserves to be happy, and we all know you were once her dream."
"You're not angry with him?" Damien looked between me and Roman.
I wanted to hear his answer. Not that it mattered. If getting Thea meant losing his friendship, then so be it.
"Why would I be angry?"
"Well, because of Aurora. You were the biggest supporter of their relationship."
"Yeah, that was before I realized he might not be in love with her anymore. When Aurora came back, he acted differently. Like the spark between them was gone. It was easy to see, despite his struggle against it. His actions spoke louder than his words." He paused, then continued.
"It's time we all let go of the past. The three of them—four if we count Kane—have suffered because of Sebastian and Aurora's young love. I now see what we didn't see back then. That kind of love, too young, was never meant to last. Sooner or later. In one way or another, it would fade. My advice to you, friend, is to seize the present. I've learned that life is unpredictable, and you never know how much time you have left with the ones you love."
I listened to him quietly. The room was filled with an ominous atmosphere. I felt a chill go right down to my bones.
"When did you get so fucking wise?" I chuckled, trying to lighten the heavy mood.
They both laughed, but it was forced. I knew they could feel that atmosphere too.
I didn't know what it was, but I had a feeling something bad was going to happen.
Roman was right. I wouldn't waste time, because you never know what tomorrow might bring.
I make a decision then and there. These alliance meetings would take a few days, but the moment I returned, I would find Thea and lay my heart bare.
It was time to tell her I loved her—before it was too late.