Chasing His Wolfless Luna Back Chapter 199: The Worst Possible Moment To Find Your Fate

Sebastian's POV

I stared at the computer screen, utterly unable to focus on work. Leo was upstairs playing video games in his room, and my mother was watching over the sleeping Phoenix. Since Thea had left to take Wyatt home, an unsettling feeling had lodged itself in my chest.

Every time she went out alone, I couldn't shake this fear. Not since the shooting. The terror of almost losing her—multiple times—had branded itself onto my soul. I would do anything to ensure her safety, including sending whoever hurt her somewhere they could never harm her again.

With a heavy sigh, I stood up from my desk and walked toward the window. Another thing bothering me was my conversation with Thea this morning. I couldn't understand why she believed Aurora was innocent. Aurora had been nothing but antagonistic toward Thea since her return—I'd seen it myself.

I could vouch for the Aurora I fell in love with as a teenager, but not for this woman. I couldn't see through her anymore. If she could reject and conceal her own mate for years, if she could so callously sever her connection to her child and pretend he didn't exist, then did I really think murder was beyond her? I didn't.

Thea wanted to believe Aurora was innocent, but I couldn't. Not with the evidence staring us in the face.

My phone rang, cutting through my thoughts. I picked it up, feeling a stab of disappointment when I saw it wasn't Thea's name flashing on the screen.

This morning with her had been wonderful. Just sitting together, talking—it had become my favorite thing to do. Seeing her attitude shift toward acceptance rather than distance made me want to spend the rest of the day with her and our children.

"Hello." My voice came out rougher than usual.

"It's me."

He didn't need to tell me who he was; I already knew. Honestly, I still didn't like Graves, but for some reason, our relationship had grown closer over these past months. I wouldn't say I trusted him, but when it came to Thea, we definitely had aligned interests.

"I know it's you, Graves."

He just chuckled. Every week, he'd ask me to send him a picture of Phoenix. He might not be around her, but the cold bastard clearly loved his little niece.

"Did you check?" I waited for his answer. It came quickly, but his response made me tense because I knew it would devastate Thea.

"Everything Hawthorne said is true," he said gruffly. "The DNA report and the evidence on Aurora's clothes. Looks like Aurora is exactly who we've been looking for all along."

How the fuck was I supposed to relay this information to Thea? Especially when she was so convinced of Aurora's innocence. I had my doubts, but I'd told her I trusted her judgment, even though deep down I knew she was wrong.

"Gotta admit, the bitch knows how to cover her tracks," Graves added. "Months of searching, and she was hiding right under our noses the whole time."

"I still can't believe she fooled all of us." He kept talking. "You know I'm going to make her pay, right? You can't stop me."

At first, I was confused until I realized he was saying this because he thought I might stop him due to my history with Aurora.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Do what you must, Graves. In fact, I'll give her my own version of punishment," I declared, already formulating ways to make Aurora pay in my mind.

She would wish she had never crossed me or hurt Thea. I almost lost Thea because of her, and I sure as hell wasn't going to let her get away with it.

"I'm surprised but impressed," Graves said, and I swear I could hear pleasure in his voice. "Everyone talks about how much you loved her; I didn't expect you to hurt her, especially for Thea."

"People don't know shit."

For so many years, practically everyone told me how perfect Aurora and I were together. I think that phrase burrowed into my brain. Maybe I'd heard it so often in my younger years that it brainwashed me into believing it was true. Now I know better than to listen to other people's expectations or fantasies. But perhaps it was time to make a public statement about it...

"Sebastian, are you still listening?" Graves's voice pulled me back from my thoughts.

"Yes, I just got distracted for a moment," I answered.

"Well," he drawled, "I have some matters to attend to; we'll talk later."

"Sure."

Less than ten minutes after hanging up, I received another call. I didn't recognize the number, but I answered anyway. "Sebastian, it's Jaxon." I was surprised, but the urgency in his voice caught my attention.

"What happened?"

"It's Thea, she's unconscious."

I didn't wait for him to finish before hanging up and rushing out the door. I could hear Leo calling after me, but my mind was entirely focused on Thea. Fear clutched at my heart as various scenarios flashed through my head. I wasn't afraid to admit I was fucking terrified.

I drove to Jaxon's house as fast as I could. I pulled out my phone and dialed his number. "Where are you?" I asked immediately, not caring if my fear was evident.

"In Thea's old house."

I hurried there and found the door was open.

"In here," Jaxon's voice called out.

I moved quickly, climbing the stairs. I made my way to the master bedroom and found him sitting beside the bed where Thea lay unconscious.

"What the fuck happened?" I growled, rushing to Thea's side. She was so still, and it scared the shit out of me.

"I don't fucking know. She asked about the house, and I told her it was hers. Then she wanted the key, and I gave it to her. About forty minutes later, I realized she hadn't come back, and she said she'd come over to say goodbye. I came to check on her and found her lying on the floor, unconscious."

After his explanation, I ignored him. My attention was completely on Thea. I tried calling her name, but she didn't respond. My fear intensified.

Looking at her lying there, so pale and vulnerable, a strange feeling suddenly washed over me. I couldn't pin it down, but there was a strong intuition that something important was about to happen. Orion stirred restlessly inside me, emitting a low hiss, seeming to sense something as well.

There were no visible wounds, but I couldn't be sure if there were internal injuries. I pulled out my phone to call an ambulance. I didn't understand why Jaxon hadn't done that immediately.

Just as the operator answered, Thea's eyes suddenly flew open, and she bolted upright, gasping for air. In that moment, I clearly saw a flash of gold in her eyes.

"MATE!" Orion screamed in my mind, so loud it almost made me stagger backward. A powerful, primal, undeniable pull suddenly erupted between us, striking my soul like lightning. My breathing became rapid, my heart raced, and all the blood in my body seemed to boil.

This couldn't be possible... but it was so real. My parents had described their meeting countless times—that instant recognition, that irresistible connection. And now I was finally experiencing it.

Years ago, I had expected my fated mate, or rather expected that person to be Aurora, but I eventually discovered she wasn't and had almost given up any hope regarding the mate, stubbornly believing that even if the Moon Goddess didn't favor me, I could still have Aurora as my chosen mate.

Now everything made sense—why my wolf had always had a different reaction to Thea over the years, why Orion had howled in my mind whenever I suppressed my feelings for her. My wolf had sensed it all along, and my stubborn ass had denied it too many times.

The mate bond was so strong. Now I understood. I was destined to love Thea, our souls had been two halves of the same whole from the beginning. Though I didn't understand why this bond had suddenly manifested now, in this moment, all I wanted was to hold her, to tell her I finally understood everything.

I saw a flash of recognition in Thea's eyes, a hint of surprise—she must have felt the mate bond too. My heart raced with joy. Perhaps this was the chance for us to start over, perhaps—

But in the next second, just as I was about to speak, her gaze gradually cleared, then turned cold, and finally blazed with fury.

"You fucking lied to me!" she screamed, getting to her feet. "We were already divorced!"

Her words hit me like a bucket of ice water, instantly freezing me in place. Fuck. I knew this day would come, but I still wasn't prepared to face her anger, especially not in the moment after discovering our mate bond.