Chasing His Wolfless Luna Back Chapter 212: Finally Ready

Thea's POV

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm before responding. This was a situation I'd never imagined I'd find myself in. Elizabeth had never liked me, and I completely understood her perspective. In her eyes, I was the one who made her son lose the woman he loved and live in a painful marriage for so many years. Her cold attitude toward me had been justified.

The silence between us stretched heavy and uncomfortable. I didn't know how to navigate this situation. Part of me just wanted her to say whatever she needed to say so I could finally relax.

"I don't want to seem rude," I began, "but is there something specific you needed to discuss with me privately?"

She took a deep breath. "Yes. First, I want to apologize for everything that's happened over the years. You shouldn't have had to endure our contempt, and you absolutely shouldn't have suffered the pain we caused you."

"None of that matters anymore. It's all in the past," I immediately interrupted. The last thing I wanted was to reopen old wounds in this moment. I was truly tired of it all. There was no point in crying over what had already happened—none of us could go back and change anything. What was happening right now, beyond my control, was far more important.

*Then why can't you try to let go and move forward?* Diana asked in my mind.

"No, it does matter," Elizabeth exhaled. "I believe part of the reason you're unwilling to forgive Sebastian is because of what we did to you."

At the mention of Sebastian's name, my heart skipped a beat.

"Sebastian?"

"Yes, he's the other reason I came here."

I sighed. I should have seen this coming.

"I see."

"I don't think you do," she said softly. "You haven't seen what Sebastian's been like this past week. He's been a complete mess without you. He truly loves you, and now he thinks he might have lost you forever. That realization has drained the life from him. We only get reactions from him when it concerns you, Leo, or Phoenix."

Hearing this caused me pain. I really hadn't expected my leaving to affect him this way. In my mind, I rationally knew that yes, he did love me, but for his life to stop just because I left? Wasn't that a bit excessive?

As for myself... at this point, I couldn't lie to myself anymore. I was still in love with him too. Even after everything that had happened, I fucking still loved him, but I just didn't know...

"Elizabeth..." I started to speak, but she interrupted me.

"We were wrong, Thea. All of us were wrong, and I believe it was precisely because everyone held onto what might have happened between Sebastian and Aurora for so many years that made it difficult for them to move forward. Looking back now, I can see it clearly. You were all just children then. If we had let go, they would have let go too and moved on. We held tightly to the past, so they did the same, which led to Sebastian hurting you so deeply," she paused, then continued.

"I'm not making excuses for his behavior, but I also hope you can understand that his actions were very likely a direct result of our behavior as parents."

I understood her words, but that didn't explain his later behavior. Yes, we were young when we married, but we both grew up. His actions and cruel behavior continued for seven years, and even recently when I had amnesia, he was still trying to influence and control my choices in ways I hated. That's what I still couldn't get over.

"I know I'm asking a lot of you, but please give him a chance. I know my son, and I know that once he loves, he loves deeply. If you give him the opportunity, he'll love you for the rest of his life and treat you the way you deserve to be treated. He would bleed on the floor just to correct the mistakes he's made and repair what he's broken. I promise you, Thea, if you give him a chance, he'll work desperately hard to be worthy of the opportunity you give him, to become the man you deserve. I guarantee you won't regret it."

I remained silent. Everything I had once wanted was right there, waiting for me to take it. Now I just needed to reach out and grab it...

"You love Sebastian, don't you?" she asked. "I could see it in your eyes when you saw him injured because of you. And that's what matters most right now."

"Yes," I said without hesitation. "I shouldn't still love him after everything he's done, but I can't stop my heart from wanting him. I should let him go, even reject that damn mate bond, but whether we're mates or not, I never seem to be able to do it."

She gave me a warm smile. "I know why you're finding this decision so difficult... you're just afraid to love him again."

I jerked my head toward her.

This was now the third person to tell me this. And I was increasingly realizing they were all right. What was holding me back wasn't the past, but fear of the future.

"Listen, men can be dense and stupid. But I can assure you, he will never intentionally do anything to hurt you again. I believe that almost losing you—first to another man, then nearly losing your life—taught him his lesson. At this point, he'd rather tear out his own heart than hurt you or cause you pain. Love is taking a risk in the unknown. Will you let fear stop you from seizing happiness?"

I fell silent, letting my thoughts circle. Everything they'd said had undoubtedly struck home. Especially now that I found myself still unable to let him go.

Sebastian had already shown his remorse, demonstrated that he would move mountains for me; he'd even sent Aurora to prison. What more confirmation did I need that he had truly changed, that he had moved on from the past?

And most importantly, he had proven his love for me multiple times. Sure, he might be an asshole, but that didn't stop my heart from beating for him.

So, once again—would I let the fear of being hurt stop me from being happy?

Without a moment's hesitation, I pulled out my phone and started typing: *Can you come find me? I want to talk to you.*

I didn't know if Sebastian was still busy, but barely a minute after I sent the text, I received his reply: "*Of course, I'll be there in five minutes.*"

"I can see you've made your decision," Elizabeth said, beaming at me with a brilliant smile, as if she knew exactly what I was doing after seeing the silly grin that must have appeared on my face.

I let out a breath of relief, feeling an unprecedented sense of certainty wash over me. Then, in the next second, I heard urgent footsteps running behind me.

I turned around, surprised to see Iris stumbling toward us. Even in the dim forest light, I could tell something was wrong with her expression. A bad feeling rose in my chest. Before I could even ask, she said something that made me want to destroy the world instantly.

"Thea! Leo is missing!"