Chasing His Wolfless Luna Back Chapter 77: The Fact He's Been Fighting

Sebastian's POV

"What were you and Aunt Aurora talking about?" Leo asked beside me, his eyes flashing with wariness.

My mind was still reeling from my new realization about Aurora. I had barely managed to control the tumultuous emotions inside me, suppressing the urge to flee this gathering as I sat down at the table next to Leo. His question caught me off guard.

From the undisguised disgust in his voice, it was clear that the woman I had once considered my chosen mate was his least favorite person. This aversion was also one of the reasons I had begun questioning my relationship with Aurora. As an Alpha, as a father, my heir obviously didn't get along with her. Her attitude toward Leo was equally problematic—those cold glances and spiteful comments clearly indicated that she either resented him for being the child of a wolfless woman or resented him for being the bond that tied me to Thea, perhaps both.

"Nothing important," I replied vaguely, feeling my wolf's dissatisfaction churning within me.

After a moment of silence, Leo spoke again.

"I have a best friend now, just like you have Uncle Damien and Uncle Roman as your best friends," he said, his tone suspiciously casual.

I pushed down a bad feeling. "That's good."

I wasn't in the mood for small talk, especially when my wolf was restless inside me. But Leo seemed oblivious to my mood change and continued talking.

"His name is Wyatt, he's our new neighbor. They moved in about a week ago."

I just nodded absently. It wasn't that I wasn't interested in what my son was saying, but I had too many things on my mind, and his mother was at the center of all my problems.

His next words made me instantly explode.

"You know," he paused, "Wyatt's dad is really handsome."

My wolf and I immediately perked up. I turned to Leo and saw a crafty smile on his face.

"After Mom said hello to them, they came over to our house once, that's when Wyatt and I became friends. Mr. Jaxon and Mom got along really well, he even promised to help Mom plant her vegetable garden."

*Intruder!* my wolf snarled furiously, and I felt a primal possessiveness boiling in my blood. Who the fuck was this Jaxon? Why would Thea let a strange male into her house? Especially after what Kincaid had done to her?

Leo continued, a victorious smile on his face, as if he hadn't just awakened a raging beast inside me. "He made Mom laugh a lot. Mom invited them to stay for dinner, and they stood really close while he helped her set the table."

I felt an unprecedented fury exploding inside me. Thea rarely laughed; throughout our marriage, I had hardly seen her genuine smile. That cold, polite smile was her trademark, but now, this strange male could make her laugh openly?

*Protect her! Mark her!* my wolf screamed in my mind, and I could barely control my breathing.

"I was worried about what would happen to Mom when you marry Aunt Aurora, but now with Jaxon around, you can go ahead. I still don't like Aunt Aurora, but you can marry her, and Mom can marry Jaxon. He makes her laugh, and Wyatt becoming my brother would be an added bonus."

That was the final straw that broke my self-control. My Alpha instincts completely took over my rationality, letting out a thunderous roar.

"Leo!" I bellowed, slamming my palm on the table, feeling my fangs already exposed, my hand half-shifted into claw.

All Pack members turned to look, the air thick with the scent of shock. They had never seen me lose control with Leo, but I couldn't suppress the boiling Alpha anger within me anymore.

"What's wrong?" Leo looked at me innocently, not fearful at all, but I could smell a hint of smugness in his scent.

What shocked me even more was that he slowly stood up, gave me a challenging smile, then casually walked away toward my mother and Margaret.

"Control yourself, son." My father stood up from the grill not far away, glaring at me disapprovingly. I took a deep breath, struggling to regain my rationality.

"What the hell was that about?" Damien sat down beside me, and I could feel his wolf becoming alert to my state. A few seconds later, Roman joined us too.

My breathing was still rapid, anger burning beneath my skin. There was another male, around Thea, who might become like Kane, entering her life, becoming part of her existence. This possibility was tearing at me in a way I couldn't comprehend.

"Yeah, what did Leo say to make you so angry?" Roman cautiously asked.

"Just about their new neighbor being all cozy at Thea's house, making her laugh," I said through gritted teeth, clenching my fists, feeling my nails pierce the skin of my palms, the scent of blood mingling in the air.

Roman and Damien exchanged a look, then burst into laughter. Their reaction made my wolf even angrier, but I forcefully suppressed the urge to shift and punch them.

"Obviously, Leo was trying to make you jealous," Damien said after they stopped laughing. "It's no secret that kid wants you and Thea back together. He was just testing you, and from your nearly shifted state, it only proves how much you care about Thea far beyond your own recognition."

I glared at my brother, wanting to contradict him, but I couldn't. If I were to be honest with myself, then yes, I was jealous. A pure, primal jealousy that almost exclusively exists between werewolves and their mates.

*She is ours,* my wolf confirmed again, his voice more certain this time.

I wanted Thea to smile at me. Wanted her to laugh because of me. I wanted to be the one helping her set the table in her house. I would even deign to help her plant that damn vegetable garden, just to ensure no other male approached her.

The thought shocked even myself. I was Sebastian Ashworth, heir to the strongest Alpha bloodline, yet I wouldn't mind kneeling on the ground, hands covered in dirt, helping Thea plant her garden. As long as I was by her side, as long as I was the only man in her life, nothing else mattered.

"Do you really want Thea back?" Roman asked seriously, looking at me.

The question caught me off guard, but I didn't have a fucking answer. How could I explain this sudden emotional shift? How could I describe this intense possessiveness and protectiveness that completely contradicted my cold attitude toward Thea for years, to the point where it confused even me?

And why now? Why not years ago?

*Because you've been too stupid, too stubborn,* my wolf mocked, *you've been refusing to accept the truth.*

I growled, standing up and refusing to answer. Ignoring the confused looks from my parents and Margaret, Leo's smug expression, I strode toward the house.

I needed space. Needed to calm my wolf down. I had thought that getting away from the crowd would give me a moment of peace, but I was wrong.

Aurora was sitting alone in the living room. When she saw me, she immediately stood up.

"Sebastian, please, talk to me. Tell me what I need to do to fix everything between us," she pleaded again.

I didn't like hurting her, but continuing to give her false hope would only bring her more severe pain again and again. I didn't want to mislead her. Especially when deep down, I knew I didn't feel the same anymore.

Maybe she didn't feel the same either. It had been so many years. I would bet her feelings had changed, but like me before, she refused to let go of our teenage love.

"You can't fix anything, Aurora," I said directly, feeling an unprecedented relief, "I don't want to hurt you, but the truth is, our relationship is over."

Her expression froze, disbelief and heartbreak in her eyes. "Are you telling me you don't love me anymore? That you've fallen in love with that wolfless Thea?"

My wolf let out a threatening growl at the word "wolfless," but I chose to remain silent. Not because I didn't know the answer, but because the answer was so shocking that even I needed time to accept it.

With that, I turned and left, leaving Aurora alone.

However, I couldn't help asking myself that question I had been avoiding:

If I no longer loved Aurora, did that mean I had fallen in love with my former Luna, that my wolf and I had chosen her as our true mate? And I, all along, had been too proud and stubborn to admit this fact?