Words Beyond the Grave–1
Thea’s POV
That blood–stained paper sat on my table like a fucking time bomb. I stared at it, not sure what to do with it.
I’d been home for an hour now and still couldn’t decide whether to read it. The damn thing had been burning a hole in my bag the entire ride home, and now that I’d finally taken it out, I was paralyzed with indecision. How fucking ironic–I was afraid of a piece of paper.
Part of me wanted to know what Derek Sterling had written. Another part couldn’t give less of a shit. This man had never shown me a kind face since I had memories, so what good could his last words possibly contain?
I grabbed the paper, ready to tear it to shreds, when that strange voice in my head spoke up again.
“Read it. How bad could it be?”
I almost laughed out loud. How bad could it be? That was the stupidest comfort I’d ever heard.
How bad? The worst–case scenario was that he’d taken his final chance to stick one more knife in me before dying. Wounds from words healed slower than those from wolf claws. The things the Sterling family had said to me were carved into my soul, never fully healing.
But my hand had already betrayed my thoughts. I picked up the paper and unfolded it.
[Dear Thea,
If you’re reading these words, it means I didn’t survive the operating table. To be honest, I knew I wasn’t going to make it. The doctors are fighting a losing battle, and I can feel my life force draining away, the Goddess calling my soul. Maybe it’s just the delusion of a dying man, but I believe the Goddess will banish me to the darkest place for what I’ve done to you.
You were such a bright pup when you first came to us, and we extinguished that light in
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Words Beyond the Grave-?
your eyes. We Sterlings destroyed your spirit, and that’s the greatest sin of my life.
I remember when Elaine first adopted you, how I enjoyed watching you play with Roman and Aurora in your baby blankets. You were so adorable, and those evening hours spent with all three pups became the part of my day I looked forward to most.]
1 stopped reading, completely confused. If he had once enjoyed being around me, what the hell happened? Why did my entire childhood memory consist of him looking at me with a coldness I couldn’t understand?
With trembling fingers, I continued reading.
[I don’t know where I went wrong. I don’t know why I became the monster in your heart. But when Elaine asked us to adopt you and we finally did it to repay her, something deep inside me changed. All of us changed. When you were just Elaine’s daughter, we could enjoy your company without burden, because the responsibility of raising you wasn’t ours. But when you suddenly became our obligation, that carefree joy transformed into something complicated and heavy, a duty we had to bear.
I’m not making excuses for myself. There’s no justification for how we treated you. It was disgusting.
I know that what’s happening now is my punishment. As the Alpha of Sterling, I should have protected all members of the Pack, especially you, the smallest one who became part of our family, but instead, I hurt you deeply. I think this is the price I’m paying for it.
Before I join the Moon Goddess, I want to tell you how much I regret it. I’m sorry for being a stupid bastard. I’m sorry for being the worst father. I’m sorry for destroying all your beautiful expectations of family.
I won’t ask for your forgiveness because I don’t deserve it. My only request is that you give your mother a chance and stay by her side. She’s not naturally cold–hearted, and once she realizes what she’s done to you, she’ll be devastated.
Believe it or not, I love you, Thea. I may never have shown it, but I truly do.
Goodbye, my sweet daughter.]
My fingers went numb as I shoved the letter back into my bag, a surge of anger rising from my chest.
Words Beyond the Grave–2
For some reason, this letter affected me more than Margaret’s tears. Maybe because these were his final confessions? Or perhaps death makes people particularly honest?
I jumped to my feet and rushed to the bedroom, struggling to control my emotions. I didn’t want to think about them. Didn’t want to remember the damage the Sterling family had done to me. I forcefully pushed those memories out because I knew if I let them rampage through my mind, I’d completely fall apart.
I couldn’t afford to be weak now. That cliff incident with Kane was enough; I wouldn’t let myself slide back into that darkness. The baby in my belly and Leo needed me to be strong, not consumed by shadows from the past.
I lay on the bed, gritting my teeth to keep the tears from flowing. I’d cried enough for the Sterling family–shedding even one more fucking tear would be a waste.
Soon, exhaustion took over. The emotional and pregnancy drain left me completely spent,
and I fell into a dreamless sleep.
When the alarm jolted me awake, it was already ten o’clock.
“Fuck!” I jumped out of bed, only to trip and nearly fall. I was supposed to pick up Leo at nine since Sebastian had meetings elsewhere.
I showered and dressed at record speed. Less than ten minutes later, I was ready. Then I rushed down the stairs, praying I wouldn’t break my neck.
But I froze when I saw Sebastian and Leo having breakfast in the kitchen. He was standing by the counter in his suit, buttering bread. The scene was so surreal, like a snapshot stolen from someone else’s life.
“Mom, you’re finally awake!” Leo called out excitedly, his mouth full of food. “I wanted to wake you, but Dad said you needed sleep.”
“What’s going on?” I asked, confused by the scene before me.
“I’m making breakfast. Sit down and eat something.” Sebastian’s tone was gentle. “I
wanted to finish before I left.”
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Words Beyond the Grave–2
“Weren’t you supposed to be at a meeting? You should have woken me up.”
“Fuck the meeting,” he said without looking up. “You were sleeping so deeply, obviously
needed the rest.”
His behavior was so unusual that I had no idea how to respond. This was a Sebastian I’d never seen before–gentle, considerate, without that superior Alpha energy. I hated to admit it, but this version of him was far more dangerous than I’d anticipated–I couldn’t soften toward a cold Sebastian, but this sudden tenderness caught me completely off
guard.
I mechanically put some eggs and toast on my plate, my mind still trying to decode his
motives.
“When’s your next prenatal check–up?” he suddenly asked, his tone casual as if asking
about the weather.
I looked up into those green eyes, searching warily for any calculation. “Next Friday.
Why?”
“Nothing special, just wanted to know.” He turned off the stove and brought over the last plate of food.
“I should go,” he glanced at his watch. “Can’t postpone the morning meeting any further.”
He walked around the table and bent down to give Leo a kiss. When he turned to me,
saw hesitation in his eyes, and I held my breath.
I
“I’ll see you both when I get back,” he finally said without coming closer, and I exhaled in
relief.
“Okay, Dad, remember to bring gifts!” Leo said happily. I just nodded, not responding.
He gave me one last long look, as if wanting to say something, but ultimately said nothing. His expression became distant again, and the Sebastian I knew returned. He turned and left, his footsteps fading.
I stared after him, trying to understand what had just happened. Why was he suddenly acting like he genuinely cared about me? I took a bitter bite of egg, smiling grimly. Sebastian Ashworth didn’t really care about me. He was just playing the perfect father
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Words Beyond the Grave–2
role for Leo. This was just an act, like every day of our seven–year marriage.
That was it, nothing else.
…right?
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