At Last, The Heart Understands–1
Sebastian’s POV
I stared at Thea’s front door, hesitating. What the hell was I thinking coming to her place this late? The meeting between Packs had just ended, and instead of going home, I drove straight here. I promised to give her space, but this overwhelming need to see her was completely irrational. I couldn’t control myself.
Knock on the door, my wolf growled inside me.
My body acted on its own. After knocking, I almost turned to leave. That’s when the door opened, and Leo appeared.
“Dad!” he cheered, launching himself into my arms, and I caught him instantly. “I thought I wouldn’t see you until the weekend!”
I held him tight, feeling all the tension in my muscles melt away. “Hey, buddy.”
I inhaled his scent with satisfaction, then felt a wave of complicated emotions wash over me. How could I have ever hated Thea? When she gave birth to Leo, I should have thanked her, not punished her. That night I once called a disaster gave me the most important gift in my life.
Back then, my head was so full of my obsession with Aurora and prejudice against Thea that I couldn’t see things clearly. Now, everything was crystal clear. Thea was right. I had never even realized that if that night hadn’t happened, Leo would never have come into my life.
“Come in. Mom’s taking a bath. She said she needed to relax her body,” Leo informed me, tugging my hand. “I’m having dinner, and there’s plenty. You can join if you’re hungry.”
Following him into the kitchen, I watched him climb onto a barstool to continue eating, pointing at the food still warming on the stove. I didn’t hesitate to grab a plate and pile food high.
During our marriage, I never appreciated these things. Took all the small things for granted. I admit, I missed her cooking.
“So… Mom’s really popular,” Leo suddenly spoke up, his eyes mischievous as he looked at
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- me.
I glanced up, unsure where he was going with this. “Is she?”
“Yeah! There are loads of males who want to court her… There was one who came to see her a few days ago, looked pretty important. I’m wondering who’s eventually gonna marry her,” he said casually, but that barely suppressed smirk gave him away.
“What guy?” My wolf and I immediately perked up.
I tried to control my jealousy, but it was more difficult than I’d imagined. The urge to claim Thea as mine was overwhelmingly strong.
“Can’t remember his name, but Mom said he was her new friend,” Leo continued, completely unfazed by my increasingly tense expression. “He looked kinda scary, but I liked him. Now I’m not sure who’s better for Mom, him or Officer Kane. The new guy has tattoos, Kane doesn’t. I heard she–wolves like strong males with tattoos…”
I glared at Leo, feeling my wolf grinding its teeth, but he just chuckled and continued eating. This pup knew exactly how to get under my skin.
“Leo, who’s at the door?” Thea’s voice came from somewhere in the house, interrupting me before I could say anything.
She walked into the kitchen wearing nothing but a loose bathrobe. Her hair was still wet, falling over her shoulders, and her face was completely free of makeup. Just like that, she looked a hundred times more beautiful than at any carefully orchestrated social event. The neckline of her robe was slightly open, and I almost wanted to send Leo away immediately so I could tear that damn thing off.
“Sebastian? What are you doing here?” Her expression instantly turned cold.
My heart ached. She used to be so expressive and open with me, and now I couldn’t even guess her most basic thoughts. All of this was my doing.
“Sebastian?” she called again when I didn’t answer.
I didn’t know how to respond. How could I just tell her that I was going crazy with wanting her? That I simply couldn’t help needing to see her, even if just from a distance?
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Artast The theart Understands 1
Tm heading to my room. Let me know when you’re leaving, Dad,” Leo suddenly announced, wisely choosing to exit the battlefield.
Now it was just the two of us facing each other, the air thick with palpable tension.
Who’s this male Leo was talking about?” I asked directly, taking a step toward her.
“What?” She tried to back away, but the corner of the kitchen left her nowhere to go.
“The one among your many suitors,” I said through gritted teeth, jealousy burning in my
chest.
“Are you insane? I have no idea what you’re talking about, or what Leo’s talking about,” she shot back sharply. “Can you please leave? It’s late, and you shouldn’t be here.”
At Last, The Heart Understands–2
“Why shouldn’t I? Is it because you’re expecting one of the many males Leo mentioned who want to be your new husband? I growled.
I knew I was being excessive. I was rudely invading her life, questioning her private matters, acting like a controlling Alpha–exactly the kind of person she had always been trying to escape from. But my rationality had been drowned by possessiveness and jealousy.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? I’m not dating anyone,” she hissed.
Her words did nothing to calm my anger. I stepped forward, ignoring her protests, and pulled her into my arms. My arms encircled her waist, feeling every curve of her body. Her swollen belly pressed against me, making me feel both guilty and strangely excited. When I noticed how her firm breasts pressed against me, my cock immediately responded.
What I felt wasn’t just desire. It was something stronger, the instinct to mark my mate.
“Let me go, you arrogant asshole!” she roared, pushing me, but I didn’t budge.
She could be ten times stronger and still not be able to push away an Alpha werewolf. Besides, even if I wanted to let go, my wolf wouldn’t allow it. It was making contented little puppy whimpers and growls.
“Not possible, Thea. This is exactly where you belong. You’re mine and only mine.”
“What the hell are you saying? I’m not yours. I never was. Now let me go, if Leo sees us like this, he’ll think we’re getting back together.”
“Leo would be thrilled to see his parents reconciling. As for the other thing, you’ve always been mine, and I won’t let you give yourself to other men because you belong to me.”
Her eyes flashed with fury I’d never seen before. I didn’t see her move, but the next second, her fist connected hard with my jaw. The unexpected attack made me loosen my
grip.
“Give myself away? First of all, in case you forgot, I was a fucking virgin when we first slept together. Second, I can sleep with whoever the hell I want. I’m a free female, and nothing’s stopping me from sleeping with males who actually want me. Males who don’t
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At Last The Heart Understands–2
think about their lifelong love while they’re inside me.”
I knew those tormenting words would come back to haunt me, because they were all
mine.
Thea…
“No! What the fuck do you want, Sebastian? Because I really don’t understand. You told me you imagined Aurora when you slept with me. You told me I was just an outlet for you. Said I would never be the woman you wanted, so what are you doing here? Why won’t you
leave me alone?”
There were so many things I wanted to tell her. To explain to her. But the words got stuck in my throat. I didn’t know how to express my feelings to her.
“I do want you, Thea. I want you so badly,” my voice softened, the tone unfamiliar even to myself.
“Why now?” Her eyes narrowed, “We were married for seven years, and you couldn’t care less about me. How can you suddenly be so… so…”
“So what?”
“Interested. How can you suddenly be interested in me when you ignored me throughout our entire marriage? It doesn’t make sense.”
She was right, but how could I explain emotional changes that I didn’t fully understand myself? I didn’t know when these feelings started, only that they were burning inside me, nearly consuming me whole.
“Is it so hard to accept that I want you?” There was an unintentional plea in my voice.
“Yes! You hated me for so long, so yes, it’s hard to believe you’re interested in me now. It
seems too far–fetched.”
That word was on the tip of my tongue. The name for the emotion I had been trying to figure out. What I felt for her.
“Please leave, Sebastian. You’re just fooling yourself. Even if you have some physical attraction to me now, it doesn’t mean anything. We’re over.”
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At Last, The Heart Understands–2
“It does mean something, Thea. It means we still have a chance to-”
“No, we don’t,” she cut me off coldly, “especially when I can still clearly hear you saying you were using my body as a substitute for Aurora.”
I wanted to argue more, but seeing her exhausted expression, I knew pushing would only make things worse. She was pregnant and shouldn’t be subjected to this kind of stress.
“Fine, I’ll go now. Please call Leo so I can say goodbye.”
She nodded silently, turning to call our son. Leo returned, but Thea didn’t reappear. Ignoring the questions on Leo’s face, I said a brief goodbye, making sure he locked the
door before I left.
Why didn’t you tell her we love her, tell her we’d fight to the death for her, my wolf’s words stirred greater turmoil within me, especially when I could finally see my feelings clearly:
I loved Thea. Not possession, not control, but deep, hopeless love.
This realization came with intense fear and suffocating guilt. I had destroyed her love and trust for me with my own hands, tearing her heart to pieces and letting her live in misery
for seven years. How could I ever make up for that?
