The Husband I Never Knew (Part 1)
Thea’s POV
“I have something to show you,” Sebastian said as he walked into the guest room.
I had just finished nursing Phoenix, and she was now peacefully asleep. I quickly but
gently removed my nipple from her mouth and fixed my clothes. Although Sebastian was my husband and had seen me naked countless times, this moment felt strangely unfamiliar, especially when his gaze lingered on my chest.
“They’re darker than I remember,” he said, almost to himself.
“What?” I asked, confused.
“Your nipples.”
I laughed nervously, having no idea what to say. This was the first time Sebastian had ever commented on my body. I was completely at a loss for how to respond.
Throughout our marriage, even during those rare occasions when we had sex, he’d always been completely detached from the process. Sex with Sebastian wasn’t bad–I could reach orgasm at least–though it never felt earth–shattering. But I always craved more, you know? With Sebastian, sex felt more like a task he had to perform. Worse, he would shower immediately after finishing, as if desperate to wash away my scent. After showering, he would either go to his study to continue working or simply leave our house.
No embraces, no kisses, no steamy caresses or dirty talk, none of that passion that makes you want to melt into someone else’s body. Our sex was just quick, formulaic, and completely unromantic.
The only time I’d experienced what others described was our first time together, when he thought I was Aurora. That was ages ago. Over the years, he’d proven he wasn’t a bad lover–he just didn’t want me.
“Ready to see what I want to show you?” he asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
I shook my head to clear it. I mean, we probably hadn’t slept together in months.
“Yes, of course.”
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Not wanting to leave Phoenix in the guest room, I carried her in my arms.
He led us out of the room and toward the stairs.
“I was wondering where my ring is,” I asked as we walked.
The ring was cheap, but it was mine. When we got married, there was no exchange of rings. Sebastian didn’t think it necessary. But I did. I was a married she–wolf, and people needed to know it. So I bought myself a cheap ring from a store and wore it constantly. Sebastian never wanted one, so he never wore one.
“They took it off when you were admitted to the hospital, but it disappeared from storage,” he explained.
I didn’t say anything. This was pretty normal. I could get another one later.
“Here we are,” he said, stopping in front of one of the many bedrooms.
He slowly opened the door, and I couldn’t help but gasp.
“I know you might’ve preferred to have Phoenix in the master bedroom, but I thought she
should have a room of her own.”
It was a pup’s paradise. The room was bathed in soft nature tones, with forest and moon paintings on the walls. Sheer curtains danced gently in the night breeze, and a plush rose–colored carpet covered the floor.
A crib stood at the center of the room, draped with pale pink velvet bedding. A mobile of hand–carved moons and stars hung above it, slowly turning in the air. Beside it was what looked like the most comfortable rocking chair made of oak. On the other side of the room stood an elegant changing table adorned with mountain and forest carvings, next to
a handcrafted wooden wardrobe.
Shelves displayed various handmade stuffed animals and books of werewolf tales, while
natural toys for a baby to play with lay scattered on the floor.
“Do you like it?” he asked.
“God, it’s beautiful. Thank you so much.” I was carrying Phoenix in one arm and without thinking, I hugged him with my free one. I expected him to push me away as he usually
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The Husband I Never Knew (Part 1)
did, but to my surprise, he hugged me back.
I didn’t understand why he’d do all this for another man’s child, especially when he hated me so much, but I was grateful nonetheless.
I released him and stepped back. “When did you arrange all this?”
“A few weeks ago. I wanted to distract Leo from thinking about you and Phoenix in the hospital, so I came up with the idea of preparing a room for Phoenix.”
I walked into the room. The carpet felt so soft, like walking on clouds.
I gently placed Phoenix in her crib, then picked up the baby monitor.
“Thank you. This means a lot to me.”
He smiled. Fuck, I always knew Sebastian was very handsome, but when he smiled? It was knee–weakening. That typically icy face of his suddenly lit up, his eyes sparkling with something I’d never seen before. His lips curved into a relaxed arc, revealing perfectly straight white teeth, and even his usually tense jaw softened. The smile transformed him from an insufferable Alpha asshole into a man that would make girls go crazy, blowing my heart wide open even more than when he wore suits and gave orders.
I stared at him, completely mesmerized. I’d never seen him like this before, and now I just
wanted to bask in the moment.
“Come on, dinner should be ready. I’m sure you’ve missed home–cooked meals,” he
extended his hand to me.
Hesitantly, I placed my hand in his.
Just touching him sent a spark through me. A thrill ran down my spine, and I couldn’t say I disliked the feeling.
The Husband I Never Knew (Part 2)-1
We went downstairs and found Leo already there. He was busy wolfing down his food at the dining table. I sat down and started serving myself. Sebastian was about to do the same when his phone rang. He stared at it for a moment, then answered.
“Sorry,” he said to us, then stood up to leave.
Before he left the room, I heard him say someone’s name. “Graves” meant nothing to me. Perhaps one of his alliance partners. Usually, I didn’t interfere with his work, but for some strange reason, I made a mental note to ask him who this Graves was.
“So, do you like Phoenix’s room?” Leo asked after swallowing his food.
“I love it, baby,” I said. “It’s gorgeous. You and your dad did a wonderful job.”
A woman I’d never seen before walked out of the kitchen. She placed some fruit on the table, then introduced herself.
“I’m Mary, Luna. If you need anything, please let me know.” I nodded, and she quickly left.
“Who is that woman, Leo?” I asked.
She appeared to be in her forties.
“Oh, that’s Mary. She handles the cooking and cleaning,” Leo said, frowning.
I figured he hadn’t heard Mary’s introduction. And why did Sebastian need a servant? He knew I took care of everything in the house, including cooking. Maybe he appointed her when I was in the hospital, right?
I turned to Leo to ask when Mary had been appointed, but noticed he was still frowning.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked. “Why do you look unhappy?”
He remained silent for a moment, seemingly hesitant to tell me what was bothering him. Finally, he spoke up.
“I found a note in my bag from a girl in my class. She joined the school when you were sent to the hospital.”
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“What did the note say?”
“Just that she was glad you were okay.”
I frowned, not quite understanding the problem.
“Isn’t that a good thing? She’s being friendly,” I asked him, because I didn’t understand why this would upset him.
“Yeah, but Madison is a total pain,” he said the name with such hardness in his voice.
This made me curious. Leo was a pretty calm pup, very friendly and open. I’d never seen him like this.
“That’s not a nice way to talk about someone.”
He groaned in frustration. “You don’t understand, Mom; Madison just won’t leave me alone. She follows me everywhere and wants to do everything I do. It’s really annoying.”
I realized what was happening and couldn’t help but smile. It seemed that whoever this
girl was, she had a crush on Leo. The only problem was that she was being too forceful.
She reminded me a bit of myself when I was younger and infatuated with Sebastian.
“You don’t like her? It sounds like she wants to be your friend.”
I thought it was too early to tell him what was really going on.
“Absolutely not. She’s too loud and pushy. She’s always covered in scratches and mud or
dust, and she acts younger than her age. She dresses funny too.”
He said this with so much disgust in his voice, as if it was something completely
horrendous.
“I didn’t raise you to talk about people that way.” All humor vanished from me. “She might be different, but that’s not a bad thing, and I better not find out you’ve said anything
mean to her. There are ways to keep your distance without hurting her feelings, okay?”
Leo was stubborn like his father. Once he disliked something or someone, it was hard to
change how they felt about it.
“I just wish she would stop and leave me alone,” he said, slumping in his chair.
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“Then tell her that, but in a kind way, okay?”
“Fine.”
He went back to eating and finished quickly. He left the table, telling me he was going to take a shower and then go to bed.
A few minutes later, I finished my dinner too. I felt exhausted and just wanted to sleep. I stood up, just as Sebastian returned.
The Husband I Never Knew (Part 2)-2
“You’re done eating?” he asked, sitting down.
“Yeah… I’m going to check on Phoenix first, then go to bed.”
I’ll be up shortly.”
I nodded and walked toward the master bedroom. It was right next to Phoenix’s room. After making sure she was asleep, I went to the bedroom.
Deciding to soak my tired body in a bath first, I drew myself a tub. Once in, I let my mind wander. Everything had been so confusing since I woke up. I wanted to believe things had changed, but I couldn’t help feeling something was off.
Sebastian’s behavior topped the list of things that felt wrong. Like, when had he changed? Could I trust this new version of him, or was I destined for more heartbreak than I was currently experiencing?
His behavior now was exactly what I’d always wished for from him, so why couldn’t I trust
it?
When the water turned cold, I got out of the tub. Wrapping a towel around my body, I went to find something to wear. The closet and drawers were filled with clothes. The only problem was that they were all new. I didn’t recognize a single piece.
I pulled out a red nightgown and put it on. Afterward, I went to check on Phoenix and Leo. They were both asleep. I saw a clock in the hallway and realized it was already nine. Honestly, I had no idea I’d been in the tub that long.
I froze when I returned to the room and found Sebastian there. Forcing myself to relax, I walked steadily to the side of the bed, pulled back the covers, and got in. His eyes were on
me the entire time.
“Why are all my clothes new?” I asked him.
“When you were pregnant, your old clothes obviously didn’t fit, so I threw them all out and bought you new ones,” he said. “I only got some temporary ones. You can buy more later.
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I nodded. That made sense.
“About my pregnancy, you said you’d explain why I had a child with another man.”
Something flashed in his eyes, but it disappeared so quickly I couldn’t read it.
“Can we talk about it another day? I’m tired and just want to sleep.”
I wanted to argue, but something about his appearance caught my attention. He did look exhausted, like he hadn’t slept in days or weeks.
I nodded in acceptance, waiting for him to leave. But he didn’t. Instead, he started undressing. I watched him remove everything until he was down to just his underwear, unable to form words.
He began walking toward the bed, and that’s when my thoughts snapped back.
“Uh, what are you doing?” I asked nervously.
He got into bed. “Sleeping.”
“What? Here? In this bed?” I stammered.
“Yes, is there a problem?”
I swallowed hard. “We’ve never slept in the same bed before.”
It was true, like I said, we would have sex, and then he would leave. We had separate bedrooms. So this was a first.
Using the remote, he turned off the lights.
“Well, that’s going to change. You’re my wife and Luna. We should share a bed.”
“But-”
words. He turned my body and wrapped his arms around me from behind, cutting off my My ass was perfectly aligned with his crotch, and his arms were tightly wrapped around my waist. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was a new experience, so I was nervous.
“Can you relax and sleep?” he whispered at the nape of my neck, making me shiver
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involuntarily.
I forced myself to relax. Within minutes, I felt him fall asleep. I remained awake for hours, my thoughts constantly spinning.
S
Something was definitely wrong, because the Sebastian I knew would never sleep in the same bed with me, let alone hold me like this.
I just needed to figure out what I was missing and what had changed. The key to finding the answers lay in my jumbled memories. I had to get them back.
