Chapter 12: Unwanted Obsession – 1

Sebastian’s POV

I watched the cop lead Thea away, my wolf snarling beneath my skin at the sight of his hand on hers. Every instinct I possessed screamed at the casual way he touched her. I almost wanted to tear his hands off. My fists clenched involuntarily, fangs threatening to emerge. A soft touch on my arm brought me back to reality.

“Are you okay?” Aurora’s gardenia scent wrapped around me as she squeezed my hand. I turned to face her, drinking in her tender features, reminding myself forcefully that she was what I’d always wanted. Thea had never been part of the plan. She shouldn’t affect me like this.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I forced my lips to curve upward, rewarded by that dazzling expression that had first captivated me years ago. Her smile still held the power to transport me back to our early days together.

Minutes later, Thea returned with the cop. The sound of her laughter hit my ears, making me feel uncomfortable. She looked completely at ease with him, none of the tension she always carried around me. Something dark and possessive gripped my heart, my wolf thrashing violently. What the fuck was wrong with me? I’d never given a shit about her before, so why did I suddenly want to rip the cop’s throat out?

“Not going to acknowledge us?” Roman had set aside his weapon and removed his protective gear. I could sense his irritation.

Damien moved to stand beside me. We might be twins, but we couldn’t look more different. The only thing we shared was our Alpha bloodline.

The warmth vanished from Thea’s face as she regarded her brother. “No need for that.”

“What do you mean ‘no need’? We’re family,” Roman’s voice carried that hard edge.

“Since when?” The bitterness in her tone could wither steel. “Last I checked, you only had one sister, Sebastian only had one love, and Damien never wanted me as a sister-in-law. Since the woman you all preferred is standing right there, I don’t see the point in pretending.”

We all stood there dumbfounded. The worst part was, she wasn’t wrong. We’d never given her a chance, even when she’d tried so damn hard to fit in.

“You’re being such a bitch,” Aurora snapped. “Is it wrong that your brother wants to hear from you?”

She let out a laugh that held no trace of the gentlewoman I’d married. That wolfless girl would have shrunk from such confrontation.

“Thanks for the compliment, Aurora. You see, since you all thought I was a bitch anyway, I decided to live up to your expectations. And let me tell you—it’s quite liberating.”

Thea didn’t give Aurora the chance to respond. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d rather not let your drama chase Kane away.”

She took Kane’s hand and walked away without a backward glance. So his name is Kane. I committed his name to memory, already planning to have him investigated. Something about him set my teeth on edge.

They moved to a training booth where Kane began walking her through basic defensive moves. I forced myself to look away.

“What the fuck just happened?” Roman asked, looking stunned.

Damien smirked. “Looks like little Thea finally grew some balls.” The bastard was clearly enjoying this too much.

“Let’s just finish what we came here to do,” Aurora suggested, but I barely heard her.

My attention kept drifting back to Thea and Kane. Every fucking move he made grated on my nerves—his hands on her hips as he positioned her, how close he stood behind her, his lips practically brushing her ear as he gave instructions.

“Sebastian?”

“What?” I snapped at my brother.

“You’re not okay. What’s eating at you?”

“Nothing. Why would you think something’s wrong?”

Damn it, why did Kane’s hands have to linger so long on her back? And what the fuck was she giggling about?

“Maybe because you’re trying to murder your ex-wife’s new friend with your eyes,” Damien observed dryly.

“He’s not her fucking friend!”

“No? The man who saved her life seems pretty friendly to me.”

She gave Kane a look I’d never seen from her before, and my wolf nearly lost it.

“Shut the fuck up, Damien,” I growled.

He chuckled, clearly amused by my reaction. “Pull yourself together, brother. You came here with Aurora, remember? You can’t spend the whole time staring at Thea. Aurora’s noticed.”

His words hit home. I glanced at Aurora to find her sitting quietly, hands folded in her lap, face downcast. Shit. She deserved better than this. We were supposed to be starting fresh, yet here I was, obsessing over my ex-wife who seemed to have moved on just fine.

I set my weapon down and sat beside Aurora. “I’m sorry. My head’s not in the right place today.”

It wasn’t a lie. For some inexplicable reason, Thea had me completely twisted up.

Aurora laced her fingers through mine, pressing a kiss to my cheek. “I understand. You were married to her for seven years. It’s natural to be protective, especially since we don’t really know this Kane person. He might be a cop, but that doesn’t automatically make him trustworthy.”

I nodded, latching onto that explanation. Yes, that had to be it. I was just looking out for Leo’s mother. Nothing more.

Thirty minutes later, I watched Thea head for the restroom – the first time today Kane wasn’t shadowing her. My wolf’s agitation drove me to follow. I needed to make her see sense.

“What the fuck, Sebastian?” she practically shouted when I locked the door behind us.

I stalked toward her. “What the fuck was that out there?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Her brows furrowed in genuine confusion.

I wasn’t in the mood for games. I needed to say my piece and get back to Aurora. “Don’t play dumb. What’s going on between you and that asshole?”

A cold smile curved her lips. “Oh, that? That’s none of your business. And his name is Kane.”

“I don’t give a shit what his name is. I want to know what you’re doing with him.”

When had she become so difficult? The Thea I knew would have already backed down.

“They say the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else. That’s what I’m doing.”

Red haze clouded my vision. Before I could stop myself, I had her pinned against the wall, caging her with my arms. “You’re sleeping with him?” The words came out sounding more like my wolf’s feral growl, the image of another man touching her made my wolf burning with anger.

“It’s none of your fucking business whether I’m sleeping with him or not. We’re divorced, remember?”

She was right, but I couldn’t help myself. The need to erase his scent from her skin consumed me. My hands found her hips of their own accord, the familiar curves fitting perfectly against my palms. Unlike Aurora’s tall, modelesque figure, Thea had always been petite yet curved in all the right places – a fact my treacherous body hadn’t forgotten.

Her breath hitched, betraying that she wasn’t as unaffected as she pretended. I leaned closer until I could taste her breath on my lips, completely forgetting where we were and who waited outside.

Suddenly she shoved me away, the force of it shocking me back to reality.

“What are you doing, Sebastian?” she whispered, tears filling her eyes. “You can’t do this to me. I won’t let you. Aurora is right outside. If you want to kiss someone, kiss her. Stop playing whatever sick game this is.”

She slipped past me and fled, the door slamming behind her.

I took a deep breath, running a hand through my hair.

What the fuck had I just done? What was I thinking?

“Fuck!” I slammed my fist into the wall where I’d pinned her.

Once again, Thea was right. I finally had Aurora – the woman I’d always wanted. So why the hell had I almost kissed her sister?

Aurora was everything I’d dreamed of, yet somehow, I couldn’t get my unwanted ex-wife out of my head.