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 a 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.