Regrets (Part 1)

Sebastian’s POV

I sat on the hard bench in the hospital hallway, my knee bouncing with nervous energy as I waited for Thea to arrive. She was going to be pissed, no doubt about it, but I couldn’t stop this overwhelming need to be by her side, to do something—anything—for her.

She’d refused to tell me when her appointment was, so I’d pulled rank as Alpha to get the information. Yeah, that made me a complete asshole since I kept crossing boundaries, but as an Alpha, I was used to getting what I wanted. And right now, all I wanted was to be near her.

I would’ve picked her up myself if I could, but considering I was already going against her wishes, I decided to just wait at the hospital.

It was fucking ridiculous how nervous I felt. The last time I’d been this anxious was during my first full shift at fourteen, when I had no idea what the hell I was doing. I nearly hurt Damien during training because I couldn’t control my strength. I pushed those memories aside and focused on the entrance, watching intently. I’d arrived early, knowing I’d have to wait a while before seeing her.

“Sebastian? What are you doing here?” Her voice yanked me back to reality. I didn’t know how long I’d been sitting on that bench, lost in thought, not even noticing her arrival.

I turned to face her, and holy shit, my breath caught in my throat. She was so goddamn beautiful without even trying. I mentally kicked myself again for ever thinking she couldn’t compare to Aurora. Some might say it was the pregnancy glow, but I disagreed. Aurora wore makeup every single day. If she thought she didn’t look perfect, she wouldn’t even leave the house. Thea was completely different. She didn’t need all that shit. I’d seen her these past weeks with dark circles under her eyes and bare-faced, but never had she looked more perfect to me.

I cleared my throat and answered, “I said I’d be at every appointment with you.”

I watched a dark cloud pass over her face. She was angry, looked like she was about to blow up at me, but honestly, I didn’t give a fuck. My eyes shamelessly traveled up and down her body. She wore a form-fitting dress that showed off her curves, fuller now with pregnancy. When my gaze returned to those enchanting eyes, she opened her mouth, and I knew she was about to tell me off and ask me to leave. Before she could get a word out, I stood up, gently cupped her face with my hand, pulled her close, and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

She froze completely, clearly shocked by my action. My lips lingered on her skin for a moment. I knew I should pull away, but it felt too fucking right. If I hadn’t been so stupid and stubborn, this could have been us all along.

I gently released her. Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly open in shock.

“What the fuck are you doing, Sebastian?” she demanded when she came to her senses, anger filling her voice. “Why are you acting like this?”

“Because I wanted to. So I did,” I shrugged in response.

Before she could say anything, the nurse called her name. She gave me a furious glare before storming away. I followed behind her, a smile playing at my lips.

Arriving at the doctor’s office, we found everything prepared and ready.

“Good to see you, Thea,” Dr. Harper smiled, then turned to me, “And you too, Alpha Ashworth.”

“You as well, Dr. Harper,” Thea responded while I just nodded.

I was surprised to find that Dr. Harper was the same doctor from when Thea was pregnant with Leo. She had delivered him, and now she would do the same for this pup.

“You know the drill, dear, go change over there and then come back so we can see how our little sprout is doing.”

Thea took the examination gown and walked to the changing room. A few minutes later she emerged and lay down on the bed.

“Today we’ll do a transvaginal ultrasound first, then the regular scan,” Dr. Harper said.

“Is there something I should be worried about?” Thea asked, her voice tinged with anxiety.

“No, this is just what I do with all my patients. Just making sure the cervix is healthy,” she smiled at Thea. “Now, I’m going to insert this, and if you feel uncomfortable, let me know, okay?”

Thea nodded. She might have forgotten, but I’d seen her naked before. She raised her legs, and Dr. Harper went to work. After finishing, she did the regular scan, then turned off the machine.

“Everything looks good. You and the baby are both healthy. I’m glad this pregnancy is easier than it was with Leo,” Dr. Harper said as Thea sat up.

“What do you mean? Compared to Leo? Did she have difficulties with him?” Fuck, what had I missed while I was busy drowning in bourbon mourning the loss of Aurora?