LOGINTheodore Swift's POV
I was peeling the wrapper off a piece of chocolate for Sophia when her soft little voice suddenly turned sharp with frustration.
"Bad lady! She's a bad lady!" she shouted, pointing with a tiny finger out the window.
"Alright now, sweetheart, shh..." I said automatically, trying to calm her down as my eyes followed her hand.
And then I saw her-Seraphina. A strange wave of warmth rushed through me. I'd been thinking about her more often than I'd like to admit.
With our departure from Moonlight Bay Area looming, I'd even had a fleeting, stupid idea of hitting up Sebastian, just to maybe catch another glimpse of her. Of course, I'd decided against that. Too messy.
"Bad lady! I don't like her!" Sophia insisted, her face scrunched up in a stormy pout.
I blinked, puzzled. "Do you know her, baby?"
"Pretty guy... bad lady... she didn't let me hug," she mumbled, her mouth full of chocolate.
Ah.
It hit m
Emma's POVI went to answer the door, and everyone's attention shifted that way, confused.As I brought a middle-aged woman into the room, the vibe instantly changed.That woman was Penelope-we'd been keeping in touch lately. She used to be my coworker, lives in the same neighborhood. Our families see each other pretty often.The second she stepped into the living room, her eyes locked onto Sebastian. No surprise there-he's impossible to ignore. I could almost hear her thoughts spinning.Her smile froze mid-air. Yeah, I knew exactly what she was thinking: Seraphina already got someone new? And someone like him?"Sorry," I said awkwardly, motioning for her to sit, "this all sort of came up last minute."Her son's a great guy-he's a surgeon now. I could tell from our phone calls that he's still thinking about Seraphina.Penelope probably had a million questions. Seraphina just left a bad marriage, and now there's suddenly an alph
Victoria's POVI had just finished plating the stew in the kitchen when Emma, standing by the coffee maker pouring in freshly ground beans, suddenly hit me with, "So... is that Alpha Sebastian into Seraphina?"I nearly dropped the plate.Damn, she's sharp."Him?" I tried to play clueless. "Well, Alpha Sebastian definitely appreciates Seraphina's work-she's only just joined the team and she's already killing it. But if you're asking if he likes her, like, romantically..." I shrugged, "I really don't know."To be honest, after witnessing the weird tension in the living room earlier, I knew if I said anything too obvious, Seraphina might murder me.Emma gave me a knowing chuckle and didn't push. "You're not fooling me."With that, she picked up the steaming cup and calmly walked out toward the living room.*****Jonathan's POVI stepped out to get some air, but came back in when I heard a voice I didn't recognize. En
Seraphina's POVOn the way back from the grocery store, my head was spinning with questions. I mean, Dad left saying he was getting steaks, but came back with a bag of quinoa? And Mom was supposed to grab milk but ended up with two boxes of frozen pizza instead...Ever since that sudden greeting from Mr. Swift, it felt like the whole family was on edge.No one said a word on the ride home.As soon as we stepped inside, Mom headed straight to the kitchen with the groceries. Dad walked out to the patio to tend to his beloved tulips. I started putting things into the fridge, but couldn't help sneaking a glance toward the kitchen.The door was shut, and Mom was whispering on the phone, looking seriously stressed.I couldn't hear a thing, but her expression said plenty.All I could think about was her convo earlier with Mr. Swift.He called Zendaya by name-or rather, Grandma-and she called him "Mr. Swift"... Seriously? Mom and Mr. S
Theodore Swift's POVI was peeling the wrapper off a piece of chocolate for Sophia when her soft little voice suddenly turned sharp with frustration."Bad lady! She's a bad lady!" she shouted, pointing with a tiny finger out the window."Alright now, sweetheart, shh..." I said automatically, trying to calm her down as my eyes followed her hand.And then I saw her-Seraphina. A strange wave of warmth rushed through me. I'd been thinking about her more often than I'd like to admit.With our departure from Moonlight Bay Area looming, I'd even had a fleeting, stupid idea of hitting up Sebastian, just to maybe catch another glimpse of her. Of course, I'd decided against that. Too messy."Bad lady! I don't like her!" Sophia insisted, her face scrunched up in a stormy pout.I blinked, puzzled. "Do you know her, baby?""Pretty guy... bad lady... she didn't let me hug," she mumbled, her mouth full of chocolate.Ah.It hit m
Seraphina's POVI was half-asleep in the car on the way back. When I opened my eyes, the car had stopped at the top of the mountain. The window was cracked open, and his suit jacket was draped over me. The breeze drifting in was just the right kind of cool.Still groggy, I turned my head and saw Sebastian propping his head on one hand, quietly watching me. His eyes were soft, focused-it made my heart skip.Why's he looking at me like that?Then, out of nowhere, he leaned in closer and said, "Look, if there is a kid, stay. As your Alpha, I'll take care of it all. I've always wanted one."A kid? Seriously?I still want to live my life however I please.Is he for real?I forced a tiny smile, my voice steady. "That's not gonna happen. Don't worry."In my heart though-I was dead sure it wouldn't. And even if somehow it did, I'd deal with it myself.Sebastian didn't let it go. "And if it does happen? What then?"
Seraphina's POVAs I stepped out of the study, I glanced up at the clock on the wall-almost ten. "We really need to go," I said quietly to Sebastian. "If we don't leave now, we're going to miss the whole morning at work."He stood up with his usual grace, the creases on his suit pants settling naturally with his movements. While the elevator descended, I lowered my voice, "When we get to the office, you go up first. If Kane asks, just say you went to your parents' place last night. I'll show up ten minutes later."Sebastian arched an eyebrow, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "And how are you gonna explain that?""I'll say I had a morning appointment with my physio," I answered coolly."Flawless cover story," he murmured, leaning in for a light kiss at the corner of my mouth, his warm breath brushing my ear. "Such a clever little fox."I instinctively stepped back. "Stop calling me that..."When I moved to take the driv







