FOUR

Sèbastien’s POV

FOUR YEARS LATER

“She was carrying your child!”

My heart thumped loudly in my chest as I listened to the doctor's revelation.

I totally forgot about Olivia that I came with to the hospital in the first place, at this point she was the least of my problems.

"Rowena was pregnant. She was carrying my child." I kept repeating to myself, while struggling to get out of the hospital without stumbling on my face. Soon as I was outside, I found myself struggling to breath at the same time I tried to catch my breath.

“No. This can’t be possible.” I stood there outside the hospital frozen, the doctor’s words repeatedly echoing in my ears.

Recollections started coming to me in waves, I then remembered what happened the morning I rejected her. When she walked into the room, I was surprised to see her smiling and waiting for me with a huge smile on her face when it was visible I had Olivia on our bed. She was excited about something, but I didn’t notice back then and was only concerned about getting rid of her to have Olivia.

It seemed she had wanted to tell me something and I think she was even holding an envelope, but I nonchalantly dismissed her and threw the rejection on her instead. Even after the awful way I had betrayed her and said demeaning words to her, she had still tried to tell me but I didn’t even listen to her.

“Why didn’t I listen? Oh no, what have I done?” I cursed myself as hot tears rolled down my cheeks, I wasn’t bothered by the weird looks passersby gave me, I slowly dropped to my knees crying even harder.

“Rowena, I’m so sorry.” I kept on repeating, while struggling to hold my tears.

I knew how much she loved me yet all this while I had fallen woefully short of being the mate she deserved, and I have failed to give her the attention she so clearly deserved, but I had let Olivia trample upon her and treat her like a garbage because she couldn’t give me a child when it’s only been two years, they had thought she was infertile.

I knew how much she was struggling and I was supposed to continue being there for her and reassure her, but I got swayed by Olivia’s arrival and rather mocked her, calling her all sorts of names ever worthy of a ‘barren.’

As I laid there on the floor weeping, feeling so terrible, no one needed to tell me I had failed woefully by taking Rowena for granted. I tried to pool words together to defend myself, but none came.

“I’m such a big fool!” I growled and rose up, throwing numerous punches on my steering wheel as I got behind the wheels. “I deserve to be punished for the foolish mistake I made. I should have waited but rather, I let my impatience cause me to hurt her. Now, what have I done?”

I drove straight home with blurry vision, when I arrived, my parents together with Olivia were already waiting for me. They must have gone to pick her up since I abandoned her at the hospital.

“You’re back, baby. I was worried.” Olivia purred as she rushed to me, she was so concerned about my whereabouts that she didn’t even notice how red and puffy my face were from all the crying on the hospital bare floor.

“I’m back. However, I need some space.” I gently shook off her grasp. I was starting to get pissed off.

“Sèbastien. Everything is ready for Olivia's coronation. It’s been adjourned six times already, but not any more.”

Rubbing my hand through my hair in frustration, I looked around once and took in deep breaths as I tried to calm myself down. “There won’t be any coronation, father.” I stated and my mother gasped in shock and even my father looked terrified as they rushed to meet me.

“W—hat? You can’t be serious. Why are you doing this yet again?” My mother asked. They stared at me, shocked and even more, confused.

“I don’t want the coronation, Mom. That’s all.” I said, my eyes darkening. They never seem to understand me.

“That’s all you’ve been saying for years now, Séb. You should have a certain reason or weren’t you the one who assured us no more adjourning? I mean, what will people say, or what will we tell the whole pack when invitation cards have been sent to everybody’s doorstep already? Think about Olivia and think about her parents. The poor girl has been waiting for four years now.”

“At this point, I don’t care about any of that, mother. Nor do I care about what people will say or what rumors will spread. It can turn out to be a mess for all I care. She’s not getting a coronation and that’s final!” I snapped and their faces fell. I wanted to hit my fist to the wall, wrap my hands around my senses and ask myself what the hell I was doing.

I'm losing it. Right now, Rowena is all I yearn to see.

“Is everything alright, Séb? Something didn’t happen on your way back, right?” Olivia asked. “Why are you behaving this way then—”

My fist punched through the wall before I could stop myself. Big pure rage washed over me. She's not the one to tell me how to behave and how not to.

“I just to be alone for now. Please, Olivia.” I told her causing her to shrink back in fear. I was painfully aware it was the same Olivia that her vanilla scent would melt me senseless on a normal day but today was out of it.

My legs felt heavy as I walked to my room and yanked open the curtains. I loosened the tie around my collar as it made it even harder for me to breathe.

A knock on the door decided to strike at my nerves and before I could fire out, the door burst open.

"You don't know what's called privacy??" My eyes drifted to the door and I stared daggers at Fred, a close friend of mine. My voice was harsh but I do not care.

"Not when there's a fat news." He muttered waving me off.

He neatly folded his sleeves to his elbow as he crashed on the couch. He looked toward me from where I stood staring at the displayed outline of his many tattoos, and waved me over.

His eyes gleamed with mischief as he rested his smirk upon me. One that was enough for me to draw near, a hint of what he was here for at the back of my mind.

"News has been circulating Rowena your mate is with a child. Did you hear the rumor also?" He reached out for his phone from the back of his pocket and passed it over to me.

"No, I didn't. I only just got informed she was pregnant." A glimpse at the phone's screen, I returned his phone and my jaw clenched, "If you're here to mess with me, go away now." I grunted my voice low and threatening. He should know better than to pester me.

This was heading somewhere I'm desperately not trying to think toward and take off my mind for the past few hours but I I should have already knew he was going to rub it on my face.

He laughed me off, "I know you're curious about the child. Sèbastien, come on and look at the possibility he could be your child."

"What do we do about it?" He asked his voice barely audible as he angled his body toward me, staring and anticipating.

"Do? Nothing, of course." I answered.

"To cool my head, I'd gatecrash a party if I were you."

"Isn't that what makes us different, dude?" I asserted before tucking my hands into my pocket and turning away.

"Perhaps you're right." A wide grin unfolded on his face as he went on to say. "Incase you decide to change your mind, I'm still here. I'm not leaving you especially in this condition of yours."

I went behind my study desk, going through anything I can get my hand on in hope he will leave when he sees how busy I am. He finally got a car from his workaholic Father who has been troubling hun with the pack's work as of late. When Fred bided his farewell saying how painfully it is he has to leave, my prayer got answered.

Soon as he was out of the door I slumped to the floor and covered my face as I cried. If I had known, I wouldn’t have let her go. I wouldn’t have betrayed her or caused her pain.

I made a call to my Beta and he picked up almost immediately. “Jason, listen up. I need you to find Rowena for me real quick.” I instructed.

“I… Wait, are you being serious, Alpha Sèbastien? You rejected her and sold her off to another pack just in case you’ve forgotten. You shouldn’t be seeking her out now. I mean, how do we even find her?”

“Are you really about to question me, Jason? Just do as you’re told before I lose it!” I snapped the second time today, my eyes red with anger and then I hung up.

PRESENT

Weeks turned into months and we still couldn’t find Rowena. I would shift into my wolf form and run across each pack, one after the other, hoping to at least get a tiny sniff of her scent but wouldn’t find anything.

Like every other day, I returned home feeling devastated. I have lost all hope. Not even a report has come from Jason ever since. I have given up and no longer had any strength in me.

Never in a million years would I have imagined things turning this way. Finding Rowena turned out to be more difficult than I prepared for. The bond we shared in which I ruined makes me want to crawl into a hole and die in regret of my past mistake.

Rowena was so innocent, sleek and sophisticated, even when she wore no makeup. She's just what I needed, and I should have listened to my mate. Heck- I hate myself for choosing another woman over her.

I drank to stupor, churn down numerous of shots down my throat and retired to my room. I was about to go to bed when the door flung open and my beta, Jason, rushed in.

“Alpha! Sorry I barged in but…” He panted heavily and ran across the room to meet me. I dug my hands into my pockets and stared at him, with an exhausted expression.

I hated to admit it but I feared what was to come.

“I’ve got big news and you certainly won’t like me dropping the bombshell but I have to tell you.”

I felt my heart plummet into my stomach at Jason’s words and it took a lot of courage to urge him to continue, hoping it was what I was expecting.

“We found Rowena. She’s in the Crystal Moon Pack. However… she’s now in the arms of another Alpha.”

“What?!” My hands clenched into fists beside me, all thoughts of sleep gone as I growled, ”Impossible! Prepare my car. I’m paying the pack a visit.”