chapter 008

Alpha Sebastian POV

I was summoned to a court meeting, but my mind refused to stay there. Every thought circled back to Xavier and Valerie. The image of them together stabbed into my chest like a blade. Rage burned through me. I ended the meeting without warning and returned to my chambers, my thoughts spiraling out of control.

The idea of Xavier touching her shattered something inside me. I wanted Valerie beneath me, broken, obedient, a slave to my will. I wanted her to suffer for the sins she committed years ago. I wanted her to beg.

For a long time, I had blamed myself for my sister’s death, punishing my body and mind with endless pain. But the truth was clear now. Valerie was responsible. She killed my sister. And the only way to repay that debt was through suffering, slow, merciless suffering.

Yet even in my hatred, desire twisted through me like poison. I wanted her alive. I wanted her near me. I didn’t want her to escape my sight or my control.

Lost in those thoughts, I heard a soft knock on the door.

“Who’s that?” I asked coldly, unbothered, my mind still wrapped around Valerie.

“It’s me, Valerie,” the voice said.

I knew immediately it wasn’t her. It was Helen. That family had a talent for stealing what didn’t belong to them and destroying it. A cruel smirk tugged at my lips as I poured myself a glass of strong liquor and downed it in one swallow.

“Come in,” I muttered, irritation dripping from my voice. I didn’t care why she was here. Even with the title of Luna, she had no right to step into my chambers uninvited.

The door opened gently as she stepped inside, a smile fixed on her lips. She moved toward me with deliberate confidence, each step calculated. A snare crept onto my lips as I watched her not with desire, but with cold amusement.

“My Lord,” she murmured, her voice soft and practiced, smooth with false confidence. Her eyes stayed locked on mine, but no matter how close she came, my thoughts were still tangled with Valerie. It felt unreal, almost like a cruel illusion. When she reached out and touched me, something in me felt different.

I pulled away at once, refusing to look at her as I turned and shrugged off my robe.

“What do you want?” I asked flatly.

“I’ve waited a long time for you to call me into your chambers, but it never happened,” she said, stepping closer again. She reached for my chest.

I caught her wrist instantly, gripping it tight. She smiled wider, leaning toward me as if daring me. Without hesitation, I shoved her aside. She stumbled, barely keeping her balance.

“Don’t waste my time,” I snapped. “Don’t tell me you came here for Val—” I stopped myself before her sister’s name fully left my mouth, the very name that refused to leave my thoughts.

“I want you, Sebastian,” she said quickly. “I want you to have me, to love me. I’m your mate, your true mate. Forget about my sister. You know she steals my identity.”

There it was. The poison beneath her words. I saw the cruelty in her smile when she spoke of Valerie.

“Is that so?” I muttered coldly. “You know, sometimes I even wonder who the real Valerie is.”

Her expression cracked for just a second before she raised her voice. “What do you mean by that? You don’t believe me? You think I’d steal my sister’s identity just to have you? I’m Valerie. She’s Helen.”

Tears filled her eyes, carefully placed, perfectly fake. I felt nothing.

She stepped closer again, pressing herself against me, whispering promises meant to cloud my judgment. As she undressed herself I didn’t move. I simply watched.

Let her think she was having her way

This was the easiest way to uncover the truth.

As she turned toward the bed, something caught my attention. My gaze sharpened, fixed on her left shoulder.

There was no mark, and in that moment, my suspicion turned into certainty.

I had seen it on Valerie countless times, clear and undeniable. I had mated her. I knew it. But Helen, who claimed to bear the same mark, had nothing.

“Where is the mark?” I asked coldly.

She froze.

Slowly, she turned to face me, a fake smile stretching across her lips. “What mark?” she asked, pretending innocence. She turned toward the mirror, scanning her skin in panic, searching for something that wasn’t there. I said nothing. I just watched.

Realization hit her. She had made a mistake.

She burst into laughter, the sound forced and hollow as it echoed through the room. 

“Oh, you mean the mark,” she said quickly. “It’s nothing. I don’t like seeing it, so I covered it up.”

A lie, a weak one, I could see straight through her. She knew it too. Panic flickered in her eyes as she rushed toward me, gripping my hand tightly.

“I’m ready to be you, Sebastian,” she whispered desperately.

I pulled my hand away without a word. Walking past her, I picked up her dress and shoved it into her hands.

“Get dressed and return to your chambers,” I said calmly. My voice was steady, but the rage beneath it was unmistakable. “I’ll send for you when I need you.”

She didn’t argue. She knew better.

I didn’t look back as I left my chambers. My mind was set. I needed answers,from Valerie. I would get them.

I strode down the hallway, ignoring the greetings of maids and guards. My beta, Owen, hurried after me.

“My Lord,” he called, struggling to keep up. 

“There’s something important I need to talk to you about.”I didn’t slow down.

“Alpha Sebastian!” he shouted.

I stopped.

Turning slowly, I fixed my gaze on him. He bowed his head instantly, fear written all over his face.

“Speak,” I growled.

“I—I… there’s a serious problem,” he stammered.

“I don’t have time for this, Owen,” I snapped. “I’m going to see Valerie.”

I turned to leave, but he stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

“That’s the problem,” he said quickly. “Valerie… Valerie is missing from the pack clinic.”