Chapter 15

The silence was deafening.

I stood in the middle of my apartment, staring at the front door Sebastian had walked out of not long ago, my chest rising and falling in uneven breaths. A sick, hollow ache twisted in my stomach, and the air around me felt too still—like even the walls knew something had changed.

I didn’t want to cry, but the tears were already forming, burning behind my eyes like a dam about to break.

How could he just leave like that? After everything we shared—the rawness, the honesty, the way he held me like I was the only thing that mattered. I thought… I thought we were building something real. Something worth holding on to. But now, he was gone.

And I was here. Alone. Again.

I wrapped my arms around myself, moving toward the couch like my legs had forgotten how to work properly. Everything felt numb. My skin, my thoughts… even my heart. It was like something had been torn from me and left a gaping wound that no amount of logic could stitch back together.

I sank down into the cushions, inhaling the faint trace of his cologne that still lingered in the air. It was warm and woodsy, like cedar and smoke. A scent I hadn’t realized I’d come to crave. I closed my eyes, trying to calm the storm inside me, but the ache only grew louder. He was gone. He left me.

A glint of white caught my eye.

I turned slowly, my breath catching in my throat as I spotted an envelope tucked between the decorative pillows on the other end of the couch. It had my name written on it in his handwriting—sharp, elegant, unmistakably his.

“Audrey.”

My fingers trembled as I reached for it, heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. Part of me was terrified to read what was inside. What if it was a goodbye? What if everything he said—everything he made me feel—was just a momentary dream and this envelope was my harsh awakening?

I held the envelope to my chest for a moment, trying to gather the courage to open it. My palms were clammy. My throat tight.

Finally, I tore it open.

Inside was a single folded sheet of heavy, textured paper. I unfolded it slowly, my eyes scanning the words written in Sebastian’s smooth script.

Audrey,

I know I should have stayed. I know walking out was probably the worst thing I could’ve done, especially after last night. But I need you to understand something—and the only way I could do that was to put it on paper. Because when I’m with you, I lose the ability to say the right words. You undo me, Audrey. Completely.

What we shared last night… it wasn’t just sex. It was something deeper. Something I’ve never felt before. It scared me, how much I wanted you. How much I still do.

There’s something about me you don’t know yet. Something big. And before I can truly be with you in the way you deserve, I need to figure out how to tell you the truth—about who I am, and what I am. I’ve never let anyone in like this. Never let anyone close enough to see past the walls I’ve built. But you’re different. You see me in a way no one ever has.

I left not because I wanted to, but because I didn’t trust myself not to hurt you with the truth. But I promise you this: I will come back. I’m not leaving for good.

I need you to believe me when I say that last night wasn’t just something I wanted. It was something I needed. You’re more than a distraction, Audrey. You’re… everything.

Please don’t shut me out when I return. Please give me the chance to explain.

P.S I left something for you in the drawer next to the bed. When you’re ready, take it. Don’t be afraid of what’s inside. You’re stronger than you think.

—Sebastian

By the time I finished reading, my hands were shaking. My vision was blurred with tears I hadn’t even realized were falling. Each word pressed into me like a slow, aching heartbeat—reminding me of everything I’d felt last night. The warmth of his skin. The way his voice softened when he spoke my name. The way he looked at me like I was something precious.

He hadn’t left because he didn’t care. He’d left because he cared too much.

I folded the letter gently and placed it back in the envelope like it was something sacred. My tears fell freely now, not from hurt, but from the overwhelming flood of emotion I hadn’t been ready for. He was coming back. He just needed time.

But what could he possibly be hiding?

He said there was something about him—something I didn’t know. I tried to imagine what kind of secret would make a man like Sebastian walk away from someone he said was “everything.” My thoughts twisted with uncertainty and curiosity. And somewhere in that storm, fear.

I didn’t want to lose him. And yet, I could feel the distance even in his absence.

Audrey's fingers brushed over the signature like it was something sacred. Her chest tightened, but it wasn’t with pain this time. It was with longing. And maybe a little fear.

She folded the letter carefully and set it aside. Her thoughts drifted to the nightstand.

The drawer.

She ran to her room.

She hesitated. Her fingers hovered over the handle. Whatever was inside, she knew it was part of the truth Sebastian had hinted at. The truth that scared him.

Was she ready?

She inhaled deeply, steeling herself, and opened the drawer.

Inside was a velvet pouch.

She took it out and loosened the drawstring, her fingers brushing something cool and smooth. She pulled out a pendant. It was unlike anything she had ever seen—a silver crescent moon intertwined with a delicate wolf carved from obsidian. There was a tiny inscription on the back in a language she didn’t recognize.

A chill ran down her spine.

Her eyes drifted back to the letter. You deserve the truth. Face to face.

What truth?

Her mind began to spin with questions. Sebastian’s mysterious nature, the way he always seemed to know where she was, how he appeared out of nowhere. The overwhelming pull she felt to him, like her body and soul recognized him before her heart did.

She clutched the pendant to her chest, her breath shallow.

Was he in danger?

Was she?

No… it didn’t feel like that. It felt like something old. Something powerful. Something she wasn’t ready to name.

But she would find out.

No matter what it was—she would face it.

Because the only thing more terrifying than the truth was the idea of losing him.

And Audrey had no intention of letting Sebastian Hale go.

Not now.

Not ever.