Part 4

/Sebastian POV/

A knock at the door jerked me out of the conflicting thoughts. 

“Sebastian?” Wyatt’s voice came in, muffled, from the other side of the door, carefully even, as if he was talking to a wounded animal. “Is everything alright?”

I opened the door. Wyatt took one look at my face, and his mouth parted—taking in the dripping cold water, the pale colour settling in. He quickly handed me the tissues, a questioning look taking over. 

“When I came in…I saw you rushing to this bathroom. What happened?”

“Anne…” I breathed, the name slipping out of my lips before I could formulate the thoughts. “That was her…in there with Oliver.”

Wyatt’s face turned pale. “A-Anne? Your Anne? Your mate?”

“Yes!”

“But…she’s dead, Sebastian.”

He reminded me gently, as if I didn’t live with it daily. 

“No! I know what I saw…err, who I saw.” I took a long-winded breath, jaw clenching. “My wolf…it almost went feral trying to claim her. You know how it has been…”

Wyatt was the first person I had confided in about not feeling my Alpha anymore. He saw firsthand the toll it took on me every time I had to pretend my ruts were regular, my instincts to hunt were there. All lies. I had to keep up a front all these years to guard the secret of my lost wolf.

“I know her! My wolf recognised her immediately.”

Wyatt said nothing, his brows pulled together in deep thought.

“She said her name is Lily,” I continued with a pained look. “Not Anne. Lily Matthews. And the way she looked at me, Wyatt, it was as if she was seeing me for the first time. There was nothing there. No recognition. Nothing.”

“Doesn’t remember you…” The beta raised his head, eyeing the staircase. “Maybe it’s because of whatever happened on that boat…”

“Head trauma? Memory loss?” I started saying the words out loud, letting them settle over me, equal parts horrifying and, absurdly, hopeful. If she'd forgotten because of her injury, then maybe there was a way to get those memories back.

Then again, in four years she should have remembered.

“I want to know everything,” I said, low, lethal and determined as I started at Wyatt. “What happened all those years ago? Who found her? Talk around? Find out. Activate our informants. Make calls. I don’t care; I want witness statements. I want to know every single day of the last four years of the omega I was mourning.”

120 miles. That’s how far she had been all this while. Maybe if I hadn’t readily accepted it and searched harder, longer, I would have traced her back to BloodMoon pack. 

“What about the deal we came here for?”

I exhaled. The business deal had felt like the most important thing twenty-four hours ago, but now I had pressing matters to tend. More urgent. 

“It will have to wait…” I licked my lips, eyes automatically shifting towards the stairs. No one had followed me. Not even the beta who was all too eager to tackle me to the ground. They must be all in there discussing my erratic behaviour.

“Seb?”

“I need a reason to stay close to this territory, Wyatt. Anne—Lily means something to Oliver. He won't let this go easy…Not after how he jumped in front to shield her.” A muscle in my jaw ticked. “We have to be cautious. I’ll call him and make sure our deal is still in the works. For now, find a place to crash.”

***

As I leaned against the car, exhaustion seeped into my bones, shoulders sagging. 

From a distance, I could hear the sound of giggles and high-pitched shrieks, followed by the pitter-patter of multiple pups. They were circling a boy, his back turned to me, head full of curls. My lips twitched. Something about the way he stood, hands on his hips and chin raised, surrounded by half a dozen pups made me intrigued. 

“Aro…” One of the girls whined, accusingly pointing her finger at him. “You cheated.”

“No!” He grunted. “I do not cheat.”

“You promise to make me win.” 

I saw his mop of curls bounce as he nodded furiously. “I went slow.”

An involuntary laugh burst out of me at his earnest yet confused voice. Before I could take a step in his direction, Wyatt came to stand in front of me. 

“So I spoke to one of the elders in the pack. There’s an inn…Not too far from here. We can stay there for now.”

I hummed, peeking over his shoulder to get a look at the curly-haired pup. Within seconds, they all dispersed. I sighed. 

“Let’s go then.”

***

Since I left my house at seven in the morning, there were no plans to stay the night in BloodMoon territory. Everything turned upside down the moment I spotted Anne. Well, Lily now. I could see a flare of irritation on Wyatt’s face as we came to a halt in the parking lot. 

“Uhh…you should call home” He turned to me, making a face as the vehicle had to be wiggled in between two trucks. 

Right. Nora. My wife. A frustrated groan slipped my lips as I thought of her, my head slumping back with a thud. 

“Hmm. I’ll give her a call.”

Stepping out of the car, I breathed in the smell of engine and warm air. My skin prickled with goosebumps as I huddled in the corner, dialling the number.

 Nora picked up on the second ring. 

“Hello, Alpha!” Her cheerful voice came through. “Did you reach?”

On cue, my eyes roamed around, taking in the open parking space across the inn. A gaudy neon sign, unlit for now, propped on the roof, stared back at me. 

“Yes.”

Things with Nora weren’t exactly bad, but they weren't the best either. Tolerable at most. She was by my side when I needed someone to rely on after losing my mate. Nora stepped up as a capable omega. For me and also for the pack. 

“How did the meeting go?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, suddenly thinking of the scene from an hour ago. A part of me wanted to tell her about Anne, finding her stepsister alive and well, but then again I wanted to figure things out first. Get to her with hard proof. 

“About that…I may need to stay here for a while.”

I heard her inhale sharply. I had no fixed timeline in my brain for how I wanted to move forward. Wyatt had to do a lot of digging. 

“A while?”

“Yes. Something came up. Don’t worry. Wyatt is driving back, so send all my clothes and essentials with him.”

“Oh.” Nora made a sound. “Is it just you…”

“No! He will be here. We will be back soon. I just wanted to let you know.”

As if she sensed the urgency in my tone, Nora's tone softened. “Okay. I’ll pack your things. I’ll miss you. Take care.”

Guilt pooled in my belly as I murmured a short goodbye and hung up. She was my wife now. I had to remind myself, the grip on my phone tightening. 

“Okay, let’s go!” Wyatt said with a loud sigh, sweat clinging to his forehead as he pocketed his keys. 

***

The door chimed as we pushed it open, my face scrunching at the sound. 

Wyatt snickered as he looked at my face, walking ahead. 

I followed him to the reception only to find it empty, with an open entry book. A bell on the desk caught my attention. I pressed on it.

“A second!” I heard from inside a closed door, the familiar voice making me freeze. There was some shuffling before I heard it again. “Welcome to the Lounge Inn.”

It was followed by soft, nimble footsteps, and the air instantly filled with the warm scent of lilies and vanilla. 

“Holy shit!” Wyatt gasped. “It’s Anne!”

***