CHAPTER 6

"Sebastian... I was hoping you’d walk the red carpet with me at the European Screen Awards in London next Friday. Would you? Just for old times' sake?"

Valentina Cruz’s voice was like silk over the phone, a familiar melody that used to be the only thing that could calm my wolf. I stayed silent for a heartbeat, the hum of the Blackwood Group Tower vibrating through my office windows.

"Oh—right," she said, her tone dipping into that practiced, fragile disappointment. "I keep forgetting. You’re the Alpha of the North now, the captain of the Ice Kings. Unless I book your time a month in advance, you’re untouchable. And of course... you have a mate. A 'Luna' to consider."

She let out a soft, melodic sigh that hit me right in the gut. I never liked being the reason Valentina sounded small. I’d already done that once when I let the pack elders chase her out of Manchester three years ago so I could marry Elena Navarro and secure the Blackwood inheritance.

"Valentina, next Friday is the playoff opener against the London Raiders. I’m on the ice. But—"

Before I could offer a compromise, a sickening, violent crunch exploded through the line. The sound of tearing metal and shattering glass was followed by a silence so heavy it felt like a physical weight on my chest.

My wolf surged to the surface, eyes flashing gold. "Valentina? VALENTINA!"

I didn't wait. I roared for Theo Bennett to trace her GPS. Minutes later, he burst into my office, his face ashen.

"Boss... there’s been a massive multi-car pileup on the Redbridge Overpass. It’s bad. Emergency crews are calling it a graveyard."

"Get the private medical team to St. Mary’s," I barked, grabbing my coat. "I don't care about the cost. I want the best trauma surgeons on standby. If a single hair on her head is harmed, I’ll burn that hospital to the ground."

I couldn't lose her. Not like this. Not the female who represented the only time I’d ever followed my heart instead of the pack’s demands.

Thirty minutes later, I pushed through the heavy doors of the VIP suite. Valentina was propped up against the pillows, her face a stark, porcelain white against the clinical linens. She looked physically intact, though the heavy bandage around her wrist was a jagged reminder of the wreckage.

"Sebastian." Her voice broke, a ragged whisper of my name. "You actually came."

"Of course I came," I said, my boots clicking rhythmically as I crossed the room to her bedside. The scent of her—jasmine and faint ozone—was fighting with the sterile hospital air. "When I heard the crash on the line..."

"Hold my hand," she interrupted, her fingers trembling as she reached for me. "Please, Seb. My wolf is still whining. I'm shaking so hard I can't breathe."

I knew the boundaries. I knew I had a mate at home—or at least, a female who occupied the guest wing of my estate. But this was Valentina, the girl I’d failed once before. Before my rational mind could protest, my hand was clamped firmly around hers, my thumb stroking her knuckles to soothe her.

"The healers said it’s just deep bruising and a minor fracture," I told her, my voice dropping into a low, rumbling Alpha register to ground her. "You were lucky, Val. The Overpass was a slaughterhouse tonight."

"I don't feel lucky," she whispered, a tear escaping and trailing down her cheek. "I was so terrified, Seb. All I could think was that I was going to shift for the last time without ever seeing your eyes again."

The old spark, the one that used to set my blood on fire, flickered in my chest.

"You need to rest," I said, trying to find my resolve. "Is there any pack family I should notify? Your parents?"

"You know they haven't spoken to me since I chose the screen over the pack. Telling them would only give them a reason to lecture me."

She had no one. No pack, no family—just me. Her grip on my hand tightened, her nails digging slightly into my skin. "Just stay. A little longer? I know you’re the 'Great Alpha Blackwood' now, but... can't you just be my Seb for a few more minutes?"

I should have walked out. My phone had been buzzing in my pocket for the last twenty minutes—Elena had tried me four times. But I looked at Valentina’s bruised wrist and the fear in her eyes, and I stayed.

She talked about her new project, her voice gaining strength as she drifted into the world of film. She was as vibrant and ambitious as she’d been in our academy days. It was a sharp contrast to Elena—lately, my mate’s quiet, icy rebellion had been grating on my nerves, making the house feel like a tomb.

"Seb...?" Valentina pulled me back. Her smile was weak but pointed. "My agent called. NorthForge Studios offered me the lead in Horizon's End, but this accident... I was supposed to be in Leeds for the final chemistry read tomorrow, and now..."

"Focus on your health, Valentina. The role isn't going anywhere."

"No!" She sat up, a flash of her old fire returning. "This is my comeback, Sebastian. I can't let some nobody take this from me. I need a favor. The Blackwood Group is a major stakeholder in NorthForge, isn't it?"

I nodded slowly, seeing the play.

"Talk to them. Ask for a two-week window. Just until I can walk without a brace. Please?"

It was a small request. And honestly, part of the crash was my fault—if I hadn't been arguing with her on the phone, she might have seen the pileup coming. "Don't worry," I said, my voice authoritative. "I’ll handle the studio heads. The role is yours."

She beamed, throwing her uninjured arm around my neck and pulling me close. "I knew it. You’re still my Alpha."

I stood up, needing to break the contact. The scent of her was starting to cloud my judgment. "I should go. I have a team meeting."

"Will you come back tomorrow morning?"

I hesitated, but the guilt won. I nodded. "If practice ends early, I'll stop by."

As I walked out of the VIP wing, my phone screamed in my hand again. Elena Blackwood. I answered with a snarl, the adrenaline of the night making me reckless.

"What is it now?"

"Where are you, Sebastian?" Elena’s voice was thin, almost hauntingly hollow. I watched through the glass as a nurse entered Valentina’s room to adjust her IV.

"At the Blackwood Tower," I lied, the words coming out smooth and cold. "I’m in the middle of a strategy session. What do you want?"

There was a long, chilling pause. A soft sound came through the line—a breath that might have been a laugh, if there was any joy left in it.

"Nothing. Just checking."

She hung up. I stared at the dark screen, a heavy stone settling in my gut. It wasn't about the lie—Alphas lied for the greater good all the time. It was the way she’d said 'nothing.'

I turned to Theo, who was waiting by the elevator. "Stop by the Velvet Revival Boutique first thing tomorrow. Pick up that platinum-mesh handbag I had them put on hold."

"The limited edition one, Alpha? The one that takes a regional director’s approval to sell?"

"That’s the one. Have it gift-wrapped and delivered to the estate. Tell her it’s an early anniversary gift."

Expensive trinkets always smoothed things over. Women liked the shine of Blackwood gold, and Elena was no exception. She’d been staring at that brand for months. It would be enough to keep the peace while I managed the Valentina situation.

Problem solved.

As we drove away from St. Mary’s, I leaned my head back against the leather seat and closed my eyes. The situation was under control. Valentina was safe, the studio was handled, and my mate would be silenced by a new accessory.

The faint, nagging howl of my wolf—the one telling me I had just made the biggest mistake of my life—was easy enough to ignore.

Everything was exactly where it needed to be.