A warm hand encases my upper arm gently and spins me around, and I’m tucked into a warm embrace. Sebastian folds around me like he was made to meld with my body, pulling me in, making me feel whole. And then I break. Out of obligation, he is once again helping me. Must we only ever have each other when we are in pain? Fuck, what I would give to be enough for someone. “Please come back to my room with me.” He whispers into my ear, his warm breath sends shivers down my spine. I shake my head no. “Birdie, please, I need you.” A sob wracks through me as I pull myself from his embrace, taking a step back and wrapping my arms around my middle.  “But you don’t want me,” I remind him. “That’s not true.” He shakes his head, reaching out for me.  “Sebastian, I can not handle this back-and-forth shit anymore.” I squeeze my middle tighter. “I know. I know! But fuck Birdie. I don’t know what to do. I’m trying to do what’s rig

  ~Wren~   I should have called the moment I got the phone this morning. I was excited and craving a talk with dad, but now that I’ve spent the entire day stewing in the many ways the conversation could go, I’m finding it hard to hit the call button. What if he needs me and I can’t be there? What if he doesn’t answer or worse, what if something happened? Sweat covers my palms and I wipe them on my clean pajama pants with a puff of nervous breath.    “I can do this. Just a simple ‘Hey dad, how are you?’ Easy. I got this.”   My hands shake as I type in his phone number and hit the green phone icon connecting our lines. I jump with every trill of the line, each sound a reminder that he might not be there anymore. He could be dead for all I know. Tears crowd my eyes and I swallow the sting in my throat.    “Hello?” an unfamiliar male voice answers the phone.

~Sebastian~ Wren will most assuredly be the death of me. The moment her damn lips touched mine, there wasn’t a single person around us. I was locked in and ready to make her mine. Hell, if it hadn’t been for her using the element of surprise to flip me, I’m not sure I would have stopped at all. I’m sure I will have a jealous Nickolai coming at me soon. All the warriors witnessed our little sparring session on the pitch. Her tactics won’t go unmentioned. In fact, I would bet they will be all anyone talks about at dinner tonight. Tank thankfully steps in so I can watch her moves from an outside perspective, which is for the best since I’m sporting a raging hard-on that is not the easiest thing to hide in gym shorts. It does, however, help to quell my desire when I remind myself why I am here. I am here to determine if she is capable enough of handling herself on her own… Not that I really want her going on her own. Nor do I need to actually watch her. I know the answer, and it’s no.

~Wren~Time seems to slow down. The shock of Sebastian’s words, the weight of them crackle in the air surrounding us. My throat feels dry, and I’m unable to respond when he demands words from me. With a look of sheer determination and love, he gives my head a small shake, and the outside world comes crashing back.“Promise me!” His words are desperate and demanding as I shake my head in affirmation. A small growl leaves his lips and in the next moment, he is running towards Avi. One step, two steps, three thundering strides is all it takes for him to close the distance. I hear every sound, feel it as if it were made or spoken into my very ears. The sound of heavy breathing angered yelling and the muttering of confused border warriors. “Sebastian! Don’t” Nickolai roars

  ~Sebastian~Nickolai’s knee has been bouncing from the moment I sat down. The relentless tapping and his clenched jaw give away not only his anger but his anxiety. He is worried about the outcome, not that I’m surprised. That’s who he is. When he cares, he cares fully. He glances my way for a minute with a sad frown before looking back at Alpha Jameson, who has yet to move.Alpha’s eyes are heavy with disappointment, but after a minute he leans back in his chair and rakes his hands through his hair, leaving it in complete disarray, and scrubs his face with his palm. He assesses me from his new sitting position before exhaling his breath.“Fucking hell, Seb.” He mutters. “I don’t even know where to start.”I watch him in silence. I know the honorable thing for me to do is beg for forgiveness, say it won’t happen again, and ask to be sent on the