Chapter 20
Miranda's POV
“What did you say?” I ask. Every bit of oxygen escapes my lungs. My heart drowns inside my chest.
Ella’s tiny hands clamp over her mouth. She stares at me with wide eyes and slowly retreats down the hallway. I fix my eyes on her and my gut instinct yells at me to follow.
“Ella, where did he—”
“Mommy!” Noah comes running in from outside. Ella and I turn to him, confused expressions laid out on both of our faces. “We were just playing hide-and-seek!” He announces.
I narrow my eyes at Noah. I tower over him and he leans back, looking up at me with big eyes. He places his hand over his neck, clearing his throat.
“My…my throat feels a lot better, mommy,” he weakly says. I slowly nod and inch away from him. Noah smiles.
“I’m glad that your throat feels better, honey,” I sweetly respond and ruffle his hair.
A Few Days Later…
I sit at the dining room table with Ella and Noah. They, very messily, eat their breakfast while chatting about their friends from school. A smile spreads across my face as I watch them interact.
BANG! BANG BANG!
I jolt in my seat and stare at the front door. I stand and tell Ella and Noah to stay where they are. Another barrage of knocks fills the empty hallway as I approach the door. I wrap my fingers around the doorknob and slowly swing it open.
“You framed me!” Lily’s voice bounces inside my house before I can even see her face. “You wanted to humiliate me in front of Sebastian and the media!”
“Everything that happened to you was of your own volition, Lily. If you keep making a scene here, I’ll report you to the Gamma patrol for harassment.” I respond in an icy tone.
Lily makes a face at me and then holds her hand out. “Hand over the formula, Miranda. Don’t forget about the hell I put you through five years ago.” Lily sneers.
My chest tightens and it feels like a million needles slowly pierce my heart. Images of my baby that Lily took from me burn into my eyes. I quietly gasp as the air leaves my lungs.
“Mommy?” Ella’s voice breaks through the noise. I turn to look at her. The little girl approaches my side and wraps her arms around my leg. I protectively rest my hand on the back of her head.
Lily’s eyes widen and she points at Ella. She stares at me, and I shake my head, but Lily takes a step forward. She grabs my arm, squeezing it.
“Who is her father?!” Lily demands. Ella lets go of my leg and runs down the hallway, the sound of her footsteps disappearing. “Who is your father?!” She yells after Ella. Her voice makes my ears ring.
“Get out, Lily!” With all of my strength, I push Lily out of my door. She stumbles backward and looks at me, jaw dropped. I slam the door in her face and lock it.
⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆
Sebastian's POV
Evan pushes his food around his plate, barely taking a bite from it. His food is most likely lukewarm now. I sigh in frustration, leaning my elbows against the table.
His plate is almost full whereas mine is empty. I frown and watch Evan closely. He avoids my gaze.
“Evan,” I catch his attention, “what’s going on with you? Are you okay?”
Evan scrunches his mouth to the side and diverts his gaze. He pushes a half-eaten broccoli stem across the plate. He heavily sighs and looks at me through his tinted lenses.
I tilt my head to the side and offer him a reassuring smile. His face doesn’t change and my smile vanishes. I’m just about to give up when Evan breaks the silence.
“Do you think that…it’s possible that I have a different mommy?” Evan’s question shocks me. I clear my throat to cover up my surprise and he frowns, setting his fork down.
“Don’t say such ridiculous things,” I sternly warn him.
An Omega enters the room. They bow their head at me and I wave my hand. Their body somewhat relaxes as they tilt their head back up.
“Alpha. Lily has arrived to come see Evan.” The Omega’s voice is calm and even. Evan shoves himself away from the table. The sudden movement rattles the plates and silverware on the table.
“I don’t want to see her!” Evan mutters under his breath. His jaw clenches and his fists are balled at his side. He storms away from the table and heads in the direction of his room.
Just as he disappears, Lily appears. She looks at Evan’s door and then back to me, pouting.
“Is Evan alright?” She asks. I fight the urge to roll my eyes at her fake concern. I stand from the table and move to leave, but Lily stops me. “Sebastian, I’m so sorry. I was too eager before and I’ve made so many mistakes. Please…I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me.”
“You should be apologizing to Miranda, not me.” I contort my expression so she can read no emotion on my face. Lily’s upper lip turns upward and she rolls her eyes.
“Miranda’s personal life is a mess. Do you really think she got that formula honestly? It’s far more likely that she traded her body for it.” Lily hisses.
The wolf inside of me viciously growls. He desperately claws to get out, to tear Lily apart for what she said about Miranda.
Wait…her two children. No…I can’t focus on that right now.
“Miranda was kicked out of our pack because of her behavior. She broke the wolves’ sacred rule of loyalty and got involved with who knows how many men! And, she’s had a child out of wedlock! Who knows how many more children she may have? Unlike her, even though you and I are not fated mates, my heart has only ever belonged to you!” Lily’s words are as dramatic as she is. Her tone is like a very sweet syrup, one that will rot your teeth and kill everything inside your mouth.
Miranda…could it be true? Could you have traded your body for such things? No…it can’t be! She’s protective of herself, yes, and is cold to people she doesn’t know, or at least those she knows she cannot trust.
The image of her with her kids from the other night graces my mind. She looked…so happy. Carefree and joyful. Does she only reserve a soft warmth for those she loves?
Why can’t I get her out of my head? Why can’t I become one of the people who can feel the warmth of her love? Of her attention? Fury ignites inside of me and my wolf howls in anger.
Miranda has occupied my thoughts for too long. My fists clench at my side and I step away from Lily, turning my back to her. My wolf growls and snarls, holding back its biting demeanor. Possessiveness courses through my veins.
My nails dig into my skin to the point where I can draw blood. I don’t flinch, though, and push through the pain.
