Chapter 27

Miranda's POV

A grunt. A growl. A pained cry. A yelp.

The rogues yell at each other and try to get the wolf next to him to attack Sebastian, but he fends them with hard punches and kicks. He fights them off with such ease and grace. I suppose, though, that the Alpha King should be a werewolf who is able to take care of himself and others.

Sebastian throws another punch and his fist perfectly lands in the center of an overly confident wolf’s face. They drop to the ground and Sebastian kicks his leg back, his foot connecting with another’s stomach. I flinch just from watching it.

I rise and stand on unsteady feet. One of the rogues stumbles towards me. I grab his shoulders and push him to the ground and away from me. He scrambles on his feet and glares at me, flaring his teeth at me.

He lunges at me and I quickly dodge. The werewolf twists his torso and throws his full weight back onto me. He pins me against the car and slaps his hand onto my thigh.

A sharp pain shoots through my leg and I cry out in agony. His laugh rings through my ears. I slide against the car and descend to the ground.

“W-What did you do…!” I groan, pressing my hand against my thigh, right on top of where he pricked me.

He has no chance to respond when Sebastian grabs him. The Alpha King throws him to the side, and the werewolf collides with the ground with exceptional strength. The ground cracks, or maybe it was his body, but the man weakly stands up with the help of a nearby rogue, and they scramble away.

My chest rapidly rises and falls. I try to calm my body down, but my hands tremble and my mind turns dizzy. I feel a pair of hands grasp my biceps, their touch warm and comforting, and they peel me off of the side of the car.

“Are you okay?” Sebastian’s voice is low in my ear. My head slowly nods up and down, my body instinctually leaning back into his protective presence. “Did they hurt you?”

I turn in his hands and face him. He tilts my chin up and our eyes finally meet. Under the moonlight, his green eyes shine bright. They’re so vibrant and full of color. He tilts my head around with ease and his eyes examine every part of my face.

For a turbulent relationship like ours, this is a very tender moment; a moment that is typically shared between lovers instead of enemies.

I tear my face from his hands and step back. I sharply inhale and peel my gaze away from his. He grabs my wrist and I yank it away, turning my back to him.

“Miranda,” he groans in disappointment.

“Give me a moment, please. I need to…process what just happened.” I slowly inch away from him and bite the inside of my cheek.

Who could have known that I would be here at this hour? And who, out of all people, would have wished any kind of harm against me?

You know who did this…

My wolf instinctually growls from within me. Her growls are low and angry. Her emotions are loud and they flood throughout my body, tingling my skin, and it ignites my inner anger to life.

“How did you know to find me here, Sebastian?” I ask. I slowly turn and look up at him. He’s closed the distance between us once again and his eyes have returned to their original darkened color.

The tenderness between us was nice while it lasted, right?

“Did Lily or Harper tell you to be here? Did they tell you to come find me?” My tone grows more and more assertive with every word. His nostrils flare and he crosses his arms over his chest.

“No. They did not tell me to come find you here.” He states in an annoyed tone. I nod and clench my fists at my side, my nails dig into the palm of my hand.

“It was Miranda and Lily. They did this to me.” I declare.

I can feel my fingertips warm up. The warmth flows up my arms and spreads throughout my chest, warming my lungs and making my heart beat faster. My cheeks flush and turn a light pink color. I press my finger into Sebastian’s chest and push into it.

“They did this to me! They set me up! They wanted me to get hurt!” My voice quickly rises to a yell. Sebastian rolls his eyes and swats my hand away. I glare at him. I place my hands on my hips.

“You’re a scientist, Miranda. What evidence do you have to suggest this…” he looks me up and down, “theory of yours.”

“Evidence? I don’t need to show you evidence for us to both know that it is true!” I scoff at him. He raises an eyebrow at me and I roll my eyes. I turn away from him and mumble under my breath, “My death will make them happy.”

I can hear Sebastian sigh behind me. I don’t give into his theatrics, though, and begin to walk back towards my car. I need to change my tire and I know he won’t be of any help.

“Stay at my house.” His words make me freeze in place. Goosebumps erupt across my skin and my heart beats faster. My limbs feel weak from the heat that warms my body. My head begins to spin, but I shake the feeling away.

“What did you just say?” I ask.

“Stay at my house.” He repeats. I turn and he meets me halfway, stopping a couple of feet away from me.

“No,” I state.

“No?”

“No.”

“Miranda, don’t be stupid,” he pinches the bridge of his nose. “We both know that my house is the safest place for you. I’m the most protected man in the country.”

“Which could mean that you’re walking me right into a lion’s den. Lily could have paid any of your personal Gammas to kill me in my sleep,” I retort.

“That’s a reach—”

“Doesn’t make it any less true,” I sigh. My feet remain cemented into the ground. I gnaw at the inside of my cheek.

“It’ll be best for Ella.” His gaze burns into mine. I let out a quiet gasp, unable to speak or move. “If they’re after you, they’re going to follow you. You’ll be bringing the lion’s den to Ella if you go home.”

I hate that he’s right. He smirks at me, knowing he’s caught me. I say nothing and look away, unwilling to admit my defeat.

The night wind no longer chills my body. I shift uncomfortably in my place, shrugging the jacket off of my body. It falls to the ground and I wipe away beads of sweat on my forehead.

I sway back and forth, shifting my weight between my feet. My gaze floats to the sky and I stare at the moon through the trees. It’s big and yellow. My eyes drop back down and they land on Sebastian.

A pool of warmth forms in my stomach and drops lower between my legs. My stomach flutters and I take a deep breath to try and calm myself down.

This sensation is familiar. I think I’ve felt it before…it feels so foreign yet so similar to the night when Lily drugged me.