Chapter 35

Sebastian

I grab Miranda from the passenger seat of my car and direct her toward the front door of my house. The entire car ride over was silent. Neither of us spoke a word, neither daring to break the tension-filled silence.

Miranda pushes open the front door, storming down the hall and into the living room. Evan’s mess from the morning hasn’t been cleaned up yet. She steps over toy trucks and sits down on the couch, huffing to herself.

“What was that?” I ask in a stern tone. She doesn’t look at me. My breathing grows ragged and I step towards her, standing in front of her. I lean down and place my finger under her chin, tilting it up.

Her eyes are a bright green, a shade that I’ve grown accustomed to since our first meeting. She pulls her chin away from my finger and looks away.

“I don’t owe you anything!” She exclaims. I groan and rest my hands on my hips.

“Then tell me what your relationship is with Lily and her parents! You seem to know an awful lot about them, so feel free to share!” I yell. I’m pushed a few inches to the side and a familiar dark head of hair flies past me.

Evan stands in between Miranda and I. Hen holds his arms out, shielding Miranda from me. He glares at me, his demeanor failing at being intimidating.

“Stop yelling at her!” His voice is panicked yet demanding. I sigh and my body relaxes. Miranda rests a hand on Evan’s shoulder, pulling him away from the no man’s land that sits between Miranda and I.

“I don’t know why you two are always yelling at each other!” Evan sniffles, his voice trembling.

I sigh and avoid Miranda’s gaze. She turns Evan around so he faces her. She pushes a few loose strands of hair out of his face.

“We won’t yell anymore, okay?” her voice catches me by surprise. It’s soft and soothing, something complete;y different than what I’ve heard from her before. Warmth spreads through my chest and I cough, trying to clear it out.

“Are you sure?” Evan mumbles just loud enough for me to hear.

“Very sure. Why don’t you go back to your room and try to get some sleep, yeah?” She coos to my son. He nods. Evan sulks away and towards the hall. When he reaches the corner, he turns back and looks at us.

“Are you…going to be okay?” Evan’s voice is quiet.

I catch a glimpse of Miranda from the corner of my eye. She smiles at Evan and nods, gesturing for him to move along.

“I will. Sleep well, Evan.” Miranda smiles.

Her demeanor has completely changed. Is this what she’s like as a mother? She’s calm, soothing, and reassuring, everything that Lily isn’t.

Evan immediately defended her as well. He has never defended Lily before; he typically disguised his distaste for her behind backhanded compliments. That, or he stayed silent instead of giving into Lily’s delusions.

Miranda stands from the couch. She runs the palms of her hands over the skirt of her dress, flattening any wrinkles that form in the fabric. My eyes take their time examining her body.

She looks magnificent in her dress. The dark purple color compliments her complexion and it matches her bright green eyes. My breath gets caught in my throat and I have to tear my gaze off of her before she catches me looking.

“I’ll get going,” Miranda breathes out.

“No!” The word escapes my mouth before I can stop it. We face each other and I have to tell my body to breathe again. “I want a DNA test.”

“A DNA test?” Miranda says, eyebrow raised. She shifts her weight to her back foot. I nod. “Are you asking me to conduct one for you as Healer M? Or is this you wanting to see if I’m Evan’s mother?”

A surprised laugh escapes my throat. I scratch the back of my head and nod. She sighs and steps towards me. The woman plucks strands of hair from her head, barely even flinching, and places them in my hand.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you’re doing this,” Miranda sighs and closes the distance between us. “I hope you find the answers that you’re looking for.” Miranda’s voice is cold. I can’t read her emotions on her face like I usually can. I close my hand around her hair in my hand, watching as she walks away and out of my line of sight. I sigh to myself, lowering my head.

What happened to me? Why do I care for Miranda so much? Why do I feed into the delusions and ideas that she’s Evan’s mother instead of Lily?

I slide my phone from my pocket, texting my Beta to collect the hairs for the DNA test. I pass the hairs off to him when he shows up, then I dismiss him.

I hide away in my bedroom, staring at the ceiling. My fingers tap my stomach, my mind begging for sleep to overtake my body. Nothing happens, though, and all I can do is go through my jumbled thoughts.

Miranda’s face creeps into my mind. I groan and close my eyes, forcing her out of my brain.

What would it mean if the test came back positive? It seems like she doesn’t know who the father of her daughter is, or, at least, she’s feigning ignorance to dodge any questions that will come her way.

Is she working with Lily and her family? Is this all one big plot to come for my title and power as the Alpha King?

No…that wouldn’t make sense. Miranda and Lily want to rip each other’s faces off whenever they meet. Not to mention, the banquet tonight was in shambles due to Miranda’s calculated admissions.

Miranda knows more than she’s letting on. What are her reasons, though? Is it purposeful or does she simply want to block out the truth of her past?

Perhaps Lily was right about one thing: Miranda cannot be trusted.

I sit up in bed. Chills overtake my body and goosebumps scatter across my skin.

If the DNA test comes back positive…that will mean that Lily has been lying to me this whole time. She would have kidnapped Evan when he was a baby and used him as a prop to get close to me.

Nausea sweeps through my body and my head feels dizzy.

Five years ago, on that fateful night when I let my wolf take over my body, that night of passion, had been a lie. What I’ve been told to believe is most likely false.

Was it Miranda who spent the night with me all those years ago? Was she the one who crept out in the morning before I woke up?

I can understand why she would want to live in ignorance, why she chooses to push away the truth for her and her child’s sake. It must be a lonely experience…one that I do not wish to go through.

I think about the memory of the one-night stand, the one that gifted me my son. There has always been an itch in the back of my mind that the woman was not Lily. How could I believe her so blindly? I should have made her do a DNA test as well like I’m doing with Miranda.

The evidence against Miranda is damning. The way our lips connect in a kiss, the way our bodies always push towards each other, how everything is instinctual and not plotted out.

Miranda has to be the woman from that night…she has to be!