Chapter 36

Miranda

Who does Sebastian think he is? Why does he always demand to know stuff that doesn’t concern him?

I turn and look at the front door of his house, glaring at the dark wood. The warm night doesn’t bring me much comfort. I shoot a text to Anna, asking her to come pick me up. I send her the address and walk to a covered part of his front yard, not wanting to be seen or be called out for loitering.

Sebastian’s mere presence gets on my nerves. Since the beginning, we’ve always had a tumultuous relationship with one another. We’ve always butted heads and can never seem to agree.

It’s irritating, really, since there are moments when Sebastian can be so kind. Such as the time when he saved me and made for sure that I was okay. How about when he helped me when I rolled my ankle at our children’s school event? He didn’t even think twice to help me when I needed it.

Every single time, those moments are stripped away when our emotions get involved…or when he decides that his inner Alpha needs to come out and assert some kind of dominance over me. That always ruins it.

Sebastian is so hot and cold it’s nauseating. One minute, he’s saving me, the next, he’s mocking the circumstances of my life.

I want to hate him with every fiber of my being, to cast him out and away from me once and for all, to take my son away from him and the hell that he’s living in.

Anna quickly pulls up in her car. I get inside and slam the car door behind me. I groan and cross my arms over my chest, looking out the window as Anna drives us away.

“Is everything—”

“No!” I interrupt Anna in a fit of rage, “Everything is not okay!” Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Anna nod and look away, mouthing something to herself. I sigh and bury my face in my hands, shaking my head. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped like that.”

“It’s okay. I’m just worried about you, that’s all,” Anna awkwardly chuckles. “Would you like to talk about it?”

“I…I don’t know. It’s complicated and it gives me a headache,” I mumble and rub my temples. Anna’s laugh is infectious, making me chuckle with her. I playfully hit her arm and look at the road ahead, sighing. “I appreciate you wanting to help, but I think I need to handle this on my own for now.”

“That’s okay! I understand,” she smiles at me. She turns up the volume of the radio. I mouth a “thank you” to her and tilt my body to face the world outside of the car.

The once-green trees look black under the night sky. I frown and lean against the car door. I tug on the dress to fully cover my legs.

My thoughts intrude on the silence of my mind. The idea that Sebastian is the father of my children slips into my mind. I wince at the idea, shaking my head.

No! It can’t be! But…he did ask me if I attended an event five years ago, the same one that took place on that fateful night. The drugs Lily gave me were strong. They have kept my memory of that night a blur. I can’t even put a face onto the man’s body.

All I can remember is how fiercely he touched me, how our bodies melted into one that night. I can remember the way his kiss made me feel. His touch made my skin feel like it was on fire but in all the best ways possible.

For a night that I can’t even remember, I had never felt so alive. That same feeling lingered inside me, ticking the back of my mind, whenever Sebastian and I shared a heated kiss.

His touch felt familiar to me the first time our skin made contact. It left me wanting more.

With Sebastian, he makes my inner wolf come to life. She had never bothered me before, always lurking and hibernating in the shadows of my mind. My wolf came alive the night of the one-night stand and she comes to life whenever Sebastian and I share a fleeting moment of passion.

“We’re here,” Anna’s voice calms my body down. I look at her and then look down at my lap. My fists clench a fistful of the purple fabric, my knuckles white from how hard I’m gripping the material.

Anna looks me up and down. I can see her conceal a laugh, covering her mouth with her hand, and I roll my eyes at her.

“What? You make it so easy!” Anna’s laugh fills my ears as I exit the car. I leave Anna behind in the car, grumbling obscenities to myself as I approach the front door.

I shake my arms and legs, trying to release any leftover tension inside my body before I see my kids. They don’t deserve to have a mother who brings negative energy into their lives.

Then again. I must have failed at that seeing how Sebastian and Lily have caused so much chaos ever since we moved here.

I’m not a horrible mother, am I?

I slowly turn the doorknob, unsure if Noah and Ella are still awake at this late hour. I don’t want to wake them up. Selfishly, I want to go to sleep instead of staying up longer than I have to.

After the banquet, I need sleep to help me feel refreshed for the next day.

The foyer is dark but there’s a warm, gentle light coming from the kitchen. I sigh and turn to Anna, who appears from behind, and she shrugs in response to my look.

“I put them to bed before I got you, so don’t look at me,” she quietly chuckles, quickly disappearing in the opposite direction of the kitchen.

“Traitor,” I mumble under my breath. I take a deep breath to calm my body down.

I shouldn’t be annoyed that my kids stayed up; they’re probably sneaking in a snack so they can eat it in bed. Those hellions! Oh…but I love them so much.

I creep down the hallway and poke my head out from the corner. Noah and Ella stand on the counter, reaching up into the highest cabinet where Anna and I hid the leftover cookies. I cross my arms over my chest, slightly impressed that they were able to do something like this.

I watch them for a few seconds. They bicker in hushed whispers. Finally, Noah snatches the container and passes it to Ella, who helps him down from the counter. I step out of the shadows and lean against the wall.

“So who planned the heist to steal the cookies, hm?” My voice causes Noah and Ella to jump. Ella screams and Noah’s eyes widen. They stare at me and push the cookie container down the counter and away from them.

“Noah told me to do it!” Ella immediately admits, pointing at Noah. He gasps and points back at her.

“She told me that if I didn’t do it, she’d hide my trucks!”

I laugh and rest my hands on my hips, finally walking towards them. I grab the container and open it up, handing them each a cookie.

“Let’s not meet like this again, yeah?” I chuckle, amused at their shocked faces. They scarf down the cookies and nod. “Okay good…now go to bed! You have school in the morning!”

“Yes, Mommy!” they call out in unison, running away, bickering as they do so. I chuckle and clean up the crumbs from the ground. I toss the crumbs into the trash can and turn off the light, navigating my way through the home.

Sebastian could never be a good parent. He will never be a dad to my children, even if it comes out that he’s their biological father. Noah and Ella are mine, Evan too, and they will never be his.