Chapter 44

Miranda

“Sebastian,” I breathe out, unable to get any other word out of my mouth. His eyes burn into mine. Being alone with him feels like a death sentence for my future actions.

Sebastian licks his lips and leans down. His face hovers over mine. I have to fight the urge to lean forward, to close the distance between us and finally put an end to the tension between us. I shouldn’t, though. I know I shouldn’t. The temptation is too great.

My heart pounds inside my chest and my lower stomach warms, floating up and down as his gaze travels my body.

“What are you doing?” I push the words out in a breathy whisper. My eyes droop, my eyelids feeling heavy.

He doesn’t respond. Instead, Sebastian pulls away from me, taking three backward steps, a small smirk growing on his face.

I place my hand on my chest and take a deep breath, my lungs feeling some release now that there is distance between us, yet the heat in my stomach remains. My rapidly beating heart comes to a slow, returning to its normal pattern, and I have to rip my gaze off of him and the smirk on his face.

Sebastian did it just to mess with me. How does he know to do that? Have I given myself away? Or has my body finally decided to turn against me and give in to its primal urges?

I clear my throat and wipe my sweaty palms on my lab coat. Blinking rapidly, my composure slowly comes back to me.

“So it wasn’t Lily’s idea to call me?” I ask him from over my shoulder. I stare at his desk, my eyes scanning the various items on his desk.

What does an Alpha King have on his desk? Is it cold like his outward appearance or is it adorned with sentimental photographs and items to keep him grounded?

“No. She actually wanted to avoid you...begged me not to call you.” His words, which I thought would bring me some kind of relief, send chills down my spine. Would Lily really risk the lives of soldiers over the history we share?

I suppose I have to face that question for myself. Would I have helped if it weren’t for Sebastian? Would I have let Moonlit Labs burn due to my burning hatred for her?

“Of course she did…I’m glad you called, then,” I finally turn around, facing the Alpha King.

“I am too,” he hesitates. The corners of his lips twitch. He looks as if he wants to say something. I stay quiet, giving him all of the time he needs to get the words out. “You were right. About everything. Moonlit Labs, your father…about Lily.”

Sebastian’s admission surprises me. I remain in my place, watching him closely. I cross my arms over my chest and bite the inside of my cheek, opting to remain silent.

“I want to help you get Moonlit Labs back. Proving to the company and its sitting members that you’re more competent for the job than Lily is just the first step of the plan,” his words sound sweet but I’m unsure if I can fully trust him just yet.

“Why?” My question is simple, yet his answer may hold many complexities that I am not aware of.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you at our children’s school later for pick up, yeah?” Sebastian’s bicep brushes past my shoulder, sending electric shocks down my spine. I train my eyes on him, watching as he sits down in his chair.

“I…” I breathe out, surprised by how nonchalant he’s acting right now. “Yes, Sebastian, you will see me there for pick up.” I reverse my body and walk towards the door, baffled.

Wow. Okay. He…did he just dismiss me? Did I just let that happen to me?

I push through the heavy doors, walking through the small room where his Beta waits for me. I stare at him, the baffled expression still on my face.

“Here are the papers that Moonlit Labs has provided to us alongside a few samples. Don’t burn through them, though, they have refused to give us more.” I think that he’s going to give me another folder like he has in the past only to realize that he has a large cardboard box sitting on his desk.

My jaw drops and my eyes widen. He chuckles at my reaction, lifting the box with a grunt, and dropping it into my arms. I brace for impact and groan, catching it with a lot of effort.

“Good luck,” his Beta says, patting my back.

Hauling the box out of the Alpha King’s office, I realize that this is all one big joke that Lily is throwing at me. Sure, she’s giving me all of the materials I need, but I can guarantee that about two-thirds of the papers and materials in this box are to throw me off my scent.

I kick the lab door, holding the box up against the wall, and propping it up on my hip. When there’s no answer, I kick the door again and again, rattling it in its doorframe, and shaking the nearby wall beside it. Jessica swings open the door, looking at me like I’m a mad woman.

“What are you doing Miranda?!” She asks. I take a deep breath and bear the load of the obnoxiously heavy box into my arms, using the momentum to push inside the lab. “What is that?” Jessica asks, following me inside.

“This,” my breathing is ragged and I slam the box down onto a nearby lab chair, “is material from Moonlit Labs on a drug that they fucked up. They hired us to fix it.”

“Again? What are they doing over there?”

“I don’t know, but it’s our mess to clean up now.” I wipe the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand.

The top of the box comes off and the lab is taken over by a thin veil of dust. Did Lily pull this out of the archive? Jessica reaches in and grabs a stack of papers. I look between her and the papers, frowning.

“Be sure to go through it carefully, yeah? I think they gave us some stuff that we won’t need. You know, to overwhelm us since they’re annoyed they can’t do it on their own,” I warn.

“I feel like this is more personal than you’re making it out to be,” Jessica’s side comment earns a glare from me and she quickly shuts her mouth, looking forward.

Hours Later…

My back aches and my eyes feel strained under the bright LED lights of the lab. I rock back in my chair, rubbing my eyes to try and ease some of the pain. It doesn’t work. I glance to the side and notice that Jessica is slumped over her workspace, sleeping on top of scattered papers.

A yawn escapes my mouth and I try my best to cover it with the back of my hand. I glance to the side of me, scrunching my face when I notice that the clock hands have moved way past what we planned it to be. I narrow my eyes and look away.

No. That’s not right. It can’t be late afternoon. We’ve only been looking through papers for a couple of hours, not five!

I grab my phone next to me, turning the screen on.

4:33 P.M.

My stomach sinks in my stomach. Shit!

I push away from the workstation, my chair clanging against the ground, waking Jessica up. Frantically running through the lab, I grab my belongings and bolt outside, leaving Jessica behind to close up shop.