The Truth Revealed–2
Before Aurora could respond, Thea pressed on: “What happens when Sebastian discovers your lies? When he finds out what you said about Leo?”
My entire body tensed at the mention of my son’s name. My wolf, previously conflicted, now united with me in sudden protective fury. Our pup? he growled. What about our pup?
“He’ll never find out,” Aurora said with chilling certainty. “He believes anything I tell him. That’s how much he trusts me.”
“A trust you’ve broken countless times,” Thea shot back. “I might hate Sebastian for everything he’s done to me, but even he doesn’t deserve to be manipulated by someone who claims to love him.”
When Thea turned to leave again, Aurora grabbed her more roughly. I’d seen enough.
“Let her go, Aurora.”
Both women spun toward me, shock evident on their faces. Thea used the moment to break free, and without a backward glance, she disappeared into the building.
Aurora stood frozen, the color draining from her face. “Sebastian? How… how long have you been there?”
“Long enough,” I said, struggling to keep my Alpha voice under control. “Long enough to hear that you’ve been lying to me. Now, I want the truth all of it. And if you dare lie to me, Aurora, I swear you won’t like the consequences.”
After a moment of stunned silence, she nodded weakly.
“Did Thea hit you two weeks ago?” I asked.
“Yes,” she admitted hesitantly.
“Why?”
–
Aurora stared at the ground, suddenly mute. The contrast between her earlier venom toward Thea and her current silence was infuriating.
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The Truth Revealed–2
“Damn it, Aurora!” I roared, my patience shattered. “Answer me!”
She flinched, finally looking up with tears in her eyes. “I… I told her Leo needed to be kept on a leash,” she whispered. “I said I wouldn’t let that brat ruin our relationship, and that I’d convince you to send him to boarding school if I had to.”
I staggered, trying to steady my breathing, unable to believe what I’d heard. My wolf howled furiously, snarling in my mind: She threatened our pup! Our blood!
The full weight of my mistake crashed down on me. I’d believed Aurora without question, had gone to Thea’s house and angrily spewed a bunch of crap at her, accused her – all
based on lies.
The only truth she’d told was about the slap, but even then, she’d manipulated me to keep me by her side. I now understood why Thea had slapped her. She was protecting Leo, just as I would have.
How had things come to this? Aurora had always been good. She was once the kindest
she–wolf I knew. There wasn’t a malicious bone in her body. That’s why everyone loved
her.
The woman standing before me was the complete opposite of the girl I knew and loved.
She was spiteful, jealous, bitter. These were character traits I would never have associated
with Aurora.
“We’re done,” I managed through clenched teeth.
“What?” Shock and disbelief filled her voice. “No, Sebastian, please—”
“No one threatens my son,” I cut her off. “No one. The only reason I’m walking away
instead of doing worse is our history.”
She lunged toward me, grasping at my jacket. “Please! This was supposed to be our second
chance.”
I carefully disentangled her hands from my clothes, stepping back.
“Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t,” I told her, then walked away.
Her sobs echoed behind me, but they couldn’t touch me now. For the first time in years,
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my wolf was at peace with my decision, no longer fighting against me.
I moved through the garden, my mind racing with uncomfortable questions. Questions about Aurora, about Thea, about myself. Most unsettling of all was the question that kept circling back:
What if everything I thought I knew about Thea – about us – had been wrong? And if I’d been wrong about her… what else had I been wrong about? My feeling for her?