Chapter 109

At this point, I didn’t care if Sebastian saw me naked. I had already made a complete fool of myself, and as a shifter, modesty had never been my strong suit.

With a sharp tug, I ripped off the remains of my tank top and tossed it onto the edge of the tub. My shorts and underwear followed, landing in a damp heap beside it.

Sebastian discarded his ruined clothes and disappeared into his room, returning with a fresh shirt just as I finished rinsing off. I stood, water sluicing down my body, and nearly lost my footing as I stepped out of the tub.

But Sebastian was there in an instant, his strong arms wrapping around me, pulling me flush against his bare chest. My gaze dropped instinctively, and my breath hitched. He was… impressive.

A shiver ran through me, though not from the cold. My mouth went dry, and I swallowed hard, my pulse thundering in my ears. He lifted me effortlessly from the tub, setting me down carefully, his hands lingering just long enough to ensure I was steady.

The moment his touch left me, I felt the loss like a physical ache, my skin suddenly too sensitive, too exposed. He grabbed a towel and draped it over my shoulders, cocooning me in its warmth.

But I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him.

Sebastian Blackwood was devastatingly handsome, his presence almost painful in its intensity. The fever might have broken, but the heat between us hadn’t faded—if anything, it simmered deeper, a slow burn that threatened to consume me whole.

And I wasn’t sure I wanted to resist it.

The morning sun filtered through the heavy velvet curtains of Sebastian Blackwood's private study. Lillian stirred awake on the leather couch where she'd fallen asleep waiting for him. Her neck ached from the awkward position, but the scent of freshly brewed coffee and warm croissants made her sit up abruptly.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Sebastian's deep voice rumbled from behind his mahogany desk. His piercing blue eyes held amusement as he watched her scramble to straighten her wrinkled blouse. "I trust you found my couch comfortable?"

Lillian's cheeks burned. "I didn't mean to fall asleep. I was just—"

"Waiting to ambush me about Oliver again?" Sebastian interrupted, his smile fading. He pushed a silver tray toward her. "Eat. We'll talk after."

The clink of fine china echoed in the tense silence. Lillian nibbled on a buttery croissant while studying Sebastian's tired face. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his usually immaculate shirt showed signs of being worn all night. Whatever business had kept him out until dawn, it hadn't been pleasant.

"Victoria came by earlier," Sebastian said suddenly, flipping through a stack of documents. "She mentioned seeing you with Donovan at the university café."

Lillian nearly choked on her coffee. "It wasn't like that! He cornered me after class. I was trying to—"

"I know what you were trying to do." Sebastian's knuckles whitened around his fountain pen. "But playing with fire only gets you burned, little wolf."

Before Lillian could respond, the study door burst open. Beatrice stormed in, her usually perfect curls disheveled and her phone clutched in a death grip.

"Lil! You need to see this!" Beatrice shoved her phone forward. On screen, a gossip blog displayed blurry photos of Donovan leaving a high-end hotel with Evelyn... and Victoria watching from a parked car.

Sebastian was on his feet in an instant. "When was this taken?"

"Last night," Beatrice whispered. "Right after Victoria told everyone she was visiting her grandmother."

The air in the room turned electric with tension. Lillian's wolf bristled at the implications. Victoria had lied. Donovan had lied. And Evelyn... she'd played them all.

Sebastian's phone rang, the shrill tone cutting through the silence. He answered tersely, his expression growing darker with each passing second. When he hung up, his voice was dangerously calm.

"That was Marcus. Donovan's been making unauthorized withdrawals from the pack accounts. Substantial ones."

Lillian's stomach dropped. "How much?"

"Enough to buy a small country," Sebastian said grimly. He grabbed his suit jacket from the back of his chair. "Stay here. Both of you. I need to handle this before—"

The study window shattered inward as a silver-tipped arrow embedded itself in the wall inches from Sebastian's head.

"Too late," Beatrice breathed as chaos erupted outside.

The morning sun cast golden streaks across the lavish bedroom as Lillian stirred beneath the silk sheets. Her body ached from the previous night’s events, but the warmth beside her made her pulse quicken. Donovan’s scent still lingered in the air, a cruel reminder of what had once been.

She sat up abruptly, her fingers gripping the edge of the mattress. How could he do this to me?

A soft knock interrupted her spiraling thoughts. The door creaked open, revealing Beatrice’s concerned face. "Lil, you okay?"

Lillian exhaled sharply, running a hand through her tangled hair. "Define okay."

Beatrice stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. "I heard what happened. That bastard Donovan—"

"Don’t," Lillian cut her off, her voice brittle. "I don’t want to talk about him."

Beatrice hesitated before nodding. "Fine. But you need to get up. Sebastian’s waiting downstairs."

Lillian’s breath hitched. Sebastian. The name alone sent a shiver down her spine. The Lycan chairman had been an unexpected force in her life—protective, commanding, and dangerously alluring.

She swung her legs over the bed, wincing at the soreness. "What does he want?"

Beatrice smirked. "Wouldn’t you like to know?"

Downstairs, the mansion buzzed with quiet efficiency. The scent of freshly brewed coffee mingled with the faint aroma of lavender from the gardens. Lillian descended the grand staircase, her bare feet sinking into the plush carpet.

Sebastian stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, his broad shoulders silhouetted against the morning light. He turned as she approached, his piercing gaze sweeping over her. "You look like hell."

Lillian scoffed. "Gee, thanks."

A ghost of a smile tugged at his lips. "I didn’t say it was a bad look."

Her cheeks warmed, but she forced herself to meet his eyes. "What do you want, Sebastian?"

His expression darkened. "We have a problem. Evelyn’s been spreading rumors about you."

Lillian stiffened. Of course she has. Donovan’s new mate had made it her mission to ruin her reputation. "What kind of rumors?"

Sebastian’s jaw tightened. "The kind that could get you expelled."

Her stomach dropped. "You’re joking."

"I don’t joke." He stepped closer, his voice lowering. "But I do protect what’s mine."

The possessive edge in his tone sent a thrill through her. Before she could respond, the front door burst open.

Victoria stormed in, her face flushed with fury. "Father! You can’t seriously be considering—"

Sebastian’s glare silenced her. "Not now, Victoria."

Victoria’s eyes flicked to Lillian, her lip curling. "This is her fault!"

Lillian crossed her arms. "What did I do now?"

"You know what you did!" Victoria spat. "You’re ruining everything!"

Sebastian stepped between them, his voice a growl. "Enough."

The tension in the room thickened, suffocating. Lillian’s heart pounded. What the hell is going on?

Then, the phone rang.

Sebastian snatched it up, his expression unreadable. After a tense moment, he hung up and turned to Lillian. "Pack your things. We’re leaving."

Her pulse spiked. "Where?"

His eyes gleamed with something dangerous. "Somewhere no one will find us."

"Keep looking at me like that, and I won't be responsible for what happens next," Sebastian murmured, his voice thick with desire, sending shivers down my spine.

"Then don’t hold back," I breathed before my brain could catch up with my reckless words. Closing the distance between us, I crushed my lips against his, pouring every ounce of my pent-up longing into the kiss. For a heartbeat, he froze—stunned—and I braced myself for rejection. But then his strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against him. He lifted me effortlessly, my legs instinctively winding around his torso as the towel slipped away, forgotten.

My tongue traced the seam of his lips, begging for entry, and when he yielded, a rush of triumph and heat flooded me. He wanted this just as desperately as I did.

Carrying me into the bedroom, he laid me down on the plush expanse of his king-sized bed, his scent enveloping me—dark, intoxicating, and undeniably male. How had I never noticed how intoxicating he smelled before? His teeth grazed my bottom lip before his mouth trailed down my neck, sucking and nipping at the sensitive skin until I arched against him with a breathy moan.

His lips blazed a path lower, pausing to lavish attention on my breasts, his tongue swirling around each peak until I gasped, fingers tangling in his hair. A low growl rumbled in his chest as he pulled away, capturing my mouth again in a searing kiss that left me dizzy.

"I need to taste every inch of you," he growled against my lips, his hands roaming possessively over my body.

"Please," was all I could manage, my thoughts dissolving into liquid fire.

His mouth descended once more, teasing and tormenting until he reached the apex of my thighs. The heat of his breath against my core made me tremble, desire pooling deep inside. Under any other circumstances, I might have been mortified—no man had ever been this close, this intimate. Donovan and I had never gone beyond chaste kisses; I’d been determined to wait until we were properly mated.

Yet here I was, surrendering to Sebastian without hesitation.

Rationality had long since fled. There was only this—this all-consuming need, this fire that only he could quench.

When his tongue finally found me, I cried out, fingers clutching the sheets as pleasure surged through me. His satisfied groan vibrated against my skin, sending another wave of ecstasy crashing over me. I writhed beneath him, chasing that sweet, unbearable edge, my entire body alight with sensation.

He teased me mercilessly, his mouth working magic until my vision blurred and my back arched off the bed. "Sebastian!" I gasped, teetering on the brink.

With one final, devastating flick of his tongue, I shattered, my climax crashing over me like a tidal wave.

I’d experienced pleasure before—solitary, fleeting—but nothing like this. This was earth-shattering.

The morning sun filtered through the heavy velvet curtains of Sebastian Blackwood's private study. Lillian stirred awake on the leather couch where she'd fallen asleep waiting for him. Her neck ached from the awkward position, and she blinked against the golden light now illuminating the room.

"Good morning, little wolf," Sebastian's deep voice rumbled from across the study. He stood by the window, already dressed in his signature black suit, the morning light casting dramatic shadows across his chiseled features. "I didn't have the heart to wake you."

Lillian sat up quickly, smoothing her wrinkled blouse. "What time is it? Did you sleep at all?" She noticed the half-empty whiskey glass and scattered documents on his desk.

"Time enough," he evaded, his golden eyes tracking her movements with predatory focus. "We need to talk about what happened with Donovan."

A cold shiver ran down Lillian's spine at the mention of her former mate. The memory of Donovan's cruel rejection still burned fresh, even after all these months. "What about him?"

Sebastian moved with unnatural Lycan grace to sit beside her. "He's petitioned the Council to challenge our mating bond." His large hand covered hers, warm and reassuring. "But I won't let him take you from me."

Downstairs, the sound of Oliver's laughter floated up from the garden where Victoria was playing with him. The domestic normalcy contrasted sharply with the tension in the study.

Lillian swallowed hard. "What does this mean? I thought the rejection was final."

"Not according to Lycan law," Sebastian growled, his fingers tightening around hers. "There's a loophole if the rejected mate can prove coercion or improper bonding."

"But that's ridiculous! You saved me from—"

A sharp knock interrupted them. Theodore Whitmore entered without waiting for permission, his usually composed face strained. "Sir, urgent news from the Winslow estate. Evelyn has gone into early labor."

Sebastian's expression darkened. "How convenient."

Lillian's heart pounded. Evelyn, Donovan's new mate, pregnant with his child. The timing couldn't be worse. "We should go," she said before she could stop herself.

Sebastian's golden eyes flashed. "Absolutely not. That's exactly what Donovan wants."

"But if something happens to Evelyn or the baby—"

"Then it's on Donovan's head, not yours," Sebastian cut in sharply. He turned to Theodore. "Send Marcus to monitor the situation. Discreetly."

As Theodore bowed and exited, Lillian stood abruptly. "I can't just sit here while—"

Sebastian moved with lightning speed, caging her against the bookshelf. His scent—dark spice and something uniquely Sebastian—wrapped around her. "You're mine," he growled low in his throat, the primal claim vibrating through her bones. "And I protect what's mine."

The intensity in his gaze stole her breath. In that moment, Lillian understood the true power of the Lycan chairman—not just his political influence, but the raw, untamed force of nature that lurked beneath his polished exterior.

A second knock, more urgent this time. "Sir!" Marcus Grayson's voice carried through the door. "The Winslows are demanding Lillian's presence at the birth. They're claiming it's pack law."

Sebastian's growl sent vibrations through Lillian's body where they touched. "This is a trap."

Lillian placed a trembling hand on his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart. "Then we spring it together."