Chapter 0140

We shared lunch with several pack members at the Blackthorn estate before heading to Evelyn's place. I made sure to grab my textbooks and an overnight bag - I'd practically moved into her home these past weeks.

The following month settled into a comfortable rhythm. We spent most nights at her house, respecting her boundaries while discovering each other's bodies with slow, deliberate exploration. Without the pressure of sex, our intimacy deepened in unexpected ways. Every touch became sacred, every gasp memorized. And let me tell you, Evelyn has particular talents involving chocolate desserts that have nothing to do with baking. The things that woman can do with her tongue should be illegal.

We became inseparable. Morning and evening training sessions continued, now more balanced since Selene had fully recovered. Theron and she sparred as equals, constantly inventing new takedowns that left us both bruised and exhilarated.

Homework sessions turned into strategy meetings when Evelyn started joining my consultations with Father about pack affairs. She slipped into the Luna role effortlessly, though she'd never admit it. Natural leadership radiates from her.

I made sure to plan weekly dates - not for privacy (we had plenty) but to show her the world through my eyes. Fancy restaurants, midnight picnics, even that terrible vampire romance movie she secretly loved.

One evening after pack dinner, we raced home in wolf form. Selene and Theron had grown close, often running together between the Blackthorn lands and the Sinclair house. As we reached the tree line, we shifted back as usual.

The scent hit us simultaneously. My growl started instinctively before I choked it back. We'd agreed to this. Evelyn's birthday approached in weeks, and the choice would be hers. I'd nearly forgotten about him after months without contact.

"Sebastian." Evelyn started forward.

Theron surged forward with a warning snarl, bodily blocking her as I tossed her a shirt. I'd consented to their meetings - not to my mate standing naked before another alpha.

Sebastian rose from the porch swing where he'd been waiting. My scent saturated this property after months of occupation. His jaw tightened as he inhaled it.

When Evelyn moved to follow me, I caught her wrist. "I should go."

Her head shook violently. "Stay."

I cradled her face. "Two alphas wanting the same woman? That's a death match waiting to happen." My thumb brushed her cheekbone as she glanced between us. "Call me later."

I pressed a kiss to her forehead before retreating into the trees. Every instinct screamed to challenge him, to mark her so thoroughly no one would dare look twice. But this wasn't about dominance - it was about trust.

The hardest part of loving someone is letting them choose.