Chapter 281 A Promise Is a Promise

Chapter 281: Chapter 281 A Promise Is a Promise

Emilia’s POV

I was completely speechless.

Love has a way of scooping out a person’s common sense and leaving nothing but stubbornness behind. Normally Fynn was sharp as a blade, quick on his feet, the kind of Beta you’d trust to run half a pack. But wave the word "love" in front of him and suddenly he had the reasoning skills of a lovesick pup.

"Fine," I said, standing. "I’ve said my piece. Whether you actually use that brain of yours is your business, not mine. Rest up. And try not to crash into anything else on your way home."

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered.

I left his room, stopped by Lily’s just long enough to make her promise she’d actually sleep instead of pretending she wasn’t in pain, and then made my way to the debridement room where Sebastian was getting his forehead patched up.

The second I saw the white bandage wrapped snug around his head, I lost it. A laugh burst right out of me.

He arched a brow, that famous scowl already loading. "And what, exactly, is so funny?"

"You," I said, grinning. "You look like some brooding samurai from an old film. All you’re missing is the sword and the tragic backstory."

"I already have the tragic backstory," he said dryly. "And I have you to thank for the warrior costume."

"Then let me return the courtesy." I pressed a hand to my chest, mock-solemn. "Thank you for your cooperation. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your remarkable tolerance. And thank you, Alpha, for throwing yourself in front of me."

I meant the last part. When the crash happened, Sebastian moved to protect me without a moment’s hesitation, and something in me went very still. Abigail, wherever she was, had been furious about tonight. Me? I’d felt something closer to peace.

Because in that single second, I finally believed it. Whatever Sebastian had once felt for Abigail, whatever ghost still haunted this pack, what he felt for me was no smaller. Maybe more.

"Let’s go back to the pack house," I said.

"Now?"

"Now."

He checked his watch and shook his head. "It’s late. We’ll head over tomorrow."

He had a point. As much as I would’ve paid good money to see Mila’s face when we walked through the door, everyone at the pack house was surely long asleep by now. So we drove back to the seaside villa instead.

Later, freshly showered and stretched out on the bed, I rested my head against his chest and listened to the slow drum of his heart. "You know, they say time’s the best medicine for forgetting someone. Three whole years. And you’ve finally let Abigail go."

He let out a quiet breath. "It wasn’t time that did it. Time didn’t erase anything. It was you. You showed up out of nowhere, and before I could sort out a single thought, I was already tangled in some web you never even meant to weave. And I couldn’t fight my way out."

"So do you regret it?" I tipped my head to look at him. "Ever caught yourself comparing us? Weighing which one of us fits you better?"

"The one who fits me best is my wife," he said. "When it comes to love, fate isn’t the whole story. The Moon Goddess can hand you a mate, but if the timing’s wrong, it means nothing. She brought you to me when I was finally ready to be found."

"Doesn’t it scare you, though?" I pushed. "Men always talk about marriage like it’s a grave. However this ends, the spark won’t stay the way it is now. Nothing stays fresh forever."

"I don’t know what other men believe," he said. "But I won’t let it die."

"Why not?"

"Simple. When that first rush of new love burns out, most people think love itself is gone. But what’s left behind isn’t nothing. It’s the shadow of love. And what’s worth keeping was never the shiny new version. It’s the real thing underneath. The day that shadow learns what true love actually means, marriage stops being a grave."

His words settled into me, warm and unhurried, filling a corner of my heart I’d kept boarded up for years. Truth be told, I’d never had much faith in marriage. I’d seen far more of them rot than thrive.

The next evening, once I’d cleared my desk in the marketing department and sent off the last of my reports, I called him. "Hey. Are you done for the day?"

"Almost. Why?"

"You’re coming home tonight. Or did you conveniently forget?"

"I didn’t forget," he said, and I could practically hear the sulk in it. "A promise is a promise. I don’t go back on my word."

"Good. I’ll wait for you downstairs. Come pick me up and we’ll drive over together."

"Fine."

I hung up and headed down to wait.

As I stood by the curb outside the building, a familiar car rolled up and its horn gave a soft tap. Scott Hanson leaned toward the passenger window.

I walked over. "What’s up?"

"Waiting on someone?" he asked.

"My husband."

Something dimmed behind his eyes, just for a moment. "Want a ride while you wait?"

"No need. He’ll be here any minute."

"Right. See you around, then."

"Actually, hold on." I caught him before he could pull away. "If it’s not out of your way, would you check in on Lily? Her family’s overseas, and I’ve got somewhere I have to be tonight, so I can’t get to the clinic myself."

"I was already heading there," he said.

"Thank you."

"Don’t mention it."

He gave me a look I couldn’t quite read, then eased his foot off the brake and drove off into the dark.

He’d barely disappeared when Sebastian’s car glided up to the curb. I slid into the passenger seat, clapped my hands together, and said, "Let’s roll."

"Let me run something by you first," he said, not moving yet.

"Go ahead."

"When we get there, don’t push me into anything I don’t want to do."

"Such as?"

"Such as, if I’m not hungry, don’t force food on me. If I don’t feel like sitting in the living room making small talk, don’t corner me into staying."

"Deal," I said. "No cornering the grumpy Alpha. Noted."

We shook on it, ridiculous as that was, and the car pulled out onto the road toward the pack house.