I held that card in my hand, pushed the car door open, and stepped out.
The heat from his palm still lingering on my skin made me desperate to leave immediately-otherwise I didn't know what irrational thing I might do.
Back in the empty mansion, I felt at peace for the first time.
I sank myself into the bathtub, washing away the mud and humiliation clinging to me.
Marcus didn't come back. This night, this house, finally belonged entirely to me for the first time.
I lay on that king-size bed that had made me feel lonely night after night.
No breath beside me, no heartbeat from that man, no domineering scent mixed with another woman's perfume lingering in the air.
For once, I felt a kind of peace and freedom I had never experienced before.
When I finished washing up and lay in bed, my gaze was once again drawn to that gold-embossed card.
And to the lingering heat on my wrist where he had held me.
I swallowed. I had no idea why Alpha Sebastian would help me.
Victoria, my best friend, had mentioned his reputation when we chatted.
"He's powerful, Seraphina. Stronger than Marcus, but also more dangerous. No she-wolf can get near him."
That was what Victoria had said.
Rumor had it that the Alpha of the Shadow Pack never touched anything that didn't belong to him.
But he had caught me in the most disgraceful state, even offered help willingly.
Could I be his mate?
But I couldn't feel any scent, any excitement.
Maybe the bond between Marcus and me hadn't fully broken.
And I was only human-could I be lucky enough to have a second mate, and one that was a powerful Alpha wolf?
Suddenly, a strange, uncontrollable pull-like a faint current-rushed up from the bottom of my heart.
I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath.
No.
I am not like Marcus.
Before I sever that rotten mate bond completely, I will not allow myself to get entangled with anyone else.
What I want is complete freedom-not just moving from one cage to another.
I immediately threw the card into the trash.
Then I drifted into sleep.
Sebastian's pov
I was furious. I was already thirty and still hadn't found my mate.
That was why I came to Alpha Marcus's banquet. I never intended to come-I had already given up on the idea of finding a mate.
Being thirty without a mate was extremely rare.
But my mother was just like human mothers-she saw her children's marriage and offspring as her life's mission.
Of course, wolf packs and any powerful family need an heir.
Even though I've proven with my actions that my strength alone could keep our pack stable for a hundred years, my mother still wouldn't stop arranging blind dates for me.
I was sick of smelling nothing but heavy perfume and disappointment.
The scent made me nauseous, and neither I nor my wolf felt even the slightest excitement.
Tonight, I happened to be free, but the moment I stepped into the banquet hall, one of the she-wolves I'd been matched with stared at me.
I headed toward the garden behind the hall, and she clung to me like sticky taffy.
Her perfume was so thick it felt like a toxic fog ready to explode, hanging in the humid air endlessly.
I was already sick of scents like that-so sick that it was almost a physical reaction-but I still had to endure her pretending to sound hurt beside me.
"Sebastian, can't you just-"
I couldn't stand listening anymore. I was just about to cut her off when-
My wolf jolted awake deep in my chest.
I immediately knew what it was.
MATE!
