I emerged from my hiding place and stepped into the hallway.

Sebastian stood outside his apartment door, breathtakingly handsome in light grey chinos and a soft black button-down shirt.

His gaze swept over me as I approached him.

"Did you enjoy the conversation?" he asked irritably, making it sound like I had eavesdropped on purpose.

I scoffed, meeting his energy. "It wasn't exactly hard to overhear. I think everyone in the building heard you turn down Grand Alpha Wyld's granddaughter."

Sebastian ran a hand through his dark blonde hair, muttering a curse under his breath. "You weren't supposed to hear that."

"Well, I did. You were supposed to propose to Carolyn on the night of Amber's wedding," I said.

"Yes," he growled, his bright blue eyes locking onto mine, "but then I found my mate."

I shook my head, fully aware of the diplomatic storm Sebastian had stirred.

As a beta's daughter, I understood pack politics.

"You should have proposed to Carolyn," I said bluntly, struggling to keep my emotions in check.

Sebastian's face darkened like a thundercloud.

"I already have a mate. Why would I dishonour her by choosing another?" he asked.

"Because she is a never wolf," I replied, trying to make him see reason. "She could never be your luna in the truest sense."

The point of a luna was to help bring balance and harmony to the pack. To counter the overprotective and aggressive nature of the alpha.

If I became Sebastian's mate, it would tear the pack apart.

I hoped my words would knock some sense into him, but instead, he stepped closer, his eyes never leaving mine.

"My choice of Carolyn was purely political," he said, his tone calmer as he moved even closer.

"In the absence of a true mate, I needed someone who could fulfil the role of luna."

He stopped in front of me, his expression softening as he looked down.

"But then the goddesses blessed me with a true mate," he said, his voice almost reverent. "I won't take that gift for granted."

A gift?

I had to stop myself from laughing out loud.

I wasn't a gift—I was a curse.

"Sebastian, nothing good could ever come from mating with a never wolf," I replied.

Sebastian shrugged off my comment and gently caught my elbow.

Switching the subject, he said, "You must be starving. Come on, breakfast is getting cold."

I followed him reluctantly, wondering if his capacity to think logically had been impaired by our mating bond.

Admittedly, I had found myself falling under the spell of the mating bond. When we close like this, with his resting hand on my arm, my insides crawled with heat.

But, unlike Sebastian, I was able to resist—perhaps because I wasn't a true wolf.

I followed him into his apartment.

"Let me take your coat," he offered, resting his hands on my shoulders.

I pulled away from the physical contact, needing to put some space between us. Touch seemed to make the ache between us worse.

I slipped off my winter coat and handed it to him, then walked into his apartment.

It was surprisingly light and airy for a bachelor pad.

The apartment consisted of a single room, painted bright white with whitewashed oak flooring.

At the back of the apartment, large floor-to-ceiling windows revealed a stunning vista of the mountains and the forest beyond.

"Your home is beautiful," I commented.

Sebastian smiled approvingly. "I'm glad you like it. I wanted a change from the years of dark wood panelling and taxidermy that haunted this house."

I instantly knew what he was talking about. Hector's idea of decor was closed in, claustrophobic, meaningless, disorganised clutter, interspersed with the occasional dead animal Hector had hunted and killed.

I still remember the smell of Hector's study, musty and sweaty, thickened by dust and stale warm air.

I shuddered, feeling unhappy memories stirring beneath the surface of my consciousness.

Wrapping my arms around my waist, I said, "I much prefer bright open spaces. Much easier to breathe."

Sebastian said nothing, and simply stared at me.

The space was minimally decorated with a few large abstract oil paintings and a small clumsy clay sculpture of a wolf running.

I approached the small sculpture, noting how one of the wolf's front paws was significantly shorter than the other.

"Claudia made that for me," Sebastian said, noticing my interest in the art piece. "I should mention—she was only five when she made it."

I glanced up at Sebastian, surprised by this unexpected sentimental side.

"It's nice that you've kept it—I can't imagine my brother doing the same," I admitted softly.

After my exile, Rollo and my parents would have systematically erased every trace of my existence from our home.

It was only Amber who cared enough to secretly save a few of my belongings.

Sebastian suddenly slid up next to me, his shoulder nearly brushing against mine.

I sucked in a breath and shifted my focus to the artwork on the wall.

"W-who painted these?" I asked, assuming they were expensive pieces from a city gallery.

His response caught me off guard.

"Claudia painted them."

"She painted these?" I said, unable to hide the disbelief in my voice.

"She's a talented artist—when she's not picking fights with rogues," he sighed.

"They're amazing," I replied, taking a moment to really look at each piece and absorb the intricate details.

The first was a burst of vibrant colours—greens mingling with explosions of pinks, reds, and blues. It was as if she'd captured the essence of a wildflower meadow in full bloom.

The second was darker, a deep blue canvas dotted with white—a recreation of a starry night.

But the last one was different. It wasn't a place—it was a feeling. An angry maelstrom of red, grey, and black brushstrokes slashed across the canvas.

"This last painting is intense," I remarked.

"She painted it soon after our father died—much of her work since then has followed a similar style," he said.

"Grief is a powerful catalyst," I said, continuing to study the painting.

"Anger is a powerful catalyst," Sebastian said, gently correcting me.

Anger?

Sebastian pulled away from me, and said, "We should sit down to breakfast before the food gets cold."

I followed him to the glass dining table, where an array of fresh fruit, warm pastries, and steaming dishes of bacon, sausage, and eggs awaited us.

We sat down, each of us helping ourselves to the food.

Sebastian settled into his chair with a cup of coffee.

"I wanted the opportunity to talk to you alone. After reviewing your file last night, I've been thinking a lot about why you haven't been able to shift," he said.

I looked up from my plate. "What kind of thoughts?"

"How strange it is that two full-blooded wolves should sire a never wolf child," he replied.

I rolled my shoulders. "Well, it happened."

Sebastian set his coffee cup on the table, his appetite clearly gone.

"After our conversation last night, I reached out to a contact at the archives where I used to work," he said.

I arched an eyebrow. "You were a keeper?"

Sebastian nodded.

"I was head lore keeper until my father died and catapulted me to alpha status," he said, almost sounding resentful of his inheritance.

"From my recollection, never wolves occurred when a child of mixed parentage had more human than wolf blood," he said.

I had heard a similar story from my parents on the night of my failed transformation.

A never wolf could only be born if it failed to inherit enough wolf blood from its parents.

So, why had I failed to transform?

My father had accused my mother of having an affair with a human—perhaps one of the summer labourers.

My mother had been mortified. She protested her innocence and pleaded with my father to remember Amber, my perfectly normal twin sister.

To this day, I don't know if my father still believes my mother was unfaithful—or if she was, and Amber just got lucky while I didn't.

Either way, it had destroyed both me and my family's life.

Sebastian didn't seem to notice the weariness in my eyes as he delved into his findings.

"The archives responded to my request this morning. They revealed that in the last two hundred years, four never wolves were born to parents of pure wolf blood," he said.

I couldn't help but frown. "I'm failing to see your point, Sebastian."

"Those wolves were recorded having strange talents. Precognition, unusual luck, the ability to influence emotions," he continued.

"Like my ability to see death shades," I replied, connecting the dots.

"Yes, exactly," he said, excitedly. "What if you are a wolf that has yet to be introduced to the right trigger?"

I swallowed hard.

Sure, it was possible. But there were only two moon goddesses: Artemis and Selene.

I had gone through their ritual and laid my hands upon their sacred relics that should have brought about a transformation, but it hadn't worked.

"Sebastian," I sighed, getting up from the table. "You're grasping at straws. I went through the ritual, and it failed."

"There might be other relics of Artemis and Selene we could try. I've even reached out to the Ravenwood pack about using Artemis' longbow and Selene's crown—as an experiment," he said.

I arched an incredulous eyebrow. "You think the Ravenwood pack would lend you their sacred relics?"

"No, of course not. We would go to them, take a trip east," he said casually.

I baulked at the idea of leaving Cedar Falls.

I couldn't abandon Amber.

I needed to keep my guard up. I couldn't afford to complicate things for myself and Amber by falling into a love affair with the alpha. I had to stay calm and resist the pull of the mating bond.

Maybe I could use this moment to destroy whatever hopes Sebastian had for us.

"Sebastian," I sighed, my tone turning serious. "You are chasing a fantasy. Grand Alpha Wyld is right. You're better off marrying Carolyn and strengthening the bond between your pack and hers. Don't waste your time on me."

The words tasted like ash in my mouth, but I needed to put a stop to this. Amber needed me here.

Sebastian crumpled his napkin and tossed it onto his plate.

"Why would the goddesses make me your mate if Carolyn was the better choice?" he demanded.

"Maybe the same reason they made me a never wolf—they're cruel," I replied.

Sebastian's expression hardened and he rose from the table.

"I refuse to believe that. There has to be a reason for your condition," he said.

"Sebastian, I'm not broken. I don't need you to fix me," I replied.

I got up from the table, my chair scraping loudly against the wooden floor.

"Meeting you like this was a mistake. I apologise. In the future, I'll keep my distance, and I suggest you do the same," I said, trying to sound firm.

"Mabel," Sebastian called after me, his voice laced with something I didn't want to name.

I ignored him, forcing myself to walk calmly to the front door.

He caught up with me, moving in front to block my path.

"Wait," he breathed, his closeness sending a shiver down my spine.

I stopped, reluctantly meeting his gaze.

"It would be a transgression against Artemis if I refused the mate she chose for me. But I'll respect your decision to refuse the mating—if that's what you truly want," he said, his eyes searching mine, waiting for an answer.

I bit my bottom lip, my resolve crumbling as the words in my head vanished.