Chapter 53
Everybody knew he never cared for women, nor was he ever seen with one in his arms in public. If word of this spread, it wouldn’t take a genius to know that she wasn’t just anyone, but a mate.
From her eyes alone, it was clear the girl was suffering from deep, unseen pain, and making her a target for his enemies wouldn’t be wise. Sebastian recognized that kind of inner pain when he saw it. Because he carried a similar ones himself that still hunt him every night.
After Matt left him alone, Sebastian stood still and looked out through the glass wall, where the sky was slowly brightening into the first light of dawn, birds flying quietly through the muted dark-blue sky. He remained staring outside, deep in thoughts, when the phone in his hand suddenly vibrated.
It was then Sebastian realized he was still holding her pink-cased phone, and it was ringing insistently in vibration mode. He glanced down at the screen, his brows drawing together when he noticed who was calling her at this hour of the morning.
Nick.
Nick?
She had even saved his contact with a heart emoji, along with his picture on the calling profile where he was blowing a kiss. How the hell did Nick have her number, and why did she save it with a heart? What exactly was their relationship? he wondered, picking up the call before it ended and placing the phone against his ear without saying anything.
But, typical of his cousin, the idiot immediately began to speak.
“Hey, Vee. Where are you? It’s time for our morning training, but you’re not at home, and that is definitely unusual. Are you playing hide and seek with me? Hello? Are you there? Why aren’t you saying anything… ah, what’s wrong with the signal p>
Beep.
Nick ended the call, and Sebastian stared down at the screen with a dark scowl.
He calls her a nickname? What kind of name was that? Who gave him the right to do so? And did he just say morning training?
Sebastian slowly put two and two together, realization settling heavily in his chest. Nick must have been helping her train all this while. Despite his intelligence in advanced technology and his obsession with creating unnecessary things in Silver, Nick was still part of the Kade family, skilled in fighting and training in human form. But he wasn’t skilled in archery or daggers, which meant he hadn’t taught her the skills she displayed.
He didn’t need to think too deeply to know Zoe was responsible for putting Nick in the position of her trainer after Kelvin had gone and trained the wrong person. If Kelvin had trained her, she wouldn’t have become this close to Nick, to the point of a nickname and heart emoji. Sebastian thought about it with deep displeasure.
When someone is your mate, another male being close to them is always a threat. The deep instinct to mark your territory, to make sure no other male ever thinks of her intimately, was overwhelming, and hard to suppress.
Suddenly displeased at the thought that she had been close to Nick, Sebastian unlocked her phone. Along with the fingerprint option, there was a password, and, just as he had expected, she had used her own name. Didn’t she know how dangerous it was to let people in Silver have free access to her things? They could dig into it and use it to make her miserable.
He dialed a number, and it was immediately picked up.
“Kelvin, it’s me. Kade,” Sebastian said emotionlessly, knowing the man wouldn’t recognize the number.
“Oh! Good morning, Supreme Alpha,” Kelvin’s delighted voice immediately came through once he realized who was calling. No doubt he assumed the Alpha was calling to praise him for doing a good job training his girl, Laila.
“Kelvin, how long have you known me?” Sebastian asked calmly, trying to rein in his anger at the man’s incompetence.
“For ten years, Supreme Alpha,” Kelvin replied, slightly breathless as he jogged, speaking through his earpod. Was the Alpha asking because Laila was satisfied and he wanted to reward him with permanent membership among the Silver Pack? For a while now, Kelvin had been requesting permanent membership from the Alpha, as he was from a neighboring pack that was nowhere near as beautiful or as grand as Silver.
“Tell me, what did you think of the wolfless girl?” Sebastian asked calmly, though anger simmered beneath his tone. If Kelvin had done his job properly, she wouldn’t have needed Nick. He waited to hear Kelvin’s thoughts on her, knowing that whatever answer he gave would determine the punishment Sebastian would deliver.
“You mean that little thing? She’s stupid and utterly foolish for wanting to compete with your girl Laila. The bitch’s gonna die in the first round. If you want, Supreme Alpha, I can deal with her for you and p>
Kelvin began to say, eager to please the Alpha and even willing to commit murder and discard the body to remove a pest from Silver, but what he didn’t expect was that the question had been a trap. He didn’t even finish speaking about everything he was willing to do for Laila and the Alpha before he was interrupted.
“You are fired,” Sebastian cut in coldly. “From now onward, you are no longer allowed into the Silver Pack, and I never want to see you anywhere near it again, or I will personally put you in the dungeons and skin you alive with my own hands p>
With that, Sebastian ended the call, then blocked and deleted the number from her phone without hesitation. Having someone like him in his pack was a future danger for the girl.
He was about to put the phone away when another call came in.
Zoe.
He picked it up.
“Vee, where are you? Nick and I couldn’t find you anywhere, not even in the training grounds. Have you decided to run away because of what I said yesterday? Vee, talk to me, we’re worried,” his sister’s voice quivered on the other end, sounding as if she was on the verge of tears.
“Don’t worry. She’s safe,” Sebastian replied, massaging his temple.
But Zoe’s quivering tone instantly turned firm, filled with alarm.
“What the hell? What have you done to Vee? Why are you the one answering her phone, hermano? Where is she p>
So they all call her Vee, he thought darkly, his scowl deepening.
“I said she’s safe,” he repeated. “She’ll meet you once she can. Right now she can’t p>
With that, he ended the call before Zoe could bombard him with more questions and suspicion.
On the other hand, Zoe could barely believe her brother, and she stared at her phone screen where he had ended the call. She trusted her brother with her life, but not with Viola, since he didn’t like her at all and had even refused to hire Kelvin to train her. From the get go he had wanted Viola to fail.
Her brother could be ruthless when he wanted to be. In fact, he was always ruthless to people he didn’t like and wouldn’t hesitate to kill them and discard their bodies where they would never be found. What if he had taken Viola in the middle of the night to get rid of her because the competition was approaching and he saw potential in her?
It was something Sebastian could do without blinking an eye, because he had done it before, even to someone of his own blood, someone they had shared a womb with. Zoe had never forgiven him completely for it, because he had never given her any explanation for getting rid of her favorite brother, his twin, overnight. And now, with the possibility that he might have done the same thing to Viola, Zoe felt her heart drop straight into the pit of her stomach.
“What’s wrong? Did she talk to you?” Nick asked, concern etched deeply in his voice, as he ran back from checking all the possible places Viola could have gone this early in the morning.
She never skipped a day of training, and certainly not when the competition was approaching. Normally, they always found her waiting for them at the door or elevator of her penthouse, dressed and holding a water bottle, with a small smile on her face.
She always looked delighted and happy to see them, like a child presented with a Christmas gift, and unbeknownst to them, that was exactly how Viola, who had been alone for four years, saw them, her only lights in a world of darkness; friends she had come to cherish and love. They were just like a beautiful present to her.
Zoe shook her head and turned to Nick with teary eyes. “I think we’ve lost Vee she said, her voice trembling.
That could only explain her absence and her brother answering her phone. Did he really have to take Viola just when Zoe had finally made a very good friend? Her eyes filled with more tears, and she hugged Nick tightly, who looked just as devastated at her words as they had both come to like Viola enough to bet millions and half their wealth on her in this competition.
My poor Vee. You were looking forward to this competition like your life depended on it. I have even begun to design a beautiful fighting suit for you… Zoe thought, and then she made a mental note to never speak to Sebastian ever again for this. He always takes away important people from her life.