Underwater: The Silent Luna novel Chapter 302

Chapter 302

The memory of that day still haunted him. He did not want to revisit it because it hurt in places he had tried to close. Stabbing his fated had taken something from him. After it happened, he had stayed away from Cynthia for the rest of the day and most of the

night because he could not look at her. He had only returned because the Alpha called him about Cynthia trying to reach him. He

had wanted to protect the dumb bitch, as foolish as that sounded now. He had believed he owed her protection because he had

dragged so much danger around them. But Cynthia had wanted to put her hand straight into the fire, and after what she did, after

how far she chose to go, Sebastien finally let go.

He had been broken that night. When Ashley was rushed to the hospital, he did not know if she would live. The poison on the

dagger could have taken her. The wound could have taken her. The Goddess could have decided he did not deserve a mate after what

he had done. He hated himself for being sloppy. Hated his hand. Hated the mission. Hated the fact that his life had become a chain

of sacrifices, each one demanding more flesh from him than the last.

He had called Odette and wept on the phone. He had not wept like that in years. Not for Cynthia. Not for himself. But that night, he

had nearly killed the woman the Goddess made for him, and it had cracked him open. He had asked how many more sacrifices he

would have to make. How much more of his heart and soul he needed to give before the problem was solved. When he learned

Ashley was alive, he sent flowers to apologise because it was the only thing he could do without dragging her into his darkness.

Then he chose the mission over seeking her out. He told himself Joseph would treat her better. He told himself his world was too

dangerous for her. He told himself many things because the truth was harder. He was afraid she would look at him exactly the way

she was looking at him now.

“You stabbed me for her,” Ashley finally said in disbelief.

Sebastien swallowed the truth back down. It would be better if she believed that. It would be cleaner. Crueller, yes, but cleaner. If

she hated him, she would leave. If she left, she might live. If she lived far away from him, then the mission would not touch her

again.

“I guess that sums up where you stand in this. What do you want?” he asked, anger sharpening his voice because Klein was pushing

too hard inside him.

Ashley stared at him as if he had struck her all over again. Her mate had stabbed her to save Cynthia. That was what she believed.

That was what his words confirmed. In her mind, that was all the rejection she needed, yet the bond still pulled at her. It made the

pain worse. If he had simply been an enemy, she could hate him cleanly. If he had only been a monster, she could reject him

without feeling like something inside her was being torn apart. But he smelled like home in a place where she had no home. He

smelled like the mate bond. He smelled like the very thing she had never expected to find in the man who hurt her.

“Why?” she asked, tears filling her eyes.

The word broke him. It was small and simple, but it carried everything. Why her? Why Cynthia? Why the blade? Why did fate make

him hers only for him to choose another woman over her? Ashley’s tears spilled before she could stop them. The reality of it stung so badly that she wanted to claw it out of her chest. Was she truly that much of a loser? Dumped by Joseph, unwanted in Whitewood, locked in a cell, and now face to face with a mate who had already chosen Cynthia with a knife in his hand.

“Because you were in the way.” Sebastien said.

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Chapter 302

Ashley blinked, and the tears ran down her face freely. Those words were ugly. Too ugly. They tasted bitter even in his own mouth. He hated himself for saying them, but he wanted her to go back to Whitewood. He wanted her away from him before his wolf won. Before her scent made him weak. Before the truth spilled out and tied her to a danger she did not understand. Her hurt broke his heart, but he stood still and let it happen because maybe this was the one cruelty that would save her.

Ashley began to sob, and Sebastien’s control cracked. Klein could not take it either. The wolf pushed against him, furious and wounded, demanding that he comfort their mate. Sebastien softened despite himself, because there was only so much of her pain he

could watch before it became unbearable.

“I sent you flowers to apologise,” he said.

Ashley wiped her tears with angry hands, and regret flashed across her face like she hated that she had ever accepted them.

“I hated the flowers. Had I known it was from you, I would have burned them,” she said.

Sebastien nodded slightly because he understood. She had every right to hate them. Flowers were ridiculous after a blade. An

apology did not grow petals and perfume its way out of violence. He knew that. Still, hearing it from her mouth cut him because

some foolish part of him had hoped she had felt something when she received them. Maybe not forgiveness. Just something.

“What do you want?” he asked her sternly.

“I came here to seek revenge,” she said honestly.

Sebastien stared at her, stunned by the bluntness. He expected lies. Most people lied when afraid. Ashley did not. Or at least, she

gave him enough truth to make the rest harder to see. She knew there was no point pretending too much because he would figure it out if she lied badly. And if he could stab her for Cynthia, then she needed to be careful with him. Honesty, or part of it, was safer.

“I was dumped and needed to get away from Whitewood, so I decided to seek out the bastard that stabbed me during battle. At least

that should occupy my time,” she said.

Sebastien remained quiet, shocked again by her honesty. The words sounded true. Not complete, perhaps, but true. She looked too tired to dress all of it up. Dumped. The word made his wolf stir darkly, and Sebastien knew exactly who she meant. Joseph. So

Joseph had let her go. The knowledge should not have pleased him, but something possessive and shameful inside him relaxed.

“Well, take your revenge,” he said with a mean face.

Ashley growled at him. It was weak because she was weak, but the message was clear. She did not have the heart to do what he had

done. Not like that. Not with a blade. Not with coldness.

“You stabbed me for a slut. You do not deserve redemption,” she said.

Those words cut him deep. Sebastien kept his face still, but inside, something bled. He did not deserve redemption. Maybe that was

true. Maybe he had crossed too many lines and called them duty. Maybe the Goddess had not given him Ashley as a gift but as proof

of what he had already destroyed.

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14:44 Tue, Jul 21 ) ·

Underwater: The Silent Luna