The True Luna's Forbidden Temptation - Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Sebastian.
The darkness feels different tonight—thicker somehow. The window is shattered, and the wind presses damp fingers against my skin, a cold reminder that I don’t belong in a place like this. The warehouse is crumbling, its corrugated metal walls peeling away like old snakeskin.
Glass crunches beneath my boots as I take a step forward. Behind me, two men approach with buckling legs and hesitant steps. I pull my hood lower, concealing my face.
“You tell him,” one hisses.
“No, you do it,” the other one argues.
They whisper, but I hear every word. Superhuman hearing has its perks.
“Do you think he’s going to kill us?” one asks, his voice shaky, punctuated by heavy breathing.
“I seriously hope not!”
In another situation, I would have laughed at these two idiots. They claim they would do anything to become part of the pack, as our human runners, and yet they cower at failing on a simple mission.
“Report,” Julian growls. My Beta’s voice is low and menacing enough to make most men wet themselves.
“We’re sorry, sir! We failed. Please don’t kill us!”
Panic spills from their mouths. They believe I will kill them for failing their mission. But I only care about one thing.
“Is she safe?” I snap, cutting through the noise.
Silence.
“Is she safe?” I repeat in a low, sinister voice.
“Y-yes.”
Julian turns to them. “This was supposed to be an easy task. What the hell happened?”
“That girl isn’t ordinary,” one stammers.
I tilt my head, intrigued. “What do you mean?” I ask.
“We had her for a second, but she fought us off. She’s strong. Tough.”
Disappointment twists in my gut—but pride slips in behind it. She didn’t need me. She held her own.
“Then there was this guy,” the other adds. “He brought security guards. We had to bail before the police came.”
Tyler Lewis.
The name churns in my stomach. Her boyfriend. Sometimes I forget. She’s not mine. She never really was.
And maybe that’s a good thing. As long as I stay away, she lives.
“So, you got scared off by a girl and some bodyguards? Great job!” Julian scoffs.
I step from the shadows. “Tell me,” I say, voice low and commanding. “Are you she’s safe when you left her?”
They stiffen.
“Y-yes. She’s fine. She was with the guy. There were guards. They could call backup if needed.”
Julian looks at me. I give him a nod.
“Get lost!” he tells them.
Their footsteps echo across the empty warehouse as they scramble into the night. I clench my fists, breath coming in sharp, cold bursts.
“You know it was a bad idea,” Julian mutters once they’re gone. “Hiring those idiots.”
I say nothing. I don’t need to. He knows what this meant.
“She was supposed to be here tonight,” I murmur. “I just needed to see her. Talk to her.”
“She doesn’t seem to need your help anymore. The girl apparently has a killer uppercut.”
I glare at the broken window.
“I know she’s been living away from home. Her father planned to disown her. I wanted to step in before that happened. But I’m too late. He kicked her out today.”
“You still keep tabs on her?” he asks, raising a brow.
“I never stopped.”
Julian sighs. “She’s smart. Tough. She’ll figure it out. But if the pack finds out you had her kidnapped—Sebastian, you know what they’ll do.”
“No one was supposed to know. I picked this spot for a reason. She would've been back in her apartment in a few hours.”
“And if someone followed you here?” Julian presses. “The Elders wouldn’t hesitate. You made a deal—your rejection in exchange for her life. They won’t tolerate a human mate.”
I scoff. “Funny, considering I’m their future Alpha—half-human, half-werewolf.”
Julian shakes his head. “You want to risk everything? Again? For your sister?”
“She’s not my sister,” I growl.
“Fine. Stepsister,” he concedes. “But she’s still alive, Sebastian. That’s what matters. You try something like this again, and she won’t be.”
“I just wanted to help. To make sure she’d be okay. Living alone, working two jobs. It’s not easy.”
“She’ll manage. You’re underestimating her.”
I close my eyes. Her laugh echoes in my mind, soft and familiar. Her voice. Her scent. All of it haunts me. Especially that kiss… our first, and fuck, it was also our last!
“I wanted to give her money,” I admit. “So she won’t struggle.”
Julian frowns. “And you think she’d take it? After what you did?”
I sigh, knowing exactly what he means.
“She kept calling you,” he continues. “You never picked up. You completely ignored. You watched her cry for weeks when you left, and yet you did not do anything to comfort her. Now, that she’s been disinherited, you will give her money? Do you think she’ll accept that from you?”
I don’t answer. I don’t need to. We both know what Analise will do. That girl has more fire in her than she cares to admit. And what I did to her deserves a punch in the face and a knee in my misters.
“She has someone else now,” he says. “Someone taking care of her.”
The growl slips from my throat before I can stop it. Julian flinches.
“Let it go,” he says, more gently this time. “She’s alive. That’s what you asked for.”
“I just want to know she’s okay. Really okay. She was supposed to be mine.”
“She was,” he agrees quietly. “Before the Pack made the rules clear. Before they gave you a choice.”
I nod slowly, feeling the familiar ache. “Some choice they gave me! I reject her or she dies? There was no choice at all!”
I reach into my pocket and pull out a small black box. The edges dig into my palm.
“I was going to give her this,” I say, handing it to Julian. “Make sure she gets it.”
Julian studies me, then tucks the box into his coat. “She’ll get it. I promise.”
I stare at him. “Don’t fail me.”
“When have I ever?”
“There’s always a first time.”
“Not with me,” he says with a small smile. “What is this anyway?”
I look at the window.
“A lifeline,” I reply. My only way of telling her what I can’t tell her in person now—‘I’m still here for her. I always will be.’