<h4>Chapter 92: Chapter 92 Conflicting Energies</h4>


    Cecilia’s pov


    I tensed at his words.


    Did I want to return to Denver first?


    His tone suggested he’d seen through my thoughts and was displeased.


    But I had only considered the possibility briefly—why was he being so harsh?


    "Very well, if you’ve given permission, I’ll head back then," I replied, my voice deliberately calm and measured.


    What was behind his displeasure and harshness? Nothing but my insensitivity from this morning and just now.


    It seemed my days as his secretary were numbered... because I couldn’t bring myself to y along with his moods.


    After I responded, Alpha Sebastian said nothing more.


    The atmosphere in the car grew even heavier than before.


    Our driver nced nervously between us, clearly wondering why the tension kept escting.


    We continued driving without further conversation.


    Alpha Sebastian never rified his intentions, and I didn’t ask. An hourter, we arrived at a private club.


    We both got out of the car. I walked straight to the trunk and retrieved my luggage.


    "Enjoy your time with your friend, Alpha Sebastian. I’ll head back to Denver now," I said pleasantly, extending the handle of my suitcase.


    Alpha Sebastian ced his hand firmly on my luggage, his intense gaze settling on me for a long moment before he spoke in a low, husky voice. "This is my issue to deal with."


    I smiled faintly. "With your status, you can afford to take your moods out on anyone."


    Alpha Sebastian seemed struck by my gentle barb.


    After another lengthy silence, he said, "Then I’ll make sure you’re not included in it."


    I stood frozen, feeling like a small stone had dropped into the still pond of my thoughts.


    This... wasn’t right...


    Alpha Sebastian returned my luggage to the car and walked toward the club entrance.


    I had no choice but to follow.


    When he saw us entering, he put out his cigarette and went back inside.


    Alpha Sebastian and I walked in.


    The manager respectfully escorted us to the elevator. "Mr. Cassian Locke is waiting for you on the fifth floor."


    "Mm." Alpha Sebastian acknowledged and stepped into the elevator.


    I followed, positioning myself slightly behind and to his left.


    We quickly reached the fifth floor.


    Alpha Sebastian walked directly toward the central private room.


    As we approached, I spoke up. "Alpha Sebastian, I’ll wait outside."


    Alpha Sebastian turned back. "There’s plenty of space inside."


    His meaning was clear: follow me in.


    "...Very well," I conceded.


    Alpha Sebastian pushed open the door.


    Upon entering, I immediately saw an extremely handsome man sitting at arge round table in the spacious room.


    His chest muscles were... impressive. He’d clearly put in the work.


    Suddenly, my vision went dark.


    Arge hand covered my eyes while simultaneously turning my head and body away. "Stop staring at the malnourished specimen. Go wait over there," Alpha Sebastian murmured, giving my waist a gentle push.


    I felt utterly mortified.


    I’d seen him the moment we walked in—it wasn’t like I’d been deliberately looking.


    After making sure I was seated with my back to them, Alpha Sebastian approached Cassian. "Button up your shirt."


    "I’m hot," Cassian replied. "Aren’t you? With your suit, dress shirt, and tie, all buttoned up so properly. Why don’t you take them off? Befortable like me."


    "Why not skin yourselfpletely? That would be even cooler."


    "So violent? Did your love for me die so quickly?"


    ...


    I sat frozen on the couch, listening with growing confusion.


    Wait... what was that?


    Were they flirting?


    No way. No freaking way.


    But the more I listened, the weirder it sounded.


    And hey—between two dominant types like them, someone’s gotta give, right?


    I squinted at nothing in particr, one hand pressed to my forehead like I had a headache.


    Author’s pov


    Back at the dining table, Cassian raised his hands in surrender under Alpha Sebastian’s icy stare. The air between them crackled with a familiar tension that spoke of years of rivalry wrapped in friendship.


    "Alright, alright, I’ll button up. Happy now? I’m spoiling you. How about a kiss?" Cassian taunted, his amber eyes glinting with mischief.


    "Can your mouth stay shut for five seconds?" Alpha Sebastian pulled out a chair and sat down, his posture rigid butmanding.


    Cassian buttoned his shirt up three more notches, instantly appearing more respectable.


    The shift in his demeanor was subtle but evident—a gesture of respect despite his yful words.


    If he’d put on the suit jacket and tie he’d discarded on the sofa, he would have transformedpletely into the poised Alpha of the neutral Locke bloodline, known throughout Colorado for their unique position between human and wolf politics.


    "Let’s eat first and talk while we dine," he suggested, then nced yfully in Cecilia’s direction. His nostrils red slightly as he caught her scent. "Should we invite your... Secretary Ceciliato join us? "


    Alpha Sebastian’s response was immediate and cold. "Not necessary."


    Cassian’s lips curved into a knowing smile. "You don’t care if she’s hungry? That’s not very considerate for a potential m—"


    Alpha Sebastian shot him a warning re that clearly said: shut your mouth.


    The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees as his wolf energy red briefly.


    Cassian seemed even more amused by this reaction.


    [So it was like that. The mighty Alpha of Silver Peak Pack, affected by a human woman. Fascinating.]


    After the teasing subsided and they’d nearly finished eating, they discussed some business matters—territory agreements, financial coborations, and recent movements among the lesser packs.


    Finally, Cassian seemed to remember something. "About the Shadow Pack situation—you’re really not going to reconsider? Their Alpha has been desperate to secure that loan."


    "Why are you suddenly interested in this?" Alpha Sebastian responded coolly, his fingers tapping lightly against his ss.


    From her ce on the sofa, Cecilia perked up at the mention of Shadow Pack—the White family’s pack.


    Her body tensed slightly, though she tried to maintain her rxed posture.


    Cassian leaned back in his chair, studying Sebastian’s face. "Mrs. White and my eldest aunt are cousins. Family connections, you know how it is among old bloodlines."


    Alpha Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "What a coincidence."


    "Mrs. White visited the Locke familypound the day before yesterday," Cassian continued. "I imagine it was about this matter. She seemed quite determined."


    Alpha Sebastian’s expression darkened. "Oh? Is Shadow Pack looking to the Locke family for assistance now? Does your aunt call the shots in your family these days?"


    His tone carried unmistakable mockery, and beneath it, something more personal.


    The Locke family wasplicated. And Alpha Sebastian knew more than most.


    The family was run by Cassian’s uncle, Zane Locke.


    The current hostess—his uncle’s wife—used to be his mistress. She basically forced her way into the family while pregnant.


    The original hostess?


    She was too gentle to fight back.


    And then, one day, she and her five-year-old son died in a car crash.


    A lot of people thought it wasn’t really an ident.


    They said she was nine months pregnant at the time—just days away from giving birth to another Locke heir.


    Whispers went around the circles that the mistress had something to do with the crash.


    But the police found no proof, and the Elder Council chose to stay out of it.


    Eventually, people stopped talking about it, but the Locke name never quite recovered from the scandal.


    Alpha Sebastian knew all of this because his own mother, Luna Regina, always visited the original hostess’ grave whenever they came to Colorado Springs.


    She’d been close friends with her and believed, without a doubt, that she’d been murdered.


    Cassian’s face turned serious, something that didn’t happen often.


    "You don’t know what that woman’s capable of," he said. "She’s got a lot of people in the family under her control. After Grandma threatened to kill herself to force my uncle to name me heir... I’ve had more than one close call."


    He ran a hand through his hair—a rare sign he was actually stressed.


    "My uncle’s been differenttely. It was said he had a dream the other day. About his son and the baby girl that never got to be born. Said they were calling to him."