<h4>Chapter 133: Chapter 133 Dangerous Temptation</h4>
Cecilia’s pov
"You’ll keep your word on that, right?"
Alpha Sebastian’s voice was low and smooth, brushing against my skin like warm velvet.
My heart skipped a wild beat.
When I tried to turn away, he caught my chin with surprising gentleness, tilting my face up until our eyes locked.
His voice dropped another octave, dangerously close.
"Don’t even think about running-- I always notice."
I could barely hear him anymore - my pulse was thundering in my ears.
My eyes flicked to his lips. My throat went dry.
He leaned in, his breath warm against my mouth, his thumb trailing over my cheek like it belonged there.
I panicked.
"Alpha!" I yelped, pulling back and swatting his hand away.
He blinked, taken aback. I stared at him, wide-eyed and breathless.
Under the weight of his unreadable stare, I blurted the first thing that popped into my head:
"...That was very eco-friendly of you. Waste not, want not."
After spouting this nonsense, I squeezed his hand firmly, then quickly sat down, steadying myself against the table.
I lowered my head and focused intensely on my food.
God knows my calves were cramping!
I could barely breathe!
Did he just try to...? had he developed an addiction to kissing me? How could he do this?
He promised not to make things difficult for me or act like some bandit! A man’s word truly is worthless!
Alpha Sebastian sat down.
I continued eating with my head bowed.
The atmosphere was quiet, tinged with awkwardness.
"Ah."
The quiet sigh broke through the hum of the dining room.
I paused mid-bite and nced up, only to find Alpha Sebastian watching me. Intently.
I froze, fork hovering near my mouth.
"Did I do something wrong?"
His gaze didn’t shift. "No. That was at myself."
"You don’t finish your food either?"
He actually chuckled - low and brief. Then he went still again, like someone was carving him out of stone.
"I keep telling myself I won’t make things harder for you," he said, voice quiet. "But I lose control too easily. I make you ufortable. I can see it every time you flinch or avoid my eyes. And then I get frustrated with myself because it keeps happening."
I blinked. That level of self-awareness was unexpected.
He leaned back in his chair, eyes still locked on mine.
"You must think I’m exhausting to be around."
"What? No." I shook my head too quickly.
"Really. You’re... you’re better than most men I’ve met. I mean that."
He gave me a skeptical look.
I set my fork down carefully. "I’m serious. You’re not arrogant. You’re not fake. You’re just - intense. But at least you’re not pretending to be something you’re not."
His brow furrowed a little, but the corner of his mouth lifted - just slightly.
"And yet..." he said slowly,cing his fingers together, "...the girl I want still doesn’t want me back.
On that note, Cecilia, would it kill you to throw me a little mercy?"
I stared at him.
Then, without a word, I picked my fork back up and shoved another bite into my mouth.
Mercy?
That wasn’t a conversation opener - that was a trap with silver cutlery and linen napkins.
And he knew it, the smug bastard.
Alpha Sebastian didn’t push. He just poured me another ss of juice, his voice soft again.
"Take your time. If you’re full, I’ll pack the rest to go."
I ignored him.
After finishing, I prepared to slip away. "Alpha, thank you for dinner. I should get back to my room now. Harper will be bored alone."
"I’m bored too."
"Then I’ll ask Beta Sawyer to keep youpany."
Alpha Sebastianughed, amused by my response. He stood up. "Come on, I’ll walk you back to your room."
"No, no, no need," I said, rising quickly. "It’s just a few steps away. I’m not a child. Alpha, get some rest. Good night."
I was already heading for the door before finishing my sentence.
As I reached for the handle -
"Ding dong - "
The doorbell rang loudly in my ear.
Who could it be at this hour?
I continued reaching for the door, but a pale, elegant hand covered mine and pulled it back.
Alpha Sebastian guided me away from the door, making a silencing gesture.
I gave him a confused look.
He led me back to the living room and sat me on the couch, then leaned close to whisper, "It might be Alpha Xavier."
"...What?" I whispered back.
Why would Alpha Xaviere looking for him in the middle of the night? Was he bored too and looking for someone to chat with?
That seemed ridiculous!
"I think - "
I only got three words out before Alpha Sebastian made another shushing motion.
His expression was so serious that I had no choice but to lean closer to his ear and whisper, "It’s definitely not him."
Alpha Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Want to bet?"
I hesitated. "...No."
His words had a distinctly trap-like quality.
Seeing my cautious expression, Alpha Sebastian couldn’t resist gently pinching my cheek. "Why don’t you have any sense of adventure? I haven’t even mentioned the stakes yet."
I remained unmoved. "Not betting."
"If you win, I’ll tell you where Nicole’s real grandmother went."
He knew? My eyes widened instantly.
Earlier that afternoon, he had whispered in my ear that the woman in the yard wasn’t Nicole’s grandmother but an elderlydy she’d temporarily hired to lure them to the vige.
Although I’d had my doubts about Nicole at the time, I hadn’t been entirely certain.
"Betting or not?" Alpha Sebastian asked again.
"But if I lose..."
I didn’t dare agree so quickly now.
What if I lost and he made some... unreasonable demand?
Alpha Sebastian seemed to read my thoughts and sighed again. "Don’t worry. If you lose, you’ll just have to apany me for a walk downstairs."
A walk? That’s it?
"I’ll bet!" I agreed with newfound enthusiasm, as if I were going all-in.
Just a walk? I wouldn’t be afraid even if it were a marathon!
Alpha Sebastian pulled me back to the door.
He gestured for me to look.
I took a deep breath and nervously peered through the peephole.
At this moment, whether Alpha Xavier was outside or not was crucial - it determined winning or losing, and my honor was at stake. I had to win!
Through the peephole, I saw a hotel staff member in uniform.
"I won! I won!!" I eximed triumphantly.
I knew it couldn’t possibly be Alpha Xavier!
Alpha Sebastian’s smile was indulgent as he gently stroked the back of my neck. "You’re that happy about winning?"
"Of course!" My eyes sparkled with excitement.
Alpha Sebastian opened the door.
"Alpha Sebastian, this is wine sent by your friend," the hotel staff member said.
"Thank you," Alpha Sebastian replied, epting the wine from him.
The staff member nced at me standing behind Alpha Sebastian before smiling and leaving.
Alpha Sebastian closed the door.
"You have a friend staying at this hotel?" I asked curiously.
Alpha Sebastian nced at it, then gave a small, unreadable smile."Something like that."
Something like that? That wasn’t an answer. Did he even know who sent it?
He moved to open the bottle.
"Would be a shame to waste a good vintage - care to join me, Cecilia?"
I shook my head quickly. "No, thanks."
He didn’t press. Quietly, he poured himself a ss.
But when I realized he was actually about to drink it, I stepped forward instinctively.
"Wait - don’t. You don’t even know where it came from. What if there’s something in it?"
Had he learned nothing fromst time?
The resort incident had been bad enough - no one expected theplimentary water to beced with sleeping pills.
But this? This felt deliberate.
He looked at me over the rim of his ss, amused.
"With you here, Cecilia, I feel perfectly safe."
I stared at him.
"Well I don’t," I blurted, voice sharper than I intended.
Silence.
His brows lifted slightly, then his lips curled into something dangerously close to a smirk.