Page 31 of The Forbidden Wolf

“The spare?” Sebastian’s face twisted with disdain. Of course it did.

“Yep. Sorry to disappoint, but you traded down.”

“You could never disappoint me,” Sebastian murmured. “I just… I don’t understand why you would say that?”

“What?” I chuffed. “Don’t you have a bunch of useless younger siblings under foot?”

Sebastian stiffened. “No. There’s only me.”

“Oh. I just thought… since your father called your mother the source of all his blessings…” I trailed off with an awkward cough.

Sebastian nodded slowly. “You can see no blessings mateship might offer beyond pups?”

I shrugged, wishing for pockets to slide my hands into, but I was stuck in this stupid dress for the rest of my life, so there was nothing to do but hug myself tighter. I didn’t know what to say. It’s not like shifters were out here going on dates.

“Hmm.” Sebastian stood up straight again. “Well, you might say I’ve had a lifelong talent for screwing things up. Mother was unable to whelp again after what I put her through, so I suppose my parents simply had to learn to make do.”

My eyes jumped to his. He immediately glanced away, cheeks pulled slightly inward as if he were biting back an emotion I knew the taste of all too well.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “That was just a stupid self-deprecating joke.”

Sebastian shrugged it off, the lift of his shoulder pulling the suspenders tight across his muscled torso. He should shrug more often. His eyes flicked back to me, subtly raking my own upper body, and I shivered in spite of myself.

“But you’re not a younger sibling,” Sebastian said. “You’re a twin.”

I laughed. “Okay, well, I don’t know what they teach males about whelping, but pups don’t come out all at once. Kiana was born thirteen minutes before me.”

“So?” Sebastian looked genuinely confused. “The difference is negligible. Were we to have twins, I would prepare them both, and whoever was more suited—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” I held up both hands. “We’re not… that’s not… can you just slow down? You were betrothed to Kiana for a reason. Because she is more suited. That was obvious from the start.” I shook my head. “I don’t know what you think you saw in me, but you need to get your glasses checked, pal.”

“Those aren’t real,” Sebastian said. “I have perfect eyesight.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Then why were you wearing them?”

“So no one would recognize me, of course.” He smiled wryly. “And it seems they worked all too well if you didn’t clock me as the Alpha Heir.”

“Like a charm, Clark Kent,” I agreed without thinking.

“Clark Kent?” His eyebrows lifted. “Who’s he?”

“No one,” I muttered. “Just another expression. I meant that I clocked you as a Beta Heir, tops.”

“Seriously?” He looked accusingly at each of his arms, which filled out his sleeves to the point that it looked rather uncomfortable. “Then I need to work out more.”

I laughed. “I thought you didn’t want to be recognized?”

His eyes met mine through his unreasonably thick lashes. “I was wrong.”

“You were… wrong?” I narrowed my eyes. “Now I’m not even sure you’re Beta material.”

“What?” He gave a defensive shrug, stretching his suspenders taut over either side of his chest. “I’m not afraid to admit my mistakes. I was wrong.”

“Yeah. About a lot of things.” I drew a long, shaky breath and took another step back before my hormones betrayed me and my whole family. “I am not your fated mate, Sebastian. You’ve made a grave mistake rejecting Kiana.”

“No,” Sebastian growled. “It would have been a grave mistake to mate with someone I don’t love.”

“Love?” I scoffed. “I hope you’re not trying to declare it. You don’t even know me.”

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