Chapter 161 The Report

Alpha Sebastian left Number Nine like a stray turned out into the rain, silent and hollow.

Back at the Hale apartment, he scrubbed his face raw. Then he brushed his teeth until half a tube of toothpaste was gone, as if he could scrub the entire afternoon out of his mouth.

Serena called while he was squeezing out the last drop.

He saw her name, frowned, and answered. "What?"

His voice was cold and flat. He had already made up his mind. Serena was out of his life. He would win Eira back and build a life with her.

Serena dropped her sweet voice at once. "The clinic called. Something was wrong with my lab work. They want me back tomorrow at ten. Isabella put me in the ER. As her brother, shouldn’t you handle that?"

The request caught him off guard. "Ten. Fine."

He started to hang up.

"Sebastian, you’re really going to treat me like this? After all these years, am I worth less to you than Eira?"

He closed his eyes and took a slow breath. "Serena, we ended a long time ago. When you left for Europe. When I married Eira. That should have been the end of it."

"But it wasn’t. We were happy together."

"If we were happy, we wouldn’t be here." He walked into the bedroom and stared at Eira’s new clothes hanging in the closet. The room still felt empty without her. "She’s coming after our shared assets. I’ve done what I can to protect us. But if you keep this up and someone finds proof, I can’t help you."

"Can’t help me?" Serena’s voice rose. "That money was yours to give. What about all your promises? Eira comes back, and suddenly I’m disposable?"

Alpha Sebastian hung up.

Then he looked around the bedroom.

Something was missing.

Eira’s small belongings had once filled the room. Keepsakes on the shelves. Hair ties on the nightstand. Little things that made the penthouse feel lived in.

Now everything was gone.

He opened the closet. Her old clothes had disappeared. He searched the guest room and opened every storage box.

Not one shirt remained.

His heartbeat turned uneven.

He called Jordan. "Did you throw out Eira’s clothes?"

"No. Nobody touched her things, Alpha Sebastian. I thought you cleared them out yourself. You wanted to buy her a new wardrobe."

"I didn’t clear anything." Alpha Sebastian’s chest tightened. "When does someone take every last thing they own out of a home?"

Jordan knew the answer. He also knew better than to say it.

"When they hate the place, I guess."

Alpha Sebastian seized on that excuse. He had brought Serena back to the Hale apartment. Eira hated Serena, so she must hate the home too.

That had to be it.

"Find me a moving company," he ordered. "I’m moving to Number Eleven in Southridge tomorrow."

It was only a few houses from Number Nine, close enough to walk.

Number Twenty had been Alpha Killian’s trap.

This time, Alpha Sebastian thought, he had made the smart move.

--

Southridge, Number Nine

"I want to move as soon as I can," Eira said.

Mrs. Jones’s eyes lit up. "How about tomorrow, Miss Crawford?"

"Tomorrow?" Eira glanced down at her untouched drink. "I only just got the keys. I haven’t even seen the place yet."

Alpha Killian’s gaze shifted to her. "Where is it?"

"10 Ashford Lane."

Lila’s eyebrows shot up. She turned to Alpha Killian with a slow, knowing look. Was he about to buy a place there just so he could live closer to Eira?

Not that he needed another property. Alpha Killian owned real estate all over the country.

"10 Ashford Lane?" Lila repeated. "Wait, where is that?"

"Ashford Lane," Alpha Killian said. Something thoughtful flickered in his eyes. "You can’t just show up there. The residents’ association requires registration, paperwork, and a background check. You won’t get inside tonight."

He looked back at Eira. "Give it two days before you move."

Eira nodded. "Then I’ll go see it tomorrow."

"Take me with you!" Lila grabbed her arm.

"I want to leave first thing in the morning," Eira said. If everything went smoothly, she could be moved in by afternoon.

Lila’s excitement faded. She was the kind of person who could sleep until noon without even trying. Her mouth pulled into a dramatic pout.

Eira laughed before she could stop herself. "Can you be ready by nine?"

Lila brightened at once. "Absolutely."

"Drop the wounded-puppy routine," Alpha Killian muttered.

"Not my fault you never learned how to use it." Lila stuck out her tongue. "Jealous much?"

Alpha Killian stood. At the door, he glanced back at Eira. "I’ll have two guards posted here until you move."

Eira started to protest, but Mrs. Jones was already nodding.

"Good call, Alpha Killian. Then we won’t have to worry about that doorbell creep hanging around."

--

9:00 a.m. the next morning

Lila stumbled out of Number Nine beside Eira, yawning so hard her eyes watered.

"I’m fine to drive," she insisted.

"You can barely keep your eyes open." Eira opened the rideshare app, called a car, and guided her into the back seat.

They had barely left Southridge when Jordan appeared at the gate, speaking with security. A moving truck was scheduled for that afternoon, and he needed to put it on the access list.

At ten, Alpha Sebastian stood outside the clinic, waiting for Serena.

She arrived late and looked terrible. Her face was pale, her eyes were bloodshot, and dark circles showed beneath them. She had clearly spent the night crying instead of sleeping.

Alpha Sebastian glanced at her. "Let’s go."

She had expected him to ask if she was okay. Instead, that was all she got.

With an annoyed huff, Serena walked ahead of him.

In the exam room, Alpha Sebastian looked at the doctor. "What came back abnormal?"

The doctor checked Serena’s chart. "There was an irregularity in the urinalysis, so we’re repeating it and adding a pregnancy test."

Alpha Sebastian frowned. "A pregnancy test?"

"We’re checking for hCG." The doctor looked between them. "Are you her boyfriend or her husband?"

"Pregnant?" Serena blurted.

A flash of delight crossed her face.

Alpha Sebastian went silent.

The doctor lifted a hand. "Let’s not jump to conclusions. Serena, has your period been late?"

She froze. She honestly had no idea. The past few weeks had been one disaster after another, and stress had thrown off her cycle before.

But if she was pregnant, everything could change.

Alpha Sebastian would never abandon his own child. The Hale Pack would not allow it either. Hope rushed through her so fast she could barely breathe.

For once, luck seemed to be on her side.

Alpha Sebastian’s expression darkened. "How long until we get the results?"

"Usually thirty minutes to two hours. Leave the sample with the lab. We’ll send the results through the patient portal, and you’ll get a text when they’re ready."

"Thank you, Doctor," Serena said, forcing herself to sound calm.

Alpha Sebastian did not say another word. His jaw stayed tight while they waited.

Fifty minutes later, Serena’s phone buzzed.

Her lab report was ready.