75 Chapter 75 SPA DAY
75 Chapter 75 SPA DAY
Maya reached across the space between our chairs and took my hand, squeezing it tightly. “When you finally get your wolf, you’ll find your mate. I know it.”
Something in my chest ached at that. “Still? Maya, it’s been two days.”
“Anyways, Lucian’s already planning our second date, and there’s no way it’ll go as badly
as the first one.”
“Okay, first of all…” I shot her a glare. “Until the Last Breath, Maya. Really?”
“Wh-what?”
Maya studied me for a moment, her gaze shrewd in that way she had when she was trying to decipher something-mainly when she knew I was holding something back. “Sera…was Kieran ever the object of that longing?”
She shrugged, her gaze gentle. “You were married for ten years. Surely there’s a part of you that wished you two could have shared that kind of bond.”
“Holy shit, Sera,” Maya gasped. “The day after rogues attack you, you don’t call me and say ‘hey, wanna go to the spa?’ you call me and let me know what fucking happened.” Lucian’s touch was…steady. Safe. Like a calm harbor after a storm. I liked it. I trusted it. Maya sat up ramrod straight, water sloshing over the edge of her glass. “Rogues?” “If the mood you were going for was ‘awkward as fuck’ then yeah, it set it pretty perfectly.”
My home, the mall, the theater, and now the spa. I couldn’t go anywhere in this damn city without running into Kieran or Celeste.
I smiled faintly, touched by her certainty. But her words stirred up a different kind of doubt.
I forced out a humorless laugh through the boulder suddenly lodged in my throat. “Once. Yes. Stupidly. But I know better now.”
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Lucian: Maybe not. But I am someone who prefers his dates alive, unbruised, and
stress-free. Humor me.
Somehow, the mention of Daniel instantly sends my train of thought hurling towards the forbidden mental barriers I built around what happened yesterday.
Seeing as my day off was also her day off, she was more than happy to join me at the spa.
Maya’s hand tightened on mine again, this time in silent warning.
He responded instantly.
My body was healed-thanks to Ashar’s strange magic that I didn’t even want to think about right now, because thinking about Ashar led me to thinking about Kade-but the emotional bruises were still tender.
And the last thing I needed was Maya picking up on my still-simmering confusion over the kiss and making me dig deeper into feelings I did not want to unearth.
After a fitful night of, thankfully, dreamless sleep, I woke up before sunrise to a text from
Lucian.
“So,” Maya said as we settled into plush chairs for our pedicures, “first date with Lucian.
Spill.”
Lucian: Take today off from OTS training. Doctor’s orders.
“Maya, I’ve been rooting for you and your mate since day one, and finding out he was my brother hasn’t changed anything. Even though I’ve never experienced the fated bond myself, I’ve longed for that kind of connection since I was old enough to understand what it meant, and you’ve found that, so I want you to dive in headfirst without fear.”
What more verification did I need?
Heat. Passion. Electricity. Bone-deep hunger.
I stared at the message for a long moment before replying.
She set her glass down on a nearby stool and reached forward, cupping my face. “And you?” she asked, her sharp brown eyes assessing me. “Did you get hurt?”
Their chatter was loud enough to pull every pair of eyes in the room toward them.
18:56 C
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75 Chapter 75 SPA DAY
“I am not some fragile baby wrapped in tissue paper,” I said, leaning towards her. “You
don’t have to repress your feelings on my account. I want you to be happy. If that means
being messy, being with Ethan, then be that. Do what you want, what makes you happy.”
SERAPHINA’S POV
She gave a small, humorless laugh. “We’re both stubborn. And apparently bad at apologies-not that I have anything to apologize for.”
“Then why-”
The truth sat sour in my stomach. I hated that I could still feel the echo of that kiss, hated that some secret part of me still wanted him to look at me the way I’d seen him look at
her.
That hit me square in the gut. “Maya.”
We sat in comfortable silence for a moment, letting the nail technicians work. Then I glanced at her sideways. “How are you and Ethan?”
She looked up, startled at the sharpness in my tone.
The receptionist at Crystal Petals Spa greeted us with that hushed reverence they reserve for people who look like they need expensive pampering.
“You don’t know that for sure,” Maya said softly.
We might have lived as strangers for a decade, but I knew Kieran well enough to know that there were a lot of things he couldn’t stand, and he’d withstood all that and more for
Celeste.
Her brows drew together. “Because of Celeste?”
Within minutes, we were both wrapped in soft robes, our hair pulled back, cucumber water in hand.
I winced. “I’m sorry. But it wasn’t a huge deal, I swear. Lucian disposed of the ones that attacked the restaurant.”
“Anyway…” I shook my head in a bid to rein in my traitorous thoughts. “The date was actually going really well-before the rogues attacked.”
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I thought about the cut on my forehead, the bruises on my wrist and ribs-and then the soothing warmth of Ashar’s tongue and Kieran’s kiss washing it all away.
“Hm.” She didn’t look convinced, but she let it go. For now.
The trio of girls swept in like a perfume ad come to life-glossy hair, designer sunglasses, the faint scent of some cloying floral fragrance that made the air feel suddenly too sweet.
I frowned, fighting the urge to shake her. “You love him.”
“Ugh,” she threw her head back. “If you didn’t have a son, I would swear you’re a virgin.”
“Because…” She broke off, her jaw tightening. “Because every time I’m ready to reach out, I remember what you’ve been through. And I just get so angry. It’s all so…messy. How can I look you in the eye knowing that I’m going home every night to the man who contributed to making your life a living hell? She exhaled. “I dunno that I can be with
someone like that.”
And I took it one step forward-I booked a spa day with Maya.
“Because of reality,” I said bitterly. “If Kieran was ever going to feel that bond with me, he would have by now. But he spent our entire marriage pining after Celeste. She’s his mate,
his destiny.”
Her eyes narrowed over the rim of her glass. “Fine? You’re telling me the Alpha who basically oozes aristocratic charm, who drives an Aston Martin like it’s an extension of his body, only gave you a fine first date?”
Not that any of those things were necessarily good for me. Especially if I felt them for
Kieran.
Her eyes softened, but there was a flicker of sadness there, too. “You really mean that?”
Except it was. But I don’t know how to tell Maya what happened between me and Kieran. Not when I’m so desperate to forget it.
Sera: You’re not my doctor.
Her brows wiggled. “Who knows? Maybe it’s even Lucian. That would explain why he treats you so specially.”
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I rolled my eyes, but the truth was, I wasn’t in a hurry to step back into the relentless grind of training drills and simulated crises.
A trail of ice spread down my spine at the sound. There was no mistaking who it belonged to.
Her question punched the air out of my lungs.
She smirked, not an ounce of shame or remorse on her face. “Did it set the mood?”
+745
Her shoulders tensed immediately. “We’re…still in a cold war,” she said, her voice carefully
even.
The treatment rooms smelled faintly of sandalwood and citrus, the low hum of tranquil music seeping into my bones.
So, I humored him.
I was about to change the topic when the spa door swung open and a high, lilting laugh cut through the peaceful music.
That soul-deep certainty. That electric pull that wasn’t just chemistry, but destiny written into your bones.
My cheeks heated up under Maya’s touch. “I’m fine,” I said, pulling my wasn’t a big deal, I swear.”
face away.
“It
“Yeah,” she said softly, staring at the floor. “We’ve established that.”
I shook my head. “Why else would he be so indulgent with her?”
I sipped my water slowly, buying time. “It was… fine.”
“I do. More than anything.” I squeezed her hand.
I nodded. “Yeah, the same ones that attacked my father’s funeral and shot me in the park.”
But it lacked something I couldn’t quite name-something I’d felt in every nerve of my body when Kieran kissed me.
