The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter-Chapter 155: A Night in the Light

Cassandra~

I should have known Sebastian wasn’t done with me yet.

After the rooftop dinner—where the stars looked like they came just to eavesdrop on our laughter and the skyline whispered promises of forever—I thought that was it. That was already more than I had ever been given. More than I had ever let myself want.

But no.

He had something else planned.

Of course he did.

The man didn’t know how to do anything halfway.

We were back in the car. My hand still in his. Music low. The night air cool against my skin. I was staring out the window when he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a soft, black blindfold.

I narrowed my eyes.

"What’s that for?" I asked.

Sebastian grinned. That damn grin—the one that made me want to punch him and kiss him in the same breath. "Trust exercise."

"That sounds like something people say right before they murder you."

"I’m already dead, darling. That makes me the least suspicious person in the room."

I snorted but didn’t resist when he tied the blindfold over my eyes. His fingers were gentle, brushing my cheek before he knotted it behind my head.

"You know I can still smell everything," I muttered.

He leaned close, breath warm against my ear. "Then you’ll just have to enjoy the anticipation, my little bloodthirsty goddess."

Gods help me—I smiled.

The drive wasn’t long. Maybe twenty minutes, maybe thirty. I lost track. All I could feel was the hush of the world outside and the subtle shift in the air—something ancient hummed beneath the silence. My senses prickled. Magic. Old magic. The kind that could raise kingdoms or end them with a whisper.

The car stopped. The door opened. A hand slipped into mine.

"You ready?" he asked.

"No," I admitted.

He laughed and helped me out of the car. Gravel crunched under my boots, and the air tasted like twilight—cool, a little wild, kissed with pine and something sweeter I couldn’t name.

He stood behind me and untied the blindfold.

"Open your eyes."

I did.

And forgot how to breathe.

We were standing at the edge of a clearing tucked inside a forest that glowed with its own heartbeat. Lanterns—floating, glowing crystals—hung from the branches like captive stars, bathing everything in a soft lavender-gold hue. Vines stretched across tall archways formed from ancient trees, their leaves rustling like they were whispering secrets to one another. In the center was a ballroom—not of stone or marble, but earth, carved by time and magic, framed by ivy and wildflowers. Fireflies danced lazily through the air like nature’s confetti, and in the middle stood a long candlelit table set for two. Crystal glasses. Silver dishes. Enchanted phonograph playing soft classical music that stirred the soul.

I swallowed a sudden lump in my throat.

"Sebastian..."

He stepped in front of me, brushing a thumb across my jaw. "Tonight, you’re not the hunter. You’re the heart I’ve waited centuries to find."

It hit me like a silver bullet to the gut—but warm, not cold. Something cracked open in my chest.

"I don’t know what to do with this," I said. Honest. Small. Lost.

He smiled. "You don’t have to do anything. Just be."

He pulled out the chair with a quiet kind of confidence, like he was used to this—used to taking care of me in ways I still didn’t know how to accept. I sank into it, still stunned, like my brain hadn’t quite caught up with the magic of the moment.

The air was rich with the smell of roasted lamb, warm spices, and something buttery that made my mouth water even though I swore I wasn’t hungry.

"I had it made just for you," Sebastian said as he dramatically lifted the silver lid from the first dish, grinning like a kid revealing a treasure. "Apparently, there’s this chef in Prague who tailors meals to werewolf palates. Took some coaxing—bribes, a favor... maybe a light threat."

I raised a brow, amused. "You threatened a chef?"

He gave a half-shrug, playful. "He threatened me first. It was a whole theatrical thing. Very dramatic. Lots of yelling in Czech. You would’ve loved it."

I laughed softly, brushing my fingers over the linen napkin. "You do realize you already fed me an absurdly fancy dinner barely an hour ago, right?"

He gave me a look—one of those Sebastian looks that somehow managed to be both tragic and charming. "Yes, but that dinner was for sustenance. This one’s for your soul. Come on, just try it. For me."

And just like that, I caved. Because Sebastian had that way of asking that made it feel like you’d ruin the universe by saying no.

I picked up my fork, expecting just a few polite bites. But the food? It was ridiculous. Melt-in-your-mouth tender, spiced so perfectly I wanted to applaud. Flavors I didn’t even have names for bloomed across my tongue. Every bite made me feel like I was remembering something I’d never known. Pleasure. Not just fuel.

Sebastian, of course, didn’t eat. Like before, he just watched—elbows on the table, chin in his palm, that infuriatingly soft smile playing on his lips.

"You’re staring again," I said, chewing on a garlicky potato that probably came from heaven.

"I’m soaking it in," he said. "This is the first time I’ve seen you drop your armor. It’s... beautiful."

I looked down at my plate. My throat tightened a little. "I don’t know how to be soft."

"You don’t have to be soft," he murmured. "You just have to be you. I’ll take every version."

And just like that, we talked.

Gods, we talked.

About Kalmia. About everything she’d done to me. About the way she molded me into something sharp and dangerous, only to cast me aside the second I stopped being her perfect weapon.

"I was just a sheath for her blade," I whispered. "She never wanted me. She wanted my body."

Sebastian leaned closer, his voice quieter than the wind. "You’ve always been more than what she tried to make you. You’ve always been more than she could ever see."

I didn’t cry. But it felt like my heart did.

Then, in true Sebastian fashion, he changed the air around us. He told me stories—stories spun from centuries of chaos and charm.

The time he insulted a duchess and had to hide inside a coffin of roses for a week.

The time he and Zane were chased through Venice by a cult convinced Sebastian was their lost moon god.

The time he gave up everything—riches, home, name—to save a girl who didn’t have anywhere else to go.

Each tale made me laugh, made me ache, made me feel like I was waking up from a long, bitter sleep I didn’t even realize I’d been trapped in.

When the plates were gone and a new tune hummed to life from the old phonograph, Sebastian stood and extended a hand toward me.

I eyed it suspiciously. "What’s this?"

"A dance," he said simply.

I blinked at him. "You do remember those weird dances I did at home house, right? That should probably stay buried."

He smiled—a slow, sinfully warm smile. "Come on. Don’t think. Just feel. Let me show you what it’s like to live."

I hesitated. Then I slid my hand into his.

The moment he pulled me close, it was like everything inside me aligned. His hand curled around my waist, the other held mine, and he moved with such ease—slow, sure, like we’d been dancing together for lifetimes.

The forest hushed. The music wrapped around us like silk. The wind whispered through the trees, and far off, wolves sang to the moon.

I rested my head against his chest. His breathing was steady, grounding me like a lighthouse in the dark.

"I could get used to this," I murmured.

"You’d better," he whispered. "Because I’m not going anywhere."

We swayed together, lost in a pocket of time where nothing else existed. No blood, no pain, no destiny pressing down on our spines. Just us. Just now.

Then, slowly, he stilled.

"I have something for you," he said, reaching into his coat pocket.

He pulled out a ring—silver, etched with ancient runes, and crowned with a diamond that shimmered like frozen starlight.

I froze.

"It’s not a proposal," he said quickly, reading me with terrifying ease. "It’s a promise."

He slipped it onto my finger.

"This isn’t just for protection. It’s a reminder. That you’re not a weapon anymore. That you can have a life, Cassandra. You deserve one."

My breath caught. My fingers trembled around the cold metal.

Then it warmed.

He kissed my knuckles.

And I let him.

I let him cradle all the fractured, bleeding pieces of me without pulling away.

"I don’t know if I can be what you need," I whispered.

"You already are."

The forest seemed to glow a little brighter.

The stars leaned in a little closer.

And me?

I started to believe him.

Just a little. Even if it was just for tonight.

Because this night—this impossible, fragile, perfect night—was light in the middle of all my darkness. And I wasn’t afraid to reach for it.

**********

We drove back home under a sky full of stars. The air was cool, clean, and quiet—like even the world was letting us be. No more words. Just our hands intertwined, and the soft sound of the car’s engine around us.

Inside, the warmth welcomed us like an embrace.

He ran the shower while I sat on the bed, still tracing the runes on the ring. When I finally stepped under the water, it felt like washing off centuries of weight. Steam curled around me like soft vines, and by the time I stepped out, I felt almost... new.

Sebastian was already in the living room, a pair of cozy sweatpants and a hoodie thrown on, a ridiculous rom-com queued up on the screen. I padded in barefoot, hair damp, wrapped in one of his oversized shirts that smelled like him.

We curled up on the couch, a thick blanket thrown over us. The movie was absurd—ridiculously romantic, full of cheesy lines and slow-motion kisses. We laughed. We gagged. I may have thrown popcorn at him at one point.

And somewhere in the middle of it all, I fell asleep—tucked safely in his arms, the sound of his quiet laughter still echoing in my ears.

As I drifted off, my last thought was simple and soft.

Please let this last.

This warmth. This peace. This impossible happiness.

Just let it last.

Even if it’s just for tonight.