Chapter 223

Cecilia's pov The house settled into that peculiar quiet that comes with early evening—not quite night, just the soft exhale before darkness fully claims the sky. Tang nearly bounced on his heels as he nudged me toward the stairs. "Go on. Call the Alpha down. Mrs. Linda pulled out all the stops tonight." I recognized his little game immediately. Ever since the incident with Amara, he'd been trying to redeem himself through these "helpful" nudges that just happened to throw Sebastian and me together. "Fine," I sighed, setting down my book. "I'll go find him." Truthfully, I didn't mind. It was my job, after all—keeping Sebastian on schedule, making sure he remembered basic human functions like eating. Along the way, I could grab Sawyer too. Upstairs, I knocked on the door to Sebastian's study. No answer. I was about to knock again when the bedroom door swung open and Sebastian emerged, dressed in fresh clothes—dark slacks and a charcoal button-down that looked tailored within an inch of