< Chapter 215 Conflicting Priorities
The radio at his hip crackled as he disappeared toward the eastern hedges.
+25 Points
Back behind the clematis wall, Harper stared at her phone, blinking.
The call had dropped. No-he’d hung up on her.
She looked up at Cecilia and Yvonne, both crouched awkwardly beside her in the shadows.
They were still clutching their shoes, dresses bunched at the knees, huddled like fugitives. behind a wall of flowering vines.
“He hung up,” she said flatly. “He actually hung up. Mid-sentence. Like I was a telemarketer.”
Cecilia blinked. Her expression was unreadable, but her eyebrows had inched upward-just a little.
Yvonne grimaced. She muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like,
“Men.”
Neither volunteered comfort.
Harper let out a half-laugh, half-sigh. “I swear, the next time I see that man, I’m throwing my
shoe at him.”
By the time Sebastian reached the koi pond, Tang was already hauling Luna Regina from the water, both of them soaked and tangled in mud and pond weeds.
Though she knew how to swim, her evening gown had turned into deadweight, dragging her
under like an anchor.
She’d managed to reach the edge-but collapsed unconscious the moment she pulled herself
free.
Sebastian’s pulse thundered in his ears as he saw her deathly pale face.
He dropped to his knees, took her from Tang’s arms, and lifted her into his own.
“Get her to the hospital. Now,” he snapped at the driver, already striding toward the SUV.
During the ride, Sebastian made a flurry of calls-first to his father, then to his siblings.
On speaker, Alpha Yardley’s voice came through, tight with emotion.
“I’ll meet you there. Sebastian-take care of your mother. Don’t leave her side.”
2/4
hapter 215 Conflicting Priorities
+25 Points
His brother and sister weren’t in Denver. Everyone wanted to be there. No one could.
When the calls ended, Sebastian turned to Tang, who was at the wheel, face still streaked with pond water.
Once we reach the ER, don’t come in. Go straight back to the mansion. Find Cecilia. Get her and her friends home. Personally.”
Tang nodded, all humor gone from his voice.
“Don’t worry, Alpha. I’ll get them out without a scratch.”
Sebastian glanced down at his mother in his arms.
Her face was tight with fear even in unconsciousness, her breathing shallow and uneven.
He felt torn in half. Every instinct screamed at him to go to Cecilia-to see her with his own eyes, hold her in his arms, make sure she was real and unharmed.
But he couldn’t leave his mother. Not now.
He looked back to Tang.
“Make damn sure they get home safe,” he said, low and intense.
Tang met his gaze in the mirror.
“You have my word, Alpha. Zero room for error. I’ll bring them home like they’re made of glass.”
Meanwhile, Cecilia and the others were still crouched behind the clematis wall, growing increasingly uncomfortable—and increasingly concerned.
They’d assumed Tang would arrive quickly after that abrupt hang-up. It made sense. Surely Sebastian had received Cecilia’s message and ordered an immediate extraction.
But thirty minutes had passed.
And they were still hiding like fugitives in ballgowns.
No Tang.
No message from Sebastian.
No reply to her text.
3/4
Chapter 215 Conflicting Parties
At last, Cecilia gave in and called him directly
The call connected
But instead of Sebastian’s voles, an automated message played
#25 Poinde
“The person you are trying to ranch is not available Please leave a message after the tone”
She hung up immediately.
Harper and Yvonne exchanged a look-one of those wordless glances shared between women who knew exactly what wasn’t being said.
The silence that followed stretche thin and light, like a rubber band about to snap.
Cecilia’s legs had gone completely numb from crouching.
The night air was growing colder by the minute,
They were barefoot, and their once-elegant dresses were now smeared with dirt and snagged at the hems-like Cinderella after midnight, minus the pumpkin carriage.
Finally, Yvonne exhaled sharply. “This is ridiculous,” she muttered.
“We don’t have to sit here waiting for Tang like we’re stranded prom queens. I have other
contacts in Denver-I’ll call someone.”
Cecilia nodded, relieved. “Yes. Do it.”
Because Yvonne was right.
Why were they tucked into shrubbery like forgotten props in someone else’s drama?
They weren’t helpless. They weren’t supporting characters.
And clearly-whatever Sebastian was dealing with had taken priority.
That realization settled over Cecilia like a cold weight.
It stung more than she wanted to admit.
Olivia Harris is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: His Plump Mate (Book 1: The 'His' Series)