Chapter 11

Sebastian's POV

“Be alert at all times,” Sebastian ordered the gamma warriors upon arriving at the inauguration ceremony.

He was invited to attend the ceremony at a public botanical garden. The gamma warriors nodded in understanding as they stayed close to Sebastian. The garden was already crowded once they arrived and one of the public speakers was beginning to make his speech.

The crowd parted for Sebastian and the warriors to move through them; being a feared Alpha King, nobody dared to stand in his way. Sebastian kept his eyes straight ahead and only wandered a little once he reached the front of the ceremony and stood in his reserved spot.

Along the inner corner of the garden were beautiful white tulips and he couldn’t help but think about Hannah. He remembered her mentioning once that her favorite flowers were tulips. Seeing the tulips blooming in the garden, under the scorching sun, Sebastian couldn’t help but think of Hannah’s sweet and lovely face.

The thought almost made him smile but he had to keep a stern composure.

He pulled out his phone and instantly called Beta Arnold.

“I need you to buy a dozen tulips and provide them for Hannah,” Sebastian ordered.

The guards, who were still standing behind Sebastian, looked amongst one another with knowing gazes.

“The Alpha King has never bought a woman flower before,” one of them whispered to the other.

“Could it be true that the Wolf King has finally found love?” The other asked with wonder in his eyes.

Sebastian ignored them.

“Yes, your majesty,” Arnold said, also sounding a bit surprised. “But first, I’ve been meaning to call you…”

“What is it?” Sebastian urged. “I need to get back to the ceremony and can’t be on the phone all day.”

“Have you seen the news?” Arnold asked.

“No,” Sebastian said, he was beginning to get annoyed.

“They are saying you are using your power as king for personal gain for your Luna,” Arnold said to him.

“What?” Sebastian asked, confused by what Arnold was saying.

“The Internal Affair Official, in the White House, made a statement saying that you have been quite indulgent towards your new luna since you’ve been married. Word has gotten out about the necklace at the auction. I hear she was also bidding high numbers as well,” Arnold explained. “He was going to investigate more into it, but he resigned very suddenly.”

“That makes no sense,” Sebastian barked.

“How did this happen?!” Eric barked; Sebastian was worried he was about to lose control at any moment.

He startled those around him with his uproar; even the one making a speech seemed taken aback by the interruption. Sebastian cleared his throat and removed himself from the scenery to take his phone call in private. The guards followed quickly and closely behind him as he found a more secluded area in the gardens.

“There’s more,” Arnold said, cautiously. Sebastian had to focus on his breathing, so he said nothing, but he waited for Arnold to continue. “I did as you asked and looked more into your new luna.”

“And?” Sebastian urged, with the irritation only growing stronger.

“It seems she asked your stepmother for money and special favors for her family,” Arnold told him.

Sebastian’s face darkened in an instant. Fury flashed through him. His inner wolf was infuriated and wanted to break out of his body. He clenched his fists and tried hard to contain his temper and keep his wolf at bay.

So, that must be the reason for her affection towards him. She was using him for her own gain. Could she be that cruel? He almost fell for it as well. She almost had him exactly where she wanted him. But he wasn’t going to be a fool by a small omega wolf.

…

(Hannah)

“Tulips?” My eyes widened as Beta Arnold, approached me with a beautiful bouquet of white Tulips. They were my favorite flowers; they practically lit up the room and I couldn’t help but beam as Arnold handed them over to me. “For me?” I asked, confused.

“From the Wolf King,” Arnold explained; there was something on his face that I couldn’t read. I haven’t had many encounters with Arnold, but I could tell something was wrong.

“Is everything alright?” I found myself asking.

He looked taken aback by my question, but he nodded slowly.

“Yes, your highness,” he said.

“You can call me Hannah,” I told him, raising his eyebrows. It still felt weird for them to call me ‘your highness.’ I felt anything but royalty.

“Hannah…” he corrected with a faint smile.

“Thank you for the flowers,” I said, keeping a pleasant smile on my face.

“Don’t thank me,” Arnold said as he turned to walk away. “They are from your husband.”

I went toward my room to put the flowers in a vase when Caroline appeared down the hall. Her face lit up as she saw me walking toward her and she rushed to meet me at my bedroom door.

“Good evening, your majesty,” Caroline said, opening the door for me.

I smiled my thanks to her and walked inside; she followed close behind me.

“Queen Magnolia asked for me to retrieve you for dinner,” Caroline told me.

I frowned and looked at her.

“Dinner?” I asked; that was strange.

Why was the queen wanting to have dinner with me? Sebastian wasn’t even home for the ceremony yet. Did she want to eat with me alone?

“Yes,” Caroline confirmed. “She was quite urgent.”

I sighed and nodded to her. Once I found a vase to put the water in, I asked Caroline to find it some water while I went to meet with the queen.

Queen Magnolia was already sitting in the dining hall as the kitchen maids quickly served her. Beside her was her son Jack who I’ve only had a couple of run-ins with since I’ve been at the place for a few weeks. They looked similar with their blonde hair and piercing blue eyes; however, Jack had a masculine physique. He gave me a lopsided grin as I entered the dining hall and took my seat, further away from them.

“Hannah dear, you remember my son, Jack. Don’t you?” Magnolia said. As she spoke, she delicately picked up her wine glass and took a short sip before placing it back on the table. A maid rushed toward her with an open bottle of wine and topped off her glass.

“Yes,” I said, acknowledging Jack. “Hello.”

“You are quite a looker,” Jack said, his voice deep and almost husky. It gave me a chill down my spine. “Sebastian did good picking you out.”

I felt my cheeks flushing at his words. Technically, he didn’t pick me out. He picked Amy out, but she begged for it to be me instead. Of course, I couldn’t say that to them. So, I just politely smiled and said nothing.

A maid came into the dining hall with a platter of food, placing it on a plate in front of each of us. The maid that topped off Magnolia’s wine, strolled over to give me a class as well. I wasn’t much of a drinker, but something told me that I was going to want to drink as much as I could during this dinner.

I took a long steady sip before placing the glass down; the maid topped it off right away. I could almost get used to that.

“It’s a shame Sebastian won’t be able to join us this evening,” Magnolia said as she took a bite of her salad.

“He’s quite busy,” I said in return, staring down at the hearty plate of food.

“It seems so,” she agreed.

I wasn’t understanding what this small talk was about.

“I don’t trust this,” Nora said from within me. I had to agree with her; something was feeling off. “We should just eat and leave.” She was getting irritable, and I had to try to calm her before something regrettable happened.

“How’s your brother?” Magnolia asked; I looked up at her and blinked a few times. It was weird she was asking me about my brother.

“He’s doing well. He finds the guest room to be comfortable. The doctors have been wonderful to him. Thank you for allowing him to stay here,” I said, trying to keep my voice sounding formal.

“It wasn’t up to me,” she said with a plastered smile.

Right.

“What is it you said was wrong with him?” Magnolia asked, eyeing me carefully. I swallowed hard.

“He was born with a serious medical disability. If not treated properly and regularly, he would die,” I explained.

“I see,” Magnolia said slowly. “That must explain why the doctor handed me this,” Magnolia said reaching into the breast of her gown and pulling out a small clear bottle of a light pink liquid.

I frowned; it was unlabeled, and I wasn’t sure what she was showing me.

“What is that?” I asked, staring at the bottle.

“He said it was some kind of special medicine to help your brother’s illness,” she said, twirling the bottle in the air. “He saw me before he saw you and entrusted that you received it. He only has one.”

I felt the color draining from my face as I stared at her serious face; one of her eyebrows rose in the air and I saw the smirk on Jack’s face.

“Please, your majesty,” I breathed, tears about to well up in my eyes. “I will do anything for that medicine.”

“Wow,” I heard a dark voice from behind me.

I turned to see Sebastian standing before me. He was staring at me with disgust written all over his face. I wasn’t sure what I did wrong, but I worried he was going to lose his temper.

“Oh, Sebastian!” Magnolia said, putting the medicine back in her breast. “You’re just in time for dinner.”

He said nothing. He was still staring at me with his face beginning to turn a different shade of red.

“I’m not hungry,” he hissed in a low voice, keeping his eyes locked on mine. After a moment, he finally pulled his gaze from mine to look at his stepmother. “I already ate,” he said, his tone sounding calmer.

He said nothing more as he turned away and stormed out of the dining hall.

I wiped my mouth with the napkin and chugged the rest of my wine. I shook my head to the maid before she could refill it; then I stood quickly.

“If you’ll excuse me,” I said as I hurried out of the dining hall.

I reached Sebastian before he got to the grand stairs.

“Thank you for the tulips,” with a small smile. He obviously had a tough time at the ceremony; I wasn’t going to pry to find out what happened. But I was hoping for my presence my calm him a little. He told me that my nearness helps keep him calm and that my saliva soothes his irritation. Whatever that means. “It was kind of you. I love them.”

“Go away.”

I frowned and tried to reach for his arm, but he rejected it quickly.

“What’s wrong? Why are you angry?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows together.

What did I do wrong?

“I don’t wish to speak with you right now,” he said in a low threatening tone, without even looking at me

“Sebastian?” I said, trying to follow him again.

“Get lost. Now. Don’t make me repeat this.”