Chapter 120

Hannah

Sebastian has been quiet since dinner. Well, since he and Arnold spoke in private.

“I know when you’re hiding something from me,” I said, sitting beside Sebastian on the greens of the grass. “Whatever it is, I’d prefer if you just told me. We can figure it out and get through it together.

I held Wrenley close to my chest as I spoke to him; she had fallen asleep long ago. The peacefulness of the atmosphere made me want to fall asleep as well. My eyes were heavy; I didn’t realize how much of my energy having a baby takes. Sebastian had the idea to enjoy some time and fresh air at the local park after dinner concluded.

The sun had finished setting and the moon has risen to the top. It was nearly in its full shape; less than a week away from the full moon. My heart sat heavily in my chest as I thought about the full moon; that meant Liam only had a few days before he was doomed to be tortured by the vampires for eternity.

“We don’t need to talk about it right,” Sebastian said after a long pause. He draped his arms around me and pulled me close to him. I loved being close to him. I basked in his incredible scent, and I could feel my wolf was happy and content with his nearness.

“Is it the pain?” I asked, peering up at him. “Has it returned? Is the medicine no longer working?”

“Hannah, I don’t want you to worry about this right now,” he answered. “Everything is fine; nothing has changed.”

“You’ve been quiet since you and Beta Arnold went off to talk before dinner,” I told him. “If it’s the pain, maybe we can…”

“It’s not the pain,” he said, stopping my words. He looked like he regretted it instantly. “Maybe it is a little bit. I can still feel him being tortured. I know exactly what the vampires are doing to him, and I hate that it’s happening.”

“I’m sorry you have to feel what he feels,” I said gently. I meant that, but I was even more sorry that Liam had to experience it. My heart tugged painfully for him; I just wanted to figure out how to help him. I couldn’t imagine how frightened he was.

“There is something else you need to know,” he said hesitantly.

I met his eyes; I knew he was keeping something from me. I was finally going to find out what it was.

“Tell me,” I urged.

“If the vampires were able to get to Liam, I worry that they can get to others just as easily. This means, as the Alpha King, I need to make sure my kingdom is prepared for the worst. I need all my men to be capable fighters and protect each pack with their lives.”

“Of course,” I said in agreement. “That’s kind of what I was saying yesterday. Everybody should be prepared for an attack.”

“Exactly,” he said. I knew there was more he wasn’t saying so I waited for him to continue. “I need to make sure all my Alphas and gammas are trained for the impossible. I’m opening my training grounds tomorrow in the palace arena and I’m asking all of them to spend the next couple of days at the palace so we can train together.”

I looked at him, waiting for him to say more, but he didn’t. I furrowed my eyebrows together, unsure of why that was so difficult for him to tell me. That sounded like a great idea; did he not think I would like to have them hanging around the palace for a couple of days? If it meant having allies, I was on board.

“I’m not against it,” I told him, reassuringly. “I think that’s a great idea…”

He looked at me worriedly for a moment, and I wasn’t understanding what he wasn’t saying.

“Hannah… I’m talking about all the alphas…”

He emphasized the word ‘all’.

“Yes, I know, and I think that’s a….” my voice trailed off as I realized what he was saying. Then, my heart plummeted into my stomach. “Including my father.”

It wasn’t a question but gave me a single nod. I looked down at Wren who was still sleeping soundly; she was unaware of anything going on around her and that was how I liked it. My father was going to be hanging around the palace for the next couple of days, which meant he was going to meet Wren. That also meant he was coming back into my life. I didn’t like having to be around him, but if it meant that our kingdom and his pack would remain safe, then I would have to deal with it.

“Okay,” I finally said after a short pause. “But I want to train too.”

Sebastian shot me a look and I could see the many emotions crossing his face. Ultimately, he didn’t look pleased with that decision. He shook his head quickly.

“Absolutely not,” he said firmly, standing to his feet. I placed Wren on the blanket before us and stood to my feet as well. “I’m not letting my luna fight against creatures. It’s incredibly dangerous.”

“I want to learn to defend myself if needed. I want to be able to protect Wren.”

“This isn’t just normal training, Hannah. This is Alpha and Gamma training. They are hot-headed, untamable, and vicious wolves. It’ll be too dangerous, and I don’t want you around that kind of thing.”

“I have you to protect me,” I said sweetly with a smirk; I was hoping he would see the slight humor in my face and relax a little bit.

He narrowed his eyes at me, but I could tell he was trying to fight a smile.

“You could still get hurt and I would never forgive myself if anything were to happen to you.” There was finality in his tone.

“I’m a lot stronger than you think,” I said, raising my brows. “I lived in the rogue territory for half my life. I learned to defend myself a little already and I know a bit about fighting. I’m not as defenseless and weak as you think.”

“I don’t think you’re defenseless or weak,” he said in return; he seemed to genuinely believe that. “But you’re my luna and the mother of my child and I want you to be safe. Can’t you trust that I will protect both of you?”

“Yes, of course, I trust you,” I said softly, placing my hand on his arm and gazing up at him. “But you also have a kingdom to protect. You can’t always do both and that’s okay. Let me train and become stronger. Let me prove that even though I am an omega, I can still fight.”

“They would eat you alive,” Sebastian said in return, shaking his head. “If something happened to you…” he paused like he couldn’t fathom the thought and I saw the hurt in his eyes. “I can’t lose you, Hannah. Wrenley cannot lose her mother. I need you to stay away from the training grounds. I’m not going to say anything more about it.”