Chapter 134

Hannah

Wrenley was missing. My heart violently beat against my chest, and I felt sick all over again. I couldn’t stand there and panic, I needed to find my daughter. Without any further delay, I ran from the room and toward the front door. I knew it must have been Lila that took her; but for what reason, I wasn’t sure.

I opened the door and stumbled outside, pausing as I noticed Lila and Henry standing in the front yard. Henry was in the process of shifting from his wolf form back into his human form. He was covered in sweat and blood; he looked winded and exhausted. He was lying on the ground, trying to gather his surroundings and heal himself.

Lila on the other hand was looking more than amused as she held my daughter in her arms. I felt a wave of fury crossing me.

“Lila,” I growled as I marched over to her; it was taking Nora everything she had not to shift and tear Lila apart for kidnapping. “You can’t just take my daughter.”

“I thought she might have needed some air,” Lila said innocently.

I didn’t allow her any more time to explain before grabbing Wrenley from her.

“You are to stay away from her, do you understand me? I don’t want you going near her again. I don’t even want you to look at her. I’m leaving and I’m not returning.”

I went to turn away but paused as a roar made the streets shake. I looked down and saw Sebastian struggling to keep control. It must have been his madness; the full moon was only a day away. He must have been feeling the effects already.

“Sebastian?” I asked softly.

He roared again; I held Wrenley close to me as I met his eyes. I saw the scarlet in his eyes dimming and his gaze softened. He was breathing heavily; I hated that this was happening to him. I knew he was trying hard to control himself.

He shifted back into his human form, and I saw the scratches on his back; I knew he was fighting Henry only moments ago. From the looks of Henry, Sebastian was winning until his madness started to come through and he had to stop to control himself.

“It’s okay…” I breathed. “Just breathe. Fight it. You can fight it.”

He went to say something but growled as he fought the madness away again. He sat up on his knees and pulled himself to his feet. His body was shaking as he attempted to stay out of his wolf form.

“Fight the madness,” I said, keeping my tone firm and confident. I wasn’t going to let him see me worry; I wasn’t worried. I knew he would never do anything to hurt us. I faced Wren to him. “Look at her, your daughter. She loves you and she needs you to stay level-headed. We both do.”

He gazed at Wrenley and the scarlet in his eyes turned back to their normal blues. I was relieved to see that, but I could tell he was still struggling.

“You can end this madness,” Lila said, stepping toward me. I noticed she was now holding the scepter in her hands and the emblem was already attached to it. Sebastian must have brought it with him; but why? “You know what you must do.”

“No,” I growled. “I won’t hurt him, even if it does open the portal. Sebastian can fight this madness. I know he can.”

“Think about all we can gain once the portal is open,” Lila said, taking another step toward me. She held the scepter out to me and kept her eyes locked on me. “Take it. You know what to do.”

I grabbed the scepter from her, but not so I could use it, so I could get it away from her. I didn’t trust her with something this powerful. I turned back to Sebastian.

“Look at me,” I told him, keeping my tone low. He met my eyes. “You are okay. This madness is not going to take control of you. Not now…”

“It’s not the madness,” he said between his gritted teeth. “It’s Liam. It’s his pain.”

“Liam?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “You’re still linked to Liam, even after his death?”

“Liam’s not dead. He’s still in the hospital,” Sebastian told me. “I haven’t seen him in days. But I know he’s still alive. I can feel him.”

I stared at him with a blank expression; Liam was alive? Then what was shown to me through the crystal ball? I turned to Lila who just scoffed and folded her arms across her chest.

“It was the only way for you to fully understand how dangerous he is,” she tried to explain.

“You lied to me,” I said, keeping my eyes on her. “My brother was never killed…”

“No, I didn’t lie to you. Not exactly. I just showed you the future. That’s what’s going to happen if you don’t stab him with this scepter. If you don’t open this portal…”

“Do it,” Sebastian said, he was fully standing now, and he no longer looked to be in as much pain as he was before. “She’s right, Hannah. Even Gemma said you are the key to opening the portal on this side. She wasn’t sure how, but maybe you do have to stab me to unlock the…”

“No,” I interrupted him. “I won’t hurt you. I refuse to stab you. There must be another way.”

“There isn’t,” Lila growled.

“We are running out of time; we won’t be able to search for another way. We have less than 24 hours before Liam is gone forever. Less than 24 hours before my madness takes over completely. I can’t risk hurting you and Wrenley.”

“Sebastian…” I said, but my voice hardly came out as a whisper. Tears filled my eyes as I stared at my husband; he was willing to risk everything to keep us safe. I looked down at Wren who lay comfortably in my arms. My heart tugged painfully at the thought of her growing up without a father; if this didn’t work, if this killed him, I would never be able to forgive myself.

“You know what you need to do,” Lila said again. “Protect your daughter. Save your brother.”

Wrenley didn’t need to be protected from Sebastian; she needed to be protected from Henry and this strange witch.

“No,” I said to her firmly. I turned to Sebastian and shook my head. “No, “I said again much softer. “I’m sorry, but I can’t hurt you, if you died, I wouldn’t be able to live. We will find another way to cure your madness. Together will find a way to get Liam out of the underworld. We still have a day to figure it out. This isn’t what the moon goddess wanted. I know it in my heart that she would never want this…”

“Hannah…” Sebastian said, eyeing me carefully.

“I need you to trust me, Sebastian,” I said softly.

He went to say something else, but he winced as he struggled to maintain the pain that was shooting through his body.

“If you won’t do it, then I’ll have to do something that will motivate you,” Lila growled.

I felt my arms tingle and I looked down to see Wrenley was glowing. My heart was pounding heavily in my chest as her entire body lit up like a light bulb. Soon, she was gone from my arms. I let out a sob of distress and saw that Lila had Wren in her arms again. I felt another wave of fury.

“Unhand my daughter,” I roared; I was no longer going to keep Nora at bay. She wanted to shift, and I was about to let her. Just as I was about to run toward Lila, I felt someone grabbing my arm; the same arm that still held the scepter.

I spun around to see Sebastian standing before me.

Why was he trying to stop me from getting our daughter?

That’s when I noticed the scepter was sticking out of his chest.