Chapter 155

Hannah

“Mom?” I breathed as she came into view.

She was wearing a dark cloak like all the others around the palace. She really was one of them now. I wondered what her role was here. I never really discussed it with her. I could see the worry in her eyes as she approached. My entire body felt frozen. She looked between Sebastian and me curiously.

“Hannah, honey, what is going on?” She finally asked.

“We need to get something,” I answered, trying to be as vague as possible. “Then we will leave.”

“Leave?” She asked. “Why would you want to leave? You can have everything you want if you just obey his rules. He’s been looking everywhere for you. He’s worried.”

“Worried?” I wanted to laugh. “He doesn’t care about me, mom. He cares about control. He’s trying to get under Sebastian’s skin.”

“That isn’t true,” she said, looking offended. “He’s been watching you for a long time and he loves you. He wants to marry you.”

“I’m already married,” I said firmly. I grabbed Sebastian’s arm. “This is my husband. The werewolf king. I love him. He is my mate. I have no desire to marry the vampire king. I need you to understand that.”

She stared at Sebastian with a look I didn’t recognize but it gave me an uneasy feeling.

“I see…” she said after a long pause. “Your mate.” She said the word ‘mate’ like it was a bad taste on her tongue.

“We have a daughter,” Sebastian told her, keeping his tone even. “A daughter we need to return to. If you care for Hannah, you won’t stand in our way.”

“Of course, I care for Hannah,” my mother said; her tone was unfamiliar. It was like she was forcing a pleasant tone for our benefit. “She’s my daughter; I only want what’s best for her.”

“Then step aside and act as though you didn’t see us.”

My mother was hesitant for a moment, but eventually, she stepped aside. Just as we began passing her, I heard her voice from behind me again.

“May I speak with my daughter alone,” she said quickly, halting us.

“I don’t have the time…” I told her. I turned and saw that her eyes were pleading with me. it tugged at my heart to see her like this. “We need to go.”

“It’s important,” she said. “I need to tell you something and I need you to listen to me.”

“Okay,” I answered. “I’m listening.”

“It needs to be in private,” she said; she was looking around as if she was expecting someone to be lurking around the corner. Knowing Xander, he probably had eyes and ears everywhere. So, it made sense that she was frightened that he would be listening. “Please. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. You were right; you’re my daughter and I need to do what’s best for you. Telling you this information is what’s best.”

I sighed and nodded, I took Sebastian’s hands and approached my mother. But she didn’t move to lead us anywhere. She glanced at Sebastian with a wary look.

“Alone,” she said. “I need to speak with her alone. You understand, don’t you?”

Sebastian was quiet for a moment, trying to figure out what she meant by that.

“I’ll go with my mother,” I said through a mindlink. “You continue to look for the scepter. It’ll probably be a lot safer if only one of us roamed through the palace anyway.”

He glanced at me questionably, but he didn’t argue.

“If you need me, you link me,” he ordered through the mindlink. I gave him a faint smile before releasing his hand.

My mother took a hold of my arm and pulled me along with her.

“Don’t be long,” he said after us.

My mother didn’t respond, she just continued through the halls. It seemed like we were going somewhere specific. I thought she was just going to take me around the corner to talk to me, but she said nothing as we continued down numerous hallways. Soon, she opened a door to a narrow hall with candled lanterns. I recognized this hallway and the many doors that occupied the walls. It was the same hallway that held my old bedroom.

I paused once I realizes she was taking me back to my room. I needed to come here anyway to get my brother, but I didn’t trust coming here alone with my mother. She looked at me questionably.

“It’s the only safe place in this palace,” she told me. “There are no cameras inside your room. You need to trust me. I know what’s best for you. I’m your mother and I need to speak with you.”

I sighed and nodded as I went with her toward my bedroom. She opened the door and motioned for me to enter. As I got inside, I was hoping Liam would be there too. But he wasn’t. I needed to find him so we could get out of here together.

I turned to face my mother who stood at the doorway, staring at me with a timid frown. A dark haze fell over her eyes.

“What did you need to speak with me about?”

“It’s stupid of you to go against the vampire king, Hannah. I raised you to be better than that. I raised you to show respect to those in charge. Xander wants nothing but the best for you. He chose you to rule both Kingdoms by his side and you repay him by running away.”

My heart sunk into my stomach; she pulled me away to lecture me.

It was a trap.

“I won’t have my daughter behaving so rudely in front of the king,” my mother said, folding her arms across her chest.

“He’s not my king,” I argued. “I’m going back to my husband.”

I began to walk toward the door, but she stepped in front of me.

“I’m afraid you aren’t going anywhere. I’m sorry I had to do this, but as I said, I know what’s best for you. I only want the best for you and your brother. I love you both so much and I can’t lose you again.”

“Mom…”

She stepped toward the door until she was in the hallway.

“You have left me no choice.”

Realizing what she was doing, I ran toward the door at full speed, shifting into my wolf so I could get through. But the door slammed, and I heard it latch. Just as the door sealed, I shifted back without control. I had no powers in here; I had no wolf. I was helpless. I was locked in.

…

Sebastian

Once Hannah and her mother were out of sight, Sebastian continued through the palace. She was right; it would be easier to get to the top floor of the palace if it was only one of them. Once he got the scepter he would go and get Hannah. In the meantime, he just hoped whatever her mother had to say, wouldn’t mess with Hannah’s head too much. Hannah was a strong individual and not easily persuaded.

He finally made his way toward the main foyer, which held the grand stairs. But he paused before entering the foyer because he heard a loud noise coming from a nearby room. He had an odd feeling coming from the pit of his stomach and something inside of him was telling him he needed to find out what the noise was. He made his way over to the door and he heard a gruff male voice.

He opened the door slightly and saw a tall and buff man standing over a body. The body was lying in a pool of blood. His knees were pressed to his chest and Sebastian could tell he was crying, whomever he was.

The man standing over the body had a dark aura and he looked furious as he kicked the guy in the stomach, causing him to cough and yell out in pain. It was clear this man was the palace torturer and the room they were in must have been the torture chamber from all the weapons hung up on the wall and the chair that sat in the center of the room that had straps covering it.

“You were supposed to keep her in the palace. You failed. You must be punished,” the torturer hissed as he kicked again. “The king says you are to be punished until that little bitch is found.”

He was talking about Hannah.

The torturer grabbed the guy’s face and squeezed it tightly, making it difficult for him to breathe.

“At this rate, by the time she’s found, you’ll be dead, you no good, pathetic, weak, omega wolf.”

It was at that moment, that Sebastian realized the guy being tortured, was Liam.