Chapter 30

Hannah’s POV

It was a question I never expected him to ask me, and my face reddened. He didn’t say anything more. He released me and walked away from the living quarters. I wrapped my arms around my body and held myself close for a little while.

Sitting on the couch, I thought about my evening with Dr. Davis. He was a sweet man, but I felt guilty for going out with him knowing that Sabastian would be angry with me. Maybe part of me wanted to make him angry. He’s been spending so much time with his ex, perhaps subconsciously I wanted him to feel as I felt.

There’s still so much to Sabastian that I wasn’t aware of. I wanted to know more about him and the madness he has come to know. It’s clear that something had happened to him when he went to battle the vampires all those years ago. There had to be a cure for his madness to finally live a normal and happy life.

I wanted to do more research on the matter and see what I could find out. For his sake.

I decided to brush the thought out of my mind for the evening and head upstairs to check on Liam. As I got to his door, I heard some murmurs within his bedroom. I recognized the voice to be Dr. Conway and Queen Magnolia.

I frowned, wondering what they were doing in his bedroom at this late hour. I pushed the door open, and they both turned to look at me. Liam was staring worriedly between the two of them and then he looked relieved as his eyes landed on me.

“Hannah!” He said, happily.

I smiled at him; I was glad to see he was awake and looked more refreshed than he had the night before.

“Hi, Liam,” I said softly as I went over to his bedside. I turned to Dr. Conway and Magnolia, who were both still staring at me. “What’s going on?”

“Dr. Conway was just saying that Liam seems to be doing much better,” Queen Magnolia said, there was something in her eyes that I couldn’t read, and it was giving me an uneasy feeling. “However, he thinks he would be better suited at the king’s hospital where he would be watched over 24/7.”

I frowned and shook my head; that wasn’t part of our deal. The whole point of keeping him here was to keep him away from our father and stepmother. I wasn’t going to return him to that situation.

“Did my father suggest that?” I asked, staring at Magnolia with a firm expression.

She looked puzzled at my question and shook her head.

“Goodness, no,” she answered, with fake sincerity. “Dr. Conway suggested it. Isn’t that, right?” She turned to him for backup.

He nodded.

“He does well when others are with him constantly. I think he’s better suited in an environment where he will be watched continuously and treated as needed,” he explained.

I couldn’t tell how sincere Dr. Conway was, but I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I worked at the hospital now, so I could still be around him and watch over him myself. But I didn’t like the fact that he would be cooped up in the hospital walls again, instead of lying in a comfortable bed and out of our father’s reach. Liam seemed to be enjoying the palace; he had everything he needed. We assigned the maid, Valerie, to tend to his needs when I wasn’t around.

I shook my head violently.

“No,” I said flatly. “I won’t have him living at the hospital full time. There’s no reason he can’t stay here…”

Liam looked relieved to hear me say that, so I knew I was making the right choice. I gave him a reassuring smile before turning back to Magnolia.

“Find another punching bag,” I told her, keeping my eyes locked on hers.

She scoffed and folded her arms across her chest.

“There’s a certain medication that will help keep him alive,” she said, still meeting my eyes. “But he can only receive the medication if he’s at the hospital.”

What? Why was she so persistent in getting him to the hospital? What was in this for her? Nora was beginning to get impatient with the back and forth and I could feel her rising temper within my body.

I swallowed hard and grasped Liam’s hands, squeezing them tightly.

“You can’t withhold medication from my brother,” I told her; I glanced over at Dr. Conway who was visibly paling. “Right?”

He cleared his throat.

“She speaks the truth,” he said after a pause. “We can’t give him the medication here.”

“Why are you doing this?” I asked, my voice trembling as I realized what was happening. They were somehow working together to get my brother out of the palace and back to the hospital.

Queen Magnolia looked as innocent as she could, shrugging.

“Because I care…”

…

Naomi’s POV

“We will let you in on a little secret. But we need a favor from you?” Naomi said, clutching the phone with a grin spread across her face.

Amy sat beside her, eagerly waiting for a response from the other side.

“Why should I do anything more for you?” Queen Magnolia said, her voice coming through smoothly and sending warmth through Naomi. “You already asked for money. Do you need more?”

“Not right now,” Naomi told her. “Because you’re going to want this information. An old friend has come back into town, and she could be the ticket to getting rid of Hannah, once and for all.”

Queen Magnolia was silent for a moment, trying to process what was being said.

“What is it you want?” She finally asked.

“My stepson, Liam,” Naomi told her. “I want him out of the palace and back at the hospital.”

“Why?” Magnolia asked.

“Because Hannah is keeping him from us. It’s tearing my husband apart. I hate to see that happening,” she lied with a smile.

“First, tell me what you know,” Magnolia ordered.

Naomi couldn’t help but laugh.

“Emily has returned to town,” Naomi answered. “She’s keeping close contact with us. She told the wolf king that she is dying of an illness. Amy has her friend, Nancy, who works at the hospital, helping her fake this illness. She’s trying to keep the king as close to her as possible and away from Hannah. It’s only a matter of time before Hannah snaps…”

Magnolia was silent for a moment before bursting into laughter.

“If we take Liam from her as well, she will have nothing to stay at the palace for. Both her husband and her brother will be taken from her,” Magnolia said, realization dawning on her.

“Exactly,” Noami agreed. “Take everything from her, and she will try to leave.”

“Sabastian would never allow that to happen though. He wouldn’t just divorce her like that. He would try to stop her somehow…”

“I’m hoping his madness will take over and he will kill her instead,” Naomi admitted.

“What is in all of this for you?” Magnolia asked, curiosity lacing her tone.

“I want the same thing you want,” Naomi told her. “You want your son to take over the throne as the new wolf king. I want my daughter to be the luna. Once your son is the king, he can marry my daughter, Amy. Everything Hannah has now, will soon be hers.”