Chapter 35

Sebastian’s POV

Everything happened so quickly, Sebastian almost didn’t have time to gather himself. Hannah’s small and naked figure came towards him quickly. Her wet hair nearly slapped him in the face and her large eyes grew with fear as she tried to grab the edge of the tub.

Sebastian wrapped his arms around her, trying to keep her from hurting herself too badly but she had already hit her body against the edge of the tub, and she made a piercing sound signifying that she hurt herself.

She was breathing heavily as he lifted her, cupping her in his arms, and stepped out of the tub. She peered up at him, her eyes laced with fear and her cheeks reddening with embarrassment. There was a small part of him that felt annoyed; this wouldn’t have happened if she had just waited and taken a bath after he was finished. But then there was a larger part of him that felt amused by her clumsiness.

He couldn’t help this strange warmth he felt from her nearness and his wolf didn’t hate the fact that they were holding her naked body.

He grabbed a towel off the counter and wrapped it around her, placing her feet on the ground. She looked shocked about what had just happened; as she tried to gather her thoughts, he watched as her eyes found his. soon, her gaze was going down his body, and he realized he was completely naked as well.

He didn’t feel embarrassed; instead, he rose his eyebrows and gave her a lopsided grin as he grabbed another towel.

“Like what you see?” He teased.

She pulled her eyes away from him, her face reddening even more.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall like that…” she murmured.

He could practically hear her racing heart and for some reason, it was affecting him way more than he thought it would. He wanted to laugh and tell her that it was fine, but he was distracted by the guilty feeling his wolf was portraying.

“You should be kinder to our chosen mate,” Eric muttered.

“Stop calling her that,” Sebastian said in return.

Eric didn’t respond, but a guilty feeling came over Sebastian as he thought about all the time he’s been spending with Emily and hardly any with Hannah.

Eric didn’t need to respond for Sebastian to know that he had already chosen Hannah as their mate long ago, even if he hasn’t marked her yet. Typically, a wolf wouldn’t be able to choose their own mate without rejecting their fated mates first, unless they have yet to meet their fated mates. Based on Sebastian’s knowledge, Hannah hasn’t met her fated mate yet.

As king, Sebastian didn’t need to reject his fated mate before choosing his own mate, but Hannah’s wolf could still reject him and refuse him as a mate.

He stared at the smooth lining of the nape of her neck, thinking about marking her at that moment. He told her that he wanted to mark her after the full moon, which was only a few days ago. But he couldn’t just mark her randomly; he needed to be sure that her wolf wouldn’t reject him. He wanted to have a proper ceremony for her.

If Hannah continued to grow more upset with him, there wasn’t a guarantee that her wolf would accept him as a mate.

“You are off from work tomorrow, right?” Sebastian asked before Hannah had the chance to scurry out of the bathroom.

She gazed up at him and nodded once.

“Yes,” she answered. “But you said you were going to see Emily. I figured I’d just go and see Liam.”

He thought about it for a moment.

“I’m going to see her in the morning. We can spend the afternoon together if you’d like,” he told her; he tried to keep his voice casual.

She looked surprised by his words.

“Really?” She asked. “Are you sure?”

He nodded.

“We can do whatever you want,” he told her with a shrug.

A sign of eagerness appeared on her face and a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth; she was trying hard to contain her excitement. He too was trying to keep the smile off his face; he found her adorable, and his heart was beating rapidly against his chest as he continued to stare at her.

“The carnival is in town,” she told him. “When I was young, my mother used to take Liam and me to the carnival occasionally. It wasn’t often. But it was a treat when we got to go. I remembered loving it so much.”

“The carnival?” He muttered.

Of course, he had heard of the carnival. But he had never been to one; it was something commoners go to, and he never felt the need to attend one himself. He shouldn’t have been surprised that the carnival was something Hannah enjoyed.

She frowned as she stared around his face.

“Don’t tell me you’ve never been to a carnival,” she said, a smile playing on her lips.

“You wish for me to lie to you?” He asked, narrowing his eyes at her with confusion.

She laughed and shook her head.

“I shouldn’t be surprised,” she said. “You never even eaten at a food cart until that one time.”

Ah yes, that sweet and sour chicken they got at the food cart the day the car broke down. He smiled at the memory remembering how Hannah smiled at him with that loving gaze. Something he hadn’t seen in a long while.

“You wish to go to the carnival?” He asked.

She looked surprised again and stared down at her feet awkwardly.

“We don’t have to,” she said softly. “It was just a thought.”

He shook his head with disbelief at her expression as he brushed past her and started heading towards the door.

“We will go to the carnival after the hospital,” he told her over his shoulder.

He didn’t stick around to hear her response before leaving the bathroom.

…

Hannah’s POV

I couldn’t believe that Sebastian wanted to go to the carnival. I could hardly contain my excitement; I couldn’t even sleep. This is the first normal thing we’ve done in a long while. He had no issues sleeping though. He slept soundly from beside me; he kept his arms wrapped around my body and held me tightly as if my presence made it easier for him to sleep.

I tried, and failed, to wiggle myself out of his tightened embrace, but eventually, I gave up and decided to just sleep. Nora didn’t wish to struggle to begin with; she enjoyed his closeness and wanted to be as close to him as possible. The ice bath worked, and I no longer felt like I was in heat, but my insides still burned for him for some reason.

A few times, I almost lost control of Nora and I nearly shifted. I had to take in some deep breaths to keep her calm.

We arrived at the hospital together the next morning, but once we got through the doors, we separated ways. He went straight to Emily’s room, and I went to Liam.

Liam looked tired when I entered his room, but as usual, he was excited to see me.

“Hi, Liam,” I said to him as I made my way closer to him.

He lifted his head and a small smile appeared on his lips.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he said tiredly before lying his head back down.

He was looking pale and much thinner than he had the day before; I felt Nora tensing uncomfortably.

There was something wrong.

“How are you feeling?” I asked him, nervousness clear in my tone.

He was quiet for a moment, and I could tell something was weighing on his mind.

“Liam?” I asked. “What’s going on?”

“I saw Amy…” he whispered. My heart stopped in my chest at his words. “She was here.”