Chapter 36

Hannah’s POV

“Amy?” I asked, staring at Liam with shock. “Why was she here? What did she want?”

I knew I was rapid-firing questions at him, and he was too tired to answer me. I felt my blood boiling and I was beginning to lose control of Nora. She felt this strange intensity and anger surging at the thought of Amy in Liam’s room, and I had to try to keep her calm before we made a scene.

“She said she missed me, and she felt sorry for me,” he whispered; there was sadness in his eyes. “She told me that you wanted to get rid of me and dumped me back at the hospital. She said you didn’t care about me.”

My face lit up with fury and I clenched my fists, trying hard not to scream. I couldn’t lose control here; I just couldn’t. This wasn’t the time and place and obviously, Liam was hurting because of her words. My focus had to be on making sure he was okay.

“Liam,” I began softly, sitting at the edge of his bed. “You know what she says is lies, don’t you?”

He didn’t look certain, but he met my eyes with a sad smile.

“I was hoping so,” he told me.

“I would never just abandon you, Liam,” I assured him. “I love you so much. You’re my little brother. Throughout everything crazy going on, you’re all I truly have. I wouldn’t have you here if it wasn’t in your best interest.”

“I just feel like I’ve been feeling worse since coming here,” he admitted.

“I’ll have the doctor come and take a look at you,” I promised him.

I had to get out of there before we completely lost it. He stared at me with concern for a moment before turning away and closing his eyes.

“I’m tired,” he whispered.

“Get some rest,” I said to him through a tightened jaw. “I’ll call you later, okay?”

I began to scurry towards the door, my body trembling as I stumbled into the hallway and let out an exaggerated sigh. Nora was getting herself so worked up with not only fury for Amy but worry for Liam. There was something wrong and I felt nauseous thinking about it.

“What’s wrong?” Sebastian said, staring at me from the side.

I didn’t notice he was standing there, and he scared me. I jumped and straightened my stance.

“It’s my brother,” I told him. “He’s not looking well. Amy came to see him…”

His dark blue gaze darkened even more as he stared at me, processing what I had just said.

“Your family wasn’t supposed to be allowed to see him,” Sebastian barked. Of course, I knew that. She must have gotten there early enough that nobody noticed her walking in.

I didn’t say anything though.

I took in a couple of deeper breaths to keep my wolf calm.

We went to Dr. Davis who looked surprised to see me and once his eyes found Sebastian, the color in his face drained, reminding me how he looked in the library the night before.

I told him about Liam and asked if he could check on him when he got the chance. He agreed and gave me a reassuring smile before Sebastian, and I left the hospital.

…

The carnival was exactly what we needed. It was a sunny and warm day, perfect to spend the day outside. It was already crowded, and the energy was comforting. There were wandering gazes as we made our way through the crowds and walked around the park. I don’t think anybody was expecting to see their king at something so simple.

I had to stifle a laugh as their shocked expressions were obvious.

Sebastian looked completely out of his element, and he looked around like he had never seen anything quite as ridiculous.

“At least look like you’re having a good time,” I teased as we continued walking through the crowds.

He glanced at me sideways.

“I’m trying,” he said in return. “It’s just so… basic.”

I had to bite my lower lip to stifle another laugh. A vendor was seen in the distance; I saw the giant pink and blue sign that read: cotton candy.

I couldn’t keep the excitement off my face as I grabbed onto Sebastian’s arm and pulled him towards the vendor. He was resistant for a moment but then eventually followed closely behind me.

I greeted the vendor who couldn’t keep his eyes off Sebastian; they were large and frightened of the wolf king that stood before him. I tried to avert the vendor’s attention back to me with a polite smile.

“May I get one cotton candy please?” I asked, trying to keep my voice sweet and unbothered.

He finally pulled his eyes from Sebastian and nodded to me. He handed me a cotton candy stick; I thanked him, and we went on our way.

Sebastian was staring at the sugary sweet with dismay on his face that I laughed out loud.

“Try it,” I chuckled, holding it up to him.

He was hesitant but did as I suggested. As he placed a blue fluff of cotton candy in his mouth, I saw his eyes widen. Something crossed his face that I didn’t recognize, but he didn’t look displeased. He looked more uncertain than anything.

“You like it, don’t you?” I said jokingly.

He cleared his throat and continued walking.

“It’s too sweet,” he muttered, but there was a bit of humor lacing his tone that made me laugh even harder.

He looked relieved to see me laughing and I wondered where that feeling of his was coming from.

We ate some more food during our time at the carnival; some of which he openly admitted to enjoying. We shopped at some of the street vendors; I was able to get some cool unique jewelry which he said was tacky. I even got some clothes that I found adorable but as I tried them on, he stared at me blankly and then confusion crossed his face.

“You can have all the clothing in the world at the most high-end boutiques, but you choose a $5 blouse that will shrink in the wash and won’t last a month,” he said, shaking his head with disbelief.

“That’s not the point,” I said to him as I paid the vendor. “It’s called a souvenir. It’s something I couldn’t get a lot of growing up.”

My voice trailed off as I thought about how my mother would try to get us whatever we wanted the times we went to the carnival. But she never had enough money for everything. I always felt guilty for putting so much pressure on her, even though I knew everything she was going through.

I didn’t realize Sebastian was staring at me; he was measuring the hurt expression across my face and wondering if he had said something to offend me.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he finally said after a breath of silence.

“I’m sorry,” I told him. “It’s not you…”

There was innocence that flashed through his eyes that tugged at my heart. I was hoping I didn’t hurt him but then his gaze broke from mine, and he looked over at the Ferris Wheel.

“What is that?” He asked.

I smiled and grabbed his arm to pull him towards the ride. Neither of us said anything as we reached the ride and sat side by side. He looked uncomfortable but not as uncomfortable as the man felt when he buckled Sebastian and me in.

Sebastian just looked confused, but then startled when the ride began moving and we started being lifted into the air. He looked around wildly for a few moments before relaxing in the seat. We were able to get a whole view of the park. It was beautiful and peaceful, and I finally felt calm after the morning I had.

Sebastian was calm from beside me as well and I saw a faint smile on his lips as he looked around.

Was he having fun?

I gazed up at him, peering through my lashes.

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” I asked him.

He said nothing for a moment but then nodded.

“Yes, I have to admit, it is nice,” he said, mimicking my soft tone. “I’m sorry if I was giving you such a hard time today.”

I was surprised that he was apologizing to me; I kept gazing up at him.

“I understand,” I told him. “You are out of your element. I appreciate you for trying.”

He was quiet for another moment longer.

“Next time, we can bring your brother,” he shocked me by saying.

I felt my heart leaping into my throat and Nora was practically jumping from my body. The feeling was surreal, and I had to blink away the tears that formed in my eyes.

Before I could say anything more, my eyes scanned the crowd below as the ride started lowering us. My heart stopped once again, and my breathing got caught in my throat as I stared at the one person I didn’t wish to see at that moment.

The one person who was staring directly at me as the ride came to a halt.