Chapter 41

Sebastian’s POV

“She’s been researching how to help us?” Sebastian repeated, he still couldn’t believe what he was seeing in front of him.

A smile was tugging at his lips as he stared down at Hannah; she was sleeping soundly at her computer, not knowing that he was there. Eric was howling and basking in her beauty; she seemed even more beautiful to them.

He continued to flip through the pages of her notebook; reading through her bullet points and the many ways to calm the anxieties he faces during his wolf madness. She even listed some of the books that she read through; he was guessing she got those books from the library and wanted to keep track of what she already read.

“She’s been at the library a lot,” Eric reminded him. “With that doctor.”

“Has she been there researching this that whole time?” Sebastian asked.

He felt a wave of guilt washing over him as he remembered how he reacted when he saw her at the library. He forced her to go home and wouldn’t let her utter a single word. She was only there because of him, and he acted like she was a traitor to him.

He clutched the notebook tightly in his hands, trying to erase the memories from his mind.

Hannah made a small sound through her lips as she yawned; her eyes fluttered open and landed on him. Narrowing her eyes with confusion crossing her face, she lifted her head.

“What are you doing?” She asked.

“I should be asking you the same thing…” he breathed; his voice sounded harsher than he meant it, but it didn’t seem to faze her. She was used to the harshness of his tone. “What is this?” He asked, showing the notebook he was holding.

Her eyes shifted to the notebook, and she frowned.

“My notebook,” she answered, snatching it from his grip. “What gives you the right to read this?”

“You’re my luna,” he told her, his voice deepening. “That is my right.”

“Am I not allowed any privacy?” She asked, turning away from him.

He grabbed her shoulder, twisting her around forcibly to make her look at him. Her eyes widened and there was a hidden fear within her features. Her breathing grew shaky, and he realized how he must have looked at her. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath to calm himself down. He didn’t feel like he was going to lose control, but he didn’t like her keeping secrets from him and she knew this.

“Why were you researching wolf madness?” He asked, keeping his tone even and calm.

“Why do you think?” She asked, meeting his eyes; there was a firmness in her gaze, and he knew she was no longer frightened of him.

“Tell me,” he ordered.

“Because I don’t like seeing you in agony,” she said without hesitation. “I worry about what will happen the next full moon. I worry for not only my life but for yours as well. I don’t want to see you in pain. I don’t like to see your anxieties, Sebastian.”

“How long have you been researching this?” He asked, lowering his tone.

“A few weeks,” she answered. “I’ve been going to the library after work to research. Dr. Davis has been helping me.”

Her words confirmed his thoughts, and he felt a jab of pain in his chest. He unhanded her shoulder and took a step away from her.

How could he have been so stupid?

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He muttered.

She blinked at him a few times, appearing even more confused.

“I’ve tried,” she said. “But you wouldn’t listen to reason. I tried to tell you that nothing was going on between Dr. Davis and me and you didn’t believe me.” Her voice cracked as she choked back tears.

“You aren’t allowed to see him outside the hospital,” he said to her.

“You’ve said that already,” she said in return, pressing her lips in a firm line.

“For now on, you will only do research with me, understood?” He asked, keeping his gaze locked on hers.

She was quiet for a moment as she processed what he was asking.

“You want to research wolf madness with me?” She asked, shocked by his order.

“The madness affects me; why shouldn’t I be the one to figure out how to stop it?” He asked in return.

She nodded slowly.

“Yes, of course,” she told him.

“Tomorrow we will go into the city to find some of these items you listed,” he said, pointing to the notebook.

She glanced down at her own writing and nodded.

“Okay,” she agreed.

“Oh and Hannah?” He said before leaving the room. “Don’t ever keep something like this from me again.”

…

Hannah’s POV

I flinched when the door slammed shut as Sebastian left the room. I was holding back the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes. My heart was beating violently in my chest while Nora and I wondered what the hell had just happened.

I stared down at the notebook Sebastian was reading; my breath growing heavy and shaky. I had never meant for him to see this, at least not yet. I wanted to do more research and understand the madness a bit more before I came to him with some solutions. But now it seems he wants to do research with me and learn about this together.

I should be happy that Sebastian wants this as badly as I do. It meant he was taking a step in the right direction, but I feared none of the steps mentioned will work for him. I feared that if they didn’t work, he will grow discouraged and it will force him to lose control.

Would he take his anger out on me? I couldn’t help but ask myself.

He seemed so angry with me already; I felt like I was pushing him in the direction of Emily and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

“Your majesty?” Caroline said as she poked her head through the door. “Dinner is being served in the dining hall.”

If I didn’t go down to eat, Sebastian would grow suspicious.

I smiled my thanks to her and made my way to the dining hall. I was glad that Queen Magnolia wasn’t joining us for dinner this evening and neither was Jack. I didn’t trust either of them or I knew Sebastian didn’t trust them either. They’ve been keeping their distance lately, which makes me worry that they might be up to something.

Sebastian was waiting for me by the time I got to the dining hall. We were both served red wine with our meals, and he started eating as soon as I sat down. It was a silent meal filled with inner thoughts. I knew we were both thinking intently about the research done for wolf madness.

I wanted to express my concerns, but I knew better than that and kept my mouth closed.

Once we finished our meal, the kitchen servants began collecting our dirty dishes. Sebastian was wiping his mouth with his napkin before standing up.

“I’m going to the hospital this evening,” he announced to me.