Chapter 52

Sebastian’s POV

Sebastian watched from afar as Hannah left the hospital. She had tears in her eyes and her features were pale. He had never seen her look so broken before and it pained him. He was the one that did that to her, and he couldn’t do anything to fix it at that moment. He thought if he left her alone; she would be able to process what had happened and she wouldn’t leave. She would understand that he did that for her own wellbeing; he marked her as his and now she was officially his chosen mate.

Regardless of if she wanted to believe it or not, she can feel the mate bond between them. But she was too upset to understand what it meant. He didn’t want to watch her leave; he wanted to wrap his arms around her and pull her close to his body. He wanted to have her scent fill his nose and have her saliva all to himself.

But he couldn’t.

The most he could do at that moment was watching her.

She looked around for a moment before slipping into the cab; she could sense him nearby but couldn’t see him. She had a worried expression on her face but shook it off before disappearing into the cab.

The cab drove off, leaving Sebastian alone in the streets with his wolf.

A wolf that was in a panic thinking that Hannah was never going to return; a wolf that was getting too worked up that Sebastian thought he was going to lose control.

His breathing became harsh, and redness began invading his vision; he had to get away from the hospital before he caused some harm to innocent wolves around him.

“We need to go after her!!” Eric insisted, his tone harsh and urgent.

“No, we need to let her go for right now,” Sebastian said to his wolf in return.

They ran quickly from the hospital grounds and towards the palace. He could feel every movement of his body pulsating around him. Every fiber of his being was raging, and he couldn’t contain himself any longer. It wasn’t even the full moon yet and he felt a fiery desire burning from inside him.

He was beginning to lose himself to his wolf and he roared out with hatred. He clenched his fists, trying to keep himself calm, but Eric was losing his mind.

“We can’t let her leave us!” Eric howled.

Sebastian ignored his wolf, trying to take deep breaths to calm himself down. They picked up speed as they ran; his scarlet eyes peering around the woodland forest and trying to find something to attack. His entire body was shaking with rage, and he needed blood to make himself feel better.

“Nothing will help us,” Eric said. “We need to go after her!”

“Shut up!” Sebastian snapped. “Just shut the hell up!”

This silenced Eric, but it didn’t make Sebastian feel any better. They spent the rest of the evening hunting and killing animals around the forest. Leaving a trail along the grounds. He had lost track of time and nearly all his senses as he roamed the forest.

He made his way back to the palace still feeling a rage boiling inside of him. One look at his face, and his servants knew to stay clear of him. They scattered instantly and went into hiding; the only servant that didn’t run was Hannah’s handmaiden, Caroline.

Since Hannah moved into the palace, Caroline had grown much braver than when she first started. She was the maid that the other maids looked to for courage; she was their leader, whether she saw it or not. But Sebastian saw it, and Hannah saw it as well.

She was a maid, but she was also the closest thing that Hannah had to a friend.

Caroline stood in the center of the foyer, and she looked defeated; she was saddened by Hannah’s sudden departure, and he was sure she knew the reasoning behind her leaving.

“She took all of her stuff…” Caroline said, choking back tears as she stared at the ground. “She’s gone, your majesty.”

His breathing grew heavier, and he curled his lip up to growl at her; he wanted to provoke some fear into her so she would scurry away like all the others. But she didn’t. She looked up at him, narrowing her eyes and she stood her ground.

“Hannah had taught me a lot while she lived here,” Caroline said, keeping her voice even. “One of which is that you aren’t the monster everyone makes you out to be. I don’t think you are going to hurt me.”

“Leave,” Sebastian hissed in a low tone, keeping his scarlet eyes locked on hers. “Now.”

“I’m leaving,” she told him. “Not because I fear you, but because you need to figure out how to get her back.”

She turned away and began walking towards the maid’s quarters. He stared after her until she disappeared through the doors. He clenched his fists again and unclenched them, trying to keep his body still and at the moment.

He could smell his stepmother nearby and he wasn’t in the mood to deal with her. If she showed her face, he was worried he would rip her throat out and he couldn’t have her blood on his hands.

He rushed towards the stairway and made his way to his bedroom. The room he once shared with Hannah.

Her things were gone; the things she initially brought to the palace. He stared at the matching pajamas that were neatly folded on his bed and he stumbled toward them. He sat on his bed and held her pajamas in his hands; the softness of the fabric brought him back to the night she first wore them. He held her close to his body and felt the cotton of her pajamas rubbing against his skin.

He brought the pajamas to his face and breathed in her scent. They still smelled like her. He felt himself coming down from his anger; Eric was calming down only slightly. He released the pajamas and he felt fury rising through him again.

He stood from his bed and went towards the bag of stuff they purchased to help his madness. He grabbed the jasmine flower and brought them to his nose, breathing them in.

He didn’t feel any different; if anything, he felt more antsy and impatient. Eric was growing annoyed with his delay and was begging to go after Hannah. Sebastian continued to ignore him as he sprayed the cologne around his room. Hannah mentioned the cologne was designed to help anxieties, but the more he thought of Hannah on her own, the more anxious he got.

“It’s not working,” Eric hissed. “None of it is working. We need Hannah.”

Sebastian shook his head, refusing to believe that Hannah was the only thing that could stop his madness. There had to be another way; Hannah didn’t want him. She had left and the full moon was a couple of weeks away.

“When are you going to admit that we need her?” Eric asked, his temper rising even more.

Sebastian finally sighed and released the perfume back onto his dresser.

Eric was right. They needed Hannah.

After a long pause, Sebastian finally said, “Let’s go after her.”