Chapter 65

“What are you going to do?” I whispered, my voice sounding unfamiliar.

The guard unlocked my cell for Jack to enter and I felt my heart falling into my stomach. My body trembled violently as he made his way closer to me. A wicked grin spread across his face.

“I need answers, and you are going to give them to me,” he told me, keeping his eyes locked on mine.

“I told you everything already,” I said in return.

“I don’t believe you for a second,” he hissed.

He motioned for the guard to grab me; he did without hesitation. He grabbed my arms, pulling me to my feet and lifting me in the air like I was nothing. He treated me like a rag doll as he walked me to the other side of the cell and toward the chains on the wall.

Fear was overcoming me as he placed the chains around my wrists and my legs, keeping me bound to the wall. The chains tightened, making it impossible for me to move despite how hard I tried.

Jack waited patiently for the guard to finish with the chains and backed away, allowing Jack to confront me.

“Tell me the truth,” Jack said in a low and threatening tone. “Did you take the scepter?”

“No,” I said with a firm voice, hoping to get the point across.

Without warning, Jack swung at me, and the nail of his wolf sliced through the flesh of my cheek. It stung immediately and intensely as blood spilled from my cheeks and down the nape of my neck. I shuddered but I bit my lower lip to keep from sobbing.

“Did you take the scepter?” Jack asked, his lip curling up in disgust as he looked around my features.

“No, I didn’t take anything,” I said weakly.

He swung again, but this time his wolf claw missed my face and cut through my shoulder blade. I screamed out in agony as blood-soaked my blouse. He didn’t ask another question before jamming his other fist into my stomach. I thought I was going to throw up but managed to hold back.

“Please…” I whispered. “I was only researching; I didn’t take anything.”

“Stop lying!” Jack roared; his eyes growing so dark they were nearly black. I knew at that moment that his wolf was taking over, and he was going to lose control.

What would happen to me if Jack lost control while I was chained to the wall in front of him? Would he go as far as to kill me?

“I’m going to ask you again,” Jack hissed; his breathing growing more intense. “Did you take the moonstone scepter?”

“No…” I said again. “I didn’t take it.”

He swung again but this time his hand was balled into a fish, and he was swiping at my cheekbone. I heard it cracking under the force of his punch and I cried out in pain. I knew I was going to bruise and swell quickly.

As tears fell from my eyes, the saltiness mixed in the wounds on my face, stinging them and making them hurt even more.

“You are the only one besides Sebastian who knew about the scepter being on his nightstand. You obviously found it if you were researching it.”

“I did find it, but I didn’t take it. I put it right back in his nightstand and locked it up,” I cried.

“Then where did it go?!” Jack asked, anger fueling him.

“I don’t know,” I cried again. “I don’t know. I’ve been at Bluemoon. I haven’t been here.”

“The time of it going missing is unknown. Sebastian noticed it because he needed it for the full moon, but it was gone,” Jack told me through his tightened jaw.

“Stop lying!!” He roared, shaking the dungeon with his vocals.

He disappeared around the corner for a moment, leaving me to pant against the wall. I shook uncontrollably, worried about what he was doing and what else he was going to do with me. My blood was dripping on the ground below me, pooling together to make a puddle.

By the time he returned, I was feeling a bit light-headed like I might pass out. He was holding a wooden baseball bat. My eyes widened with shock; he said nothing as he swung the bat at me and hit me in the center of my torso.

I coughed and vomited all over myself from the force of the bat. He stared at me with disgust on his face as I released the contents of my stomach onto my clothes.

He scoffed as he swung the bag again, hitting me in the stomach once again.

I didn’t have much more to throw up but my entire body felt weak.

“Are you going to finally speak the truth? Or do I have to continue hitting you?” He asked, hatred lingering in his gaze.

I kept my eyes closed, trying hard to maintain my focus and not pass out completely. I was having trouble breathing and I wasn’t sure I would be able to speak even if I wanted to.

But I managed to lift my gaze to meet his and keep my eyes locked on him.

“If you kill me…” I breathed. “Sebastian will kill you.”

He scoffed again and dropped the bat onto the ground.

“You might be right about that,” he said. “But once you are found guilty, you will be sentenced to death anyway. He shrugged as he said that last part.

“I haven’t been found guilty yet,” I muttered, still trying to keep myself from passing out.

Jack motioned for the guard to unchain me, and he did without hesitation. As the chains were released from my body, I fell into the puddle of my blood. I coughed as I held my aching body, rolling over onto the ground in agony.

“Not yet, but you will be,” Jack said with a grin.

“I’ll be back to get more answers from you.”

…

Sebastian’s POV

Sebastian spent most of the day locked away in his study. He was trying to research everybody that had access to the scepter the last few days. Anyone with the motive to frame Hannah. Anyone who could have known the scepter was on his nightstand.

He heard familiar voices outside his study door, Magnolia and Jack. He knew right away that they were talking about Hannah.

“She won’t talk,” Jack muttered, sounding annoyed. “I tried everything.”

“You didn’t try hard enough,” Magnolia hissed.

“I did everything but kill her,” Jack told her, making Sebastian shoot to his feet and rush toward the door of his study.

“What the hell did you do to her?” Sebastian asked, stepping into the hall.

Neither of them looked phased or surprised that he was there.

“I did what you’re too coward to do,” Jack growled. “As the king…”

“As the king, I order you to leave my luna alone,” Sebastian roared, cutting off his words.

“You will never get answers if you don’t do anything,” Jack said in return, narrowing his eyes at Sebastian.

“I’m doing everything I can to prove her innocent,” Sebastian said through gritted teeth. “I mean it, Jack. Leave Hannah alone.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Magnolia said interrupting their argument. “I’m calling for the trial tonight. I’m getting the judge to join us in our courtroom, and we will see if she’s innocent or not.”

“I’m not ready,” Sebastian told her, peeling his eyes away from Jack to glare at Magnolia.

“Well, you have until tonight. If she really was innocent, it shouldn’t take you long to gather evidence. I already have evidence of my own along with key witnesses.”

“Impossible,” Sebastian hissed.

“The trial is tonight. Whether you are ready or not,” Magnolia growled.