Chapter 91

Hannah’s POV

“It’s nice to meet you, Henry,” I said, smiling up at the man before me.

I had to admit that he was handsome, but obviously, he wasn’t as handsome as Sebastian. Nobody compared to Sebastian when it came to looks.

“Please, call me Hannah,” I added.

“Hannah…” he repeated my name in a breath; my name felt weird coming out of his lips. Not a bad weird, but different. It was like hearing it for the first time.

“There’s something about him I can’t seem to figure out,” Nora said into my mind; her voice was filled with wonder and curiosity.

“I’m sorry,” Henry said, snapping himself back to reality. “I just never thought I’d come face to face with the luna queen herself. You’re far more beautiful than I could ever imagine.”

My eyes widened and I could feel a blush creeping across my cheeks and around my nose. I never considered myself to be beautiful. I wasn’t sure what to say in response.

“Don’t forget about the kitten,” Nora reminded me.

Oh, right!

“The kitten!” I echoed Nora’s words out loud.

Henry looked taken aback by my sudden outburst and change of subject; he rose his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side curiously.

“There’s a kitten stuck in that oak tree,” I said, pointing to the tree in the distance behind him.

He turned and looked at it; a frown forming on his lips.

“Are you sure?” He asked, turning back to me. “How do you know?”

“Because I heard it,” I told him. “I tried to get it out, but it was too far in there and I couldn’t reach it. So, I went to get Sebastian but…”

My words trailed off.

He stared around my saddened face for a moment before nodding once. He turned in the direction of the tree and to my surprise, he started running toward it.

“He’s going to help the kitten!” Nora said excitedly.

It did seem that way.

I followed closely behind him until we reached the tree; my heart was heavy in my chest because the cat was no longer meowing. I had to stifle a sob as the silence grew thick around us.

“It was meowing a lot before I left,” I told him in a whisper.

He too looked concerned as I showed him the hole the cat crawled inside. He poked his head in for a moment and then came back covered in dirt.

“It’s too dark,” he told me.

The flashlight!

I must have left it on the ground when I fell.

“Hold on,” I told him as I ran back in the direction we came from.

I found the flashlight right where I left it, and I brought it back to him quickly. He turned the flashlight on and went back into the tree. He was silent for a short moment; I nearly heard his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He sucked in a sharp breath as he went further into the tree. The opening of the tree wasn’t nearly big enough to fit his entire body inside; he was too wide and broadly built. I heard parts of the tree cracking as he made his way inside.

“Did you find it?” I asked; I was afraid to know the answer.

He didn’t respond at first, but soon, he came out of the tree holding a small white kitten in the palms of his hands.

I gasped as I got a glimpse of the kitten. She was so tiny, and she was covered in dirt. The dirt in her pure white fur made her look almost black and damp. She had some blood in her stomach region which sank my heart into the pit of my stomach. Her eyes were closed but she was still breathing quite heavily.

“Oh, my goddess,” I breathe as I ran over to him. “Is she going to be okay?”

“It’s hard to tell,” he said, examining the kitten carefully. “Do you know anything about healing animals?”

“I’m a doctor,” I told him. “I know about healing people. Not much about animals. But I can give it a try if we have the proper equipment.”

“Doesn’t the palace have an infirmary?” He asked, glancing over at me.

I nodded quickly.

“Yes, let’s get her there,” I agreed.

With that being said, he cradled the kitten in his arms and followed me into the palace.

…

Sebastian’s POV

He watched as Hannah ran back into the garden; he told her he couldn’t help her get the kitten from the tree because he was way too busy with his work. She looked all sorts of hurt and it tugged painfully at his heart. He hated hurting and disappointing her. He could tell something had been bothering her for a while; she’s been a bit distant lately. But he couldn’t figure out what it was. He figured it probably had to do with everything going on, a lot of stress and anxieties. Giving her space was the best thing he could do for her; plus, he really did have a lot of work he needed to do. He couldn’t be bothered with a small cat; it would only set his work back.

He was used to having small animals in his yard and not all of them survived; they easily got trapped in small areas. Hannah would just have to get used to it.

But he knew from the looks on her face that she wasn’t going to get used to it; part of what he loved about her was that she had a huge heart and she cared about things, like small animals. He couldn’t help but watch her from his window as she ran back into the garden and toward the large oak tree.

Then, he saw someone he didn’t recognize. It was a man; he looked like a gardener, but Sebastian didn’t remember hiring a new gardener. Perhaps he was someone Magnolia had hired before she was locked in the dungeon. Even still, it bothered him that he was walking close to Hannah. She didn’t know he was there, and it almost seemed like he was waiting for her.

He was staying still, listening to her footsteps. As she rounded the corner of the rose garden, she ran directly into him. He didn’t look at all startled and she looked mortified. Sebastian felt a fury going through him; he took in a deep breath to calm himself down, but it wasn’t working. He didn’t like this man getting close enough to Hannah to where he knocked her to the ground. Sebastian felt tense, hoping that she wasn’t injured. If she had any ounce of blood escape from her body, he was going to rip that man’s head right off his shoulders.

“They are talking…” Eric said in a low growl; he was anything but happy.

He was right though; Hannah was now standing to her feet, and they seemed to be talking. He was staring at her like she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Hannah was gorgeous. But Sebastian didn’t want other men thinking so too. He clenched his fists tightly and gritted his teeth.

They went to the tree together; she must have told him about the kitten. Sebastian watched as the gardener went into the tree; Hannah went back to grab the flashlight she dropped on the ground and once she brought it back to him, he was able to get the kitten.

It was small; Sebastian could barely see it from where he was standing. Hannah looked worried as she examined the cat briefly. They were saying something he couldn’t hear and then he watched as Hannah turned toward the palace and started running toward it.

“He’s following her!!” Eric roared with fury.

“Oh, fuck no,” Sebastian said in a low and threatening tone.

The gardener was going into the palace with her.