Chapter 98

Sebastian’s POV

“What are you doing, you fool?!” Eric growled as Sebastian left the living room, leaving Hannah behind. “You are going to let her go to him?! You told her to stay away. Stand your ground!”

“We are pushing her further away,” Sebastian retorted, annoyed as he stormed up the stairs. The further he got from Hannah, the more out of it he was beginning to feel. Eric was growing tense and Sebastian knew it was only a matter of time before his madness returned.

“We are going to lose her to him,” Eric said; Sebastian could feel the anxiety boiling from within him.

“We need to be able to trust her,” Sebastian said as he barged into the bathroom. He needed to take an ice bath to calm his wolf and himself.

Eric wasn’t happy with Sebastian’s decision, but Sebastian knew he needed to trust Hannah. She looked worried when she mentioned that Henry mindlinked her. Regardless of what Sebastian said to her at that moment, it wouldn’t do any good. Hannah was a stubborn wolf and would do what she pleased anyway. He just hoped that she knew what she was doing.

…

Hannah’s POV

“We will go see your sister,” I told him again; he looked surprised by my words. “I’ll see if there’s something I can do for her.”

“Really?” He asked, raising his brows. “What about Sebastian?”

I looked at the palace again, knowing Sebastian was going to be furious with me but I shook my head, dismissing the thought, and turning back to Henry.

“This is important. Let’s see if we can save your sister,” I told him, “I’ll deal with Sebastian later.”

He nodded and led me to his truck.

Thankfully, Henry’s house wasn’t far from the palace; we managed to get there within a few minutes. He lived in a small brick house with a small yard. There were some flowers around the lawn, which made sense considering he was a gardener.

“Can I get you anything?” He asked as we entered his house. “Tea or something?”

He kept his house clean; there were a couple of bookshelves, a couch, and a television occupying his living room.

“No,” I told him. “I shouldn’t stay here long. Where’s your sister?”

He looked hesitant for a moment.

“She’s upstairs in her room,” he told me, meeting my eyes. “Follow me.”

I took in a steady breath to calm my nerves; something about being in this house was making me uncomfortable. I trusted Henry, but Nora was still so wary of him, and the fact that Sebastian doesn’t feel comfortable with me being around him made me worry as well. I probably should mindlink Sebastian and let him know where I am.

“I can’t get through to him…” Nora breathed nervously. “Something is blocking the mindlink.”

That wasn’t good. I paused at the bottom of the stairs before following Henry the rest of the way. What could be blocking my mindlink from Sebastian?

“Maybe your sister should come downstairs, and I can look at her down here?” I suggested.

He paused at the top of the stairs and frowned.

“She can’t use the stairs,” he told me. “She’s too sick.”

“Just be quick,” Nora warned. “Take a look at her and then let’s get out of here. I don’t like it here.”

I made my way up the stairs and followed him down a long and narrow hallway. He didn’t even bother to turn on any lights; it was light enough where I could see, but dark enough where I was uncomfortable. Eventually, he paused in front of a door and looked at me.

“Are you okay? You seem weird,” he said, eyeing me carefully.

“I’m fine,” I said with a smile. “I just don’t want to be here too long. Sebastian will be upset that I left without mentioning anything to him.”

“I’ll get you back there soon,” he promised. “I just need someone to take a look at her.”

I nodded as he opened the door and motioned for me to enter first. The room was dark; this time I couldn’t see anything. He shut the door behind him, enclosing us in the dark oasis this room held. I felt an odd sensation from the room. Typically, I can feel a presence when I’m around someone, even if I can’t see them. But in this case, I wasn’t feeling anyone besides Henry and the dark presence I was beginning to sense.

I waited until Henry turned on a light; sure enough, I found the room to be empty. There was a bed, but it didn’t seem like anyone had slept in it for a long time. I couldn’t help but be completely confused about what I was looking at until I heard the door latch from behind me.

He locked it.

I turned around quickly to see Henry standing there. He looked a bit nervous, and his eyes were shifted to the ground. He stayed silent for a long while; hearing nothing but the sounds of my heavy breathing.

“I knew something was weird,” Nora breathed into my mind. “We shouldn’t have come here…”

“Henry… what’s going on?” I heard myself asking; I tried to keep my voice strong, but I knew some of my nervousness was leaking into my words.

“I can explain…” he said calmly, meeting my eyes. “I don’t have a sister.”

“You lied to me?” I asked, my voice raising slightly as I took a step away from him.

“For a good reason,” he answered.

“Are you even a gardener?” I asked, keeping my eyes locked on his.

He was hesitant before answering.

“No…”

I felt my heart sinking into my stomach and a giant knot forming. Sebastian was right.

I needed to try to mindlink Sebastian again, but every time I tried, it would fail.

“I can’t shift either,” Nora said, sounding defeated. “Something is blocking our werewolf powers.”

“Please, just listen to me,” Henry said calmly. “I needed to figure out how to get you away from the palace so we could talk.”

“Why did you bring me here, Henry?” I asked firmly through a clenched jaw. I was angry with him for lying to me; I was angry at him for betraying me and pulling me away from my husband. When Sebastian finds out about this, he was going to rip Henry’s throat out with his teeth. “Why aren’t my powers working?”

“Because of the shield I have around my house,” Henry answered. “It keeps my house and anyone inside private.”

“Why do you need to be private?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. “How could you lie to me? Why am I here?”

“Please, just calm down and listen to me,” he breathed, motioning for me to sit down.

I shook my head, refusing to comply with his orders.

“Take me home,” I demanded.

“I can’t do that,” he said; he was treating me like I was an animal about to pounce on him. Hell, I felt like an animal about to pounce on him.

I was shaking with fury and the only thing keeping me from shifting and tearing him apart myself was the fact that I was inside of some shield that was blocking my powers.

“Why?” I finally asked after a long pause.

“Because you’re my fated mate…”

“What?” I gasped; my entire body stilled at his words. As I stared around his face, I saw how serious he was. Nora was quiet as she processed what he was saying, she wasn’t sure what to say and I wasn’t sure what to say. This couldn’t have been real; he’s been lying to me and there was no doubt in my mind that he was lying to me about this too.

“You’re lying,” I growled. “That’s all you’ve been doing is lying.”

“I promise, I’m not, “ he assured me softly, keeping his tone even. “I needed to get you out of that palace. Sebastian isn’t whom you think he is.”

“What the hell does that mean?” I asked, fury rising through me.

“Sebastian doesn’t really love you,” Henry said firmly. “He’s the one lying to you. He’s the one harming your wolf.”