Chapter 29

Sebastian's POV 

I watched as Loretta stormed out of the car and into the palace. Her anger was obvious in every step she took. I had already decided that I would not let her out of my sight until she had given birth to my child. I could sense that she was hiding a dark plan, and I was determined to stop her from making it come true.

I followed her into the palace. As she walked down the long corridor, I noticed her gathering her belongings. It was almost as if she believed she could simply leave me behind. I raised my voice, keeping it calm but firm.  

"What are you doing?" I asked. 

Loretta turned to me, her eyes burning with fury. "Am I blind?" she spat. "Can’t you see I’m packing? I’m done with this fake marriage. I’m going back to my father’s house. I cannot live in this hell just so you can force me to do what you want. I hate you. You don’t deserve love, and you certainly don’t deserve me. You are nothing more than a ruthless, bitter Lycan king, doomed to be alone forever."

Her words dripped with hatred, but instead of feeling hurt, I laughed. A cold, dark feeling stirred inside me—the part of me I had tried to keep hidden since my rebirth. I saw the fear flicker in her eyes, and that told me I had the power here.

"There will be no divorce," I said in a low, menacing tone. "Divorce will only happen on my terms. For now, you will remain in the palace as my bound slave. Since you refuse to be my Luna, I am taking that title away from you. You will be nothing more than a slave girl who is carrying my baby."

I saw the fear in her eyes, and it pleased me. "You will be locked in this room," I continued. "You will have no access to any other part of the palace. You will stay here until the day you deliver my baby. After that, you are free to do as you wish."

I left the room with a heavy heart of darkness, only to return with a group of guards. They moved quickly, standing at every corner of her small bedchamber. I made sure that all of her belongings were removed, leaving only what she needed to survive.

Before I turned to leave, I looked at her one last time. I made sure she felt the full weight of my words as I spoke, "I am not a Lycan king to be toyed with."

And with that, I walked away, leaving Loretta alone in the silent room, her fate sealed by my command.

Eleanor's POV 

I couldn’t shake the words Mary had spoken. “Your powers are strange to our pack,” she had said. What did that even mean? The question echoed in my mind, stirring doubts and fears. I needed answers, but I knew I wouldn’t get them from my father. He had always been secretive about my mother. I remembered the one time I had asked him about her, and his reaction had chilled me to the bone.

Loretta had once mentioned that I did not share the same mother as the rest of the pack. That hint had ignited a flame of curiosity in me that I could not put out. When I asked my father who my mother was, he rebuked me harshly. For days afterward, he locked me in my room, insisting that I was being stubborn. The memory of that punishment still sent shivers down my spine, and it kept me from asking him again. The fear I felt then stayed with me, a heavy burden I carried each day.

But the truth had to be known. I could not live with so many questions unanswered. That is why I decided to ask Loretta. If she had mentioned something about my mother before, perhaps she knew more than she let on. Maybe my mother did not belong to our pack at all. Maybe she was from another pack or even still alive. The thought both excited and terrified me.

That very evening, despite the stormy weather and the cold rain that fell hard against the palace walls, I left the safety of my home. I made my way toward Sebastian’s pack, hoping that Loretta would help me uncover the secrets of my past. I knew Loretta and I were not on good terms, yet I prayed that she could see past our differences and answer the questions burning inside me.

Before I set off, I made sure my departure remained a secret. I left clear instructions for the pack to stay alert through the night, so that no one would worry or try to stop me. My heart pounded with a mix of anticipation and fear as I stepped out into the tempest. Every step carried me closer to a truth that could change everything.

The wind howled around me, and the rain soaked me to the bone, yet I pressed on. I thought of my father’s cold, unyielding eyes and the terror of that long-ago day when I dared to ask about my mother. I shivered at the memory, but I also felt a flicker of hope. With each step, I imagined the answers I might find—answers that could reveal who I truly was and where I came from.

As I traveled through the dark, stormy night toward Sebastian’s pack, I knew the journey ahead was fraught with uncertainty. But the need to know the truth burned brighter than any fear. I held onto that hope tightly, even as the wind whipped around me and the night deepened. Soon, I would come face to face with Loretta, and I prayed that she would help me unlock the secrets of my past, no matte

r how hidden they had been for so long.