Chapter 393 393
Sabine POV
I felt hot.
Not warmth heat. Scorching, burning heat. Anger so dense it felt physical, as though it were leaking through my pores, turning my skin into something dangerous to touch. I had to be hot to the touch. There was no other explanation for the fire roaring through me.
She had been manipulating me from the very beginning. From day one.
She had known my father was dead before I did and she had used that knowledge like a blade, carving it into me, into Damien. She had always known where I was. She had kept me medicated, docile, obedient. Yes, I took the pills. Yes, my actions are my responsibility.
But she kept me tucked neatly into her pocket.
Waiting.
Waiting for the right moment to use me as leverage against Damien.
And now—now she was using my nephew and niece instead.
I wanted her dead.
The fury surged higher, flooding every vein. I moved before I could think, my hand snapping up and closing tight around her throat. My fingers dug in, unyielding. Her eyes flew wide in shock she hadn’t expected this.
She hadn’t realized I was becoming strong.
Strong like her.
“Luna.”
Lucas clears his throat sharply, the sound cutting through my rage like cold water. Reality snaps back into place. I need answers. I need the children safe before anything else.
“Tell us your demands,” Fabrice says impatiently, clicking his tongue as we all stand around Clémence.
“I want my pack returned to me,” she states calmly. “It’s my birthright. I want the alliance at my disposal no questions asked. If I require protection, the royal guards will provide it. And I want Gaston’s fortune.”
“He didn’t have any,” Aurélie snaps. “He spent it all bribing fighters and funding his own bad decisions.”
“Then I’ll take your inheritance,” Clémence says, turning her glare on me.
“No,” I snarl.
“Then the children die.”
“You won’t hurt them.”
Her smile is thin and cruel. “Try me.”
“If you kill them, you get nothing,” I bite out, stepping into her space again, my jaw aching from restraining myself. “Not a single coin.”
“That’s the difference between you and me, Sabine,” she replies smoothly. “I’ll go to any extreme to get what I want no matter who stands in my way.”
“Bee?”
Maurice’s voice slams into my mind without warning. The force of it makes my knees wobble. I clutch at my ears instinctively, as if he’d shouted my name beside me.
“Maurice?” I gasp. “Thank the Goddess where are you? Are you okay? The children”
“They’re safe,” he says quickly. “They escaped with Didier.”
“And Damien?” I move away from the alpha office, lingering in the doorway, acutely aware of Aurélie watching me.
“Bee… something’s wrong with him.”
Fear bleeds into his voice real fear. The kind that fractures my belief that we’ll all survive this.
“Where are you?”
“In the cave. I think… I think he’s gone.”
“Gone?” My chest tightens. “You mean dead?”
“No,” he says. “Something’s taken his soul. I don’t understand what’s happening. But the children are out. You need to find them.”
“I will,” I promise desperately. “I swear I will. Just come back we’ll figure something out. We’ll help Damien.”
Even as I plead, I already know.
Maurice would never abandon his best friend.
Never.
“That won’t work,” he says softly. “I love you.”
“Maurice?” My voice trembles through the bond.
“My pack is yours,” he continues. “You are their Luna fated by the Moon Goddess. Remember that.”
“Maurice…” I growl, dread clawing into me. Why does this feel like goodbye?
“I’m sorry,” he whispers. “I have to do this. Don’t let Aurélie come in here.”
“What? Why? Maurice?” I demand but the connection slams shut. Blocked.
I step fully out of the office, leaving the others behind with Clémence’s empty threats. She’s already lost. The moment Aurélie realizes her children are safe, Clémence won’t leave this room alive.
But my fight isn’t here.
It’s in the bond.
Aurélie cannot lose Damien.
I won’t allow it.
I stride out of the alpha house and collide with someone solid.
Maxime.
“Luna?”
“I need to get to the cave.” I move to pass him, but he grabs my elbow and pulls me back. I know exactly why he’s here. I know exactly what Maurice asked of him.
“Alpha Maurice gave me strict instructions”