Chapter 84
Sebastian walked through the pack house halls like a shadow. The night was dark. The moon shone bright outside. He felt empty inside. He thought about the council meeting. He heard whispers from the wolves. Hardin gave up the title. Hardin walked out. The pack was in chaos. Sebastian did not know what to feel. Anger? Joy? Fear?
He went to Brittany’s room. The door was open a little. He pushed it.
Brittany sat on the bed. She touched her belly. Seven months pregnant now. The child kicked. She looked up when Sebastian entered.
“Sebastian,” she said softly. “I heard the news.”
Sebastian closed the door. “What news?”
Brittany smiled small. “Hardin lost his title. The council stripped it from him. He is going to search for Rhianna himself. Someone said they saw her. Alive. But I am sure they are all being delusional. Rhianna is dead.”
Sebastian sat on a chair. His hands shook. “Saw her? Where?”
Brittany stood up. She walked to him. “In a market near a palace beyond the river. With a prince. Holding arms. Laughing. Like a couple. But it can not be her. She fell in the river. Weak. Sick. The water took her. No one survives that.”
Sebastian looked at the floor. His mind raced. Rhianna alive? Laughing with another man? He felt a pull in his chest. The old bond scar. It hurt.
Brittany touched his shoulder. “Now this is your chance, Sebastian. Take back what belongs to you. The title. The Alpha position. The council has it now. But you can claim it. You are the true heir. Show them you are strong.”
Sebastian looked up. “How?”
Brittany’s eyes were sharp. “Talk to the elders. Tell them Hardin is crazy. He risks the pack for a ghost. You can lead. You can keep peace. You can protect our family.”
Sebastian shook his head. “Rhianna might be alive.”
Brittany’s face hardened. “Do not think about a dead woman. Think about getting the title. Make me and your child proud. In less than two months, our child will be here. Do you want him to see a weak father? A man who lost everything for nothing?”
Sebastian felt her words like a knife. The child. Their son. He touched her belly. The kick came strong. He thought about the future. A strong pack. A strong family. No more pain from the past.
Brittany leaned close. “We can be happy. You, me, our son. The title is yours. Take it. Leave the ghosts behind.”
Sebastian stood up. He walked to the window. He looked at the moon. His wolf stirred inside. Confused. Angry. Sad.
“Sebastian,” Brittany said. “Choose us.”
He turned back. “I will think about it.”
Brittany smiled. “Good. Think fast. The council will decide soon.”
Sebastian left the room. His mind was full. Rhianna dead? Or alive? The title? His child? He walked the halls. Whispers followed him. Wolves talked about Hardin. About the change.
He stopped at a window. He looked out. The woods were dark. Somewhere out there, Hardin was going. To find Rhianna. Sebastian felt jealous. Hardin never gave up. Sebastian did.
Brittany’s words echoed. Take the title. Make them proud.
He closed his eyes. The child would come soon. Two months. He could be Alpha again. Strong. Proud.
But Rhianna’s face came to his mind. Her smile. Her pain when he left her.
He opened his eyes. He walked back to his room. He needed to decide.
Meanwhile, in the woods outside the pack house, Hardin met Garrick and two other men. The men were strong. Quiet. Loyal to Hardin, not the council.
Garrick said, “We are ready. No one saw us.”
Hardin nodded. “Good. We shift now. Run fast. Cross the river by dawn.”
The two men nodded. One was named Theo. The other was Jax. They knew the plan. Find Rhianna. Bring her home.
Hardin looked at the moon. His heart beat fast. He thought, “Rhianna, I am coming to find you. Please don’t make things hard for me. Let me bring you home. And please don’t fall in love with another.”
He felt pain thinking about her with the prince. Laughing. Holding arms. Like a couple. But she did not remember. That gave him hope.
“Shift,” Hardin said.
They changed into wolves. Hardin’s wolf was black and big. Garrick’s wolf was gray. Theo’s was brown. Jax’s was white with black spots.
They ran into the woods. Paws hit the ground soft. Trees passed quick. The night air was cool. The moon lit the path.
Hardin led the way. His wolf smelled the earth. He thought about the river. It was close. They would cross it. Then find the palace. Find the market. Find Rhianna.
The run was long. Hours passed. The woods were thick. Animals moved away. No one spoke. They ran as one pack.
Hardin’s mind was full. He thought about the council. They took the title. But he did not care. The title was nothing without Rhianna. He thought about Sebastian. His brother might take the title now. Brittany would push him. But that was not Hardin’s fight now.
His fight was for Rhianna.
They reached the river. The water was fast. Dark. Hardin stopped. The others stopped too.
Hardin shifted back to man. The others did too.
Garrick asked, “How do we cross?”
Hardin said, “Swim. The current is strong. Stay close.”
Jax said, “It is the same river that took her.”
Hardin nodded. “Yes. But she survived. We will too.”
They shifted again. Jumped into the water.
The current pulled hard. Hardin swam strong. His paws cut the water. Garrick stayed near. Theo and Jax followed.
Water splashed. Cold. The river roared. Hardin thought, “Rhianna did this. Alone. Weak. I can do it.”
They fought the water. Minutes felt like hours. Hardin’s legs burned. But he kept going.
They reached the other side. Wet. Tired. But safe.
Hardin shifted back. “Rest for five minutes. Then run again.”
They sat on the bank. The moon was lower now. Dawn would come soon.
Theo asked, “What if she does not want to come?”
Hardin said, “She does not remember. We will help her remember. She belongs with us.”
Jax said, “And the prince?”
Hardin’s eyes darkened. “If he fights, we deal with him.”
They shifted again. Ran through new woods. The land was different. Smells were new. But Hardin followed the pull in his heart.
He thought, “Rhianna, I am coming.”
The run continued. The sky turned light. Dawn came. Birds sang. The woods ended. A road appeared.
Hardin stopped. Shifted back. The others did too.
Garrick said, “The palace is near. The market is in the village.”
Hardin said, “We walk as men now. Blend in. Find her.”
They put on cloaks. Walked to the village.
The village was waking. People opened shops. Children ran. Smells of bread and fruit filled the air.
Hardin looked everywhere. For dark hair. For her face.
They reached the market square. Stalls were set up. Sellers called out.
Hardin’s heart beat fast. “Spread out. Look for her.”
Garrick nodded. They split.
Hardin walked alone. He looked at every woman. Every face. None was her.
He stopped at a stall. The seller was old. “Have you seen a woman with dark hair? Pale skin? With the prince?”
The seller shook his head. “Many women here. Be specific.”
Hardin described her. The seller thought. “I think I saw her yesterday. With Prince Kairo. They bought cider. Laughed a lot.”
Hardin felt jealous. “Where did they go?”
The seller pointed. “Back to the palace, I think.”
Hardin thanked him. He found Garrick.
“She is in the palace,” Hardin said.
Garrick asked, “How do we get in?”
Hardin said, “We wait. Watch. Find a way.”