Chapter 258 258
Maurice POV
She was struggling without her wolf.
That much was obvious. A human Luna wasn’t impossible history had proven that but Sabine wasn’t just human. She was human and newly exposed to our world, still reeling from a lifetime shaped by manipulation and coercion that had begun the moment her mother died. She had been bent, guided, nudged into survival patterns she didn’t even recognise as chains.
And that was the most dangerous part she couldn’t see it.
I knew, deep down, that no matter how justified it might feel, if I stripped her of her choices now, I’d be no better than Gaston. Another man deciding he knew what was best for her. Another man forcing her hand before she was ready.
Aurélie and Damien couldn’t see it yet. Their anger had blinded them, sharpened their judgment into something cruel. But I’d seen it clearly Sabine wasn’t afraid to challenge authority. She had simply gone about it the wrong way. She had seen someone she believed was in danger. Even though he wasn’t. Even though it was a mistake. And still, she couldn’t bring herself to let him die.
Wasn’t that the heart of a true Luna?
I just wished gods, I wished she had trusted me enough to tell me. I had been with her every day, every night. I had slept beside her, breathed her in, watched her learn this world piece by piece. Why hadn’t she come to me?
“Claim her.”
My wolf’s voice snarled through my thoughts, sharp and insistent.
“No,” I answered immediately. “She isn’t ready.”
“She’ll never be ready. She needs the mate bond,” he shot back, as though it were that simple.
If I claimed her now, I’d have to take her out of here immediately. And right now, I couldn’t afford that. I had too much to fix too much fallout from the mess she’d unintentionally created. I needed to stand beside her brother, whether he wanted me there or not. He would. Eventually.
“Alpha?”
Hugo’s voice cut through my thoughts. I realised then that I was standing on the back decking by the lake, though I couldn’t remember walking there. Hugo stood with several of my warriors behind him. He was newly trained only eighteen but there was strength in him. Potential. Like all the younger members of my pack, I’d known him his entire life.
“The alliances are on full alert,” I said, staring out across the water. “Attack is imminent.”
Hugo nodded grimly. “Perhaps we should move the Luna. Somewhere safe?”
The suggestion twisted something in my chest. If she could betray her own brother her own blood perhaps bringing her back to my pack hadn’t been the smartest decision after all.
“I can’t leave,” I said. “We need to protect our friends.”
“I could escort her back, then return”
“No,” I cut in. “Thank you, Hugo, but I’ll feel safer knowing she’s here with me. Geneviève is vengeful. If she sees an opportunity to use Bee in the crossfire, she won’t hesitate.”
Hugo straightened. “Then the Luna stays. Shall we sweep the borders?”
“Yes. Three miles out. Report anything unusual to me immediately.”
“Alpha!”
Every warrior bowed their neck in submission before dispersing into the surrounding land.
I headed back inside, intent on at least checking on Bee. The sound of running water reached me as I passed the bedroom the shower in the en-suite. I assumed she would stay locked away for the rest of the day, and I turned to leave.
Then I saw the bed.
Blood stained the sheets where her head had rested.
Cold fury snapped through me. I shoved at the en-suite door and found it locked. I didn’t wait. I broke the handle and forced my way inside.
She stood under the shower, unmoving.
At first, it looked like she was simply lost in thought adrift somewhere far from me. Then I saw the water. Pink. Red. Blood trailing down her body and pooling at the drain.
She was topless, still wearing her leggings.
A growl thundered up from my chest. Part of it was for Damien. Part of it was for myself for not noticing sooner. I’d assumed she would heal. That the wolf would take care of it.
“Bee?” I called, grabbing a towel and stepping closer.
She didn’t react. Didn’t even turn.
“Bee!” I roared.
She flinched at the sound, but still didn’t meet my eyes.
A hand touched my shoulder. I turned sharply to find Florence standing behind me.
“Aurélie sent me,” she said softly. “I’ll help her. You need to go Damien wants to discuss security.”
I hesitated, my gaze flicking back to my mate as Florence stepped past me, cursing quietly when she reached into the stream of water.
Ice-cold.
I left the en-suite and the bedroom in a storm of fury, already hunting for the man who had laid his hands on my mate.
No matter what Sabine had done, it had come from ignorance not malice. She hadn’t understood the consequences.
He had.
Alpha King or not, I would break his bones.