#Chapter 5 Suspicious of luna

Hannah’s POV

“She’s missing an earring.”

Nora was right; in one ear she had the same silver earring as the one I was holding. Her eyes found mine and held them for a long while as I shakily lifted my hand to reveal her missing earring.

“I found this,” I said in almost a whisper. “I heard you talking in the study. You said you weren’t anywhere near the library. So, why was your earring here?”

She stayed silent for a long while; I could feel Caroline tensing from beside me. We were both out of our element, but I couldn’t allow the queen to accuse Sebastian of something he didn’t do.

Without warning, she snatched the earring from my hand; her lips thinning as disapproval shot through her icy gaze.

“Alpha King Sebastian didn’t kill that maid,” I told her, keeping my tone low.

“You think you have things figured out here?” She asked, her voice darkening. “But you’re in for a rude awakening.”

She said nothing more as she turned and walked out of the library.

I was in for a rude awakening. What did that even mean?

I shuddered at the thought and tried to brush it out of my mind as I stood in the quiet library, watching Magnolia storm away from me. I couldn’t believe she was trying to pin the murder of that maid on Sebastian. It seemed to be coming so easily to her as if she’s done that a hundred times in the past.

I shook my head with disbelief; I couldn’t help but wonder if this was a recurring act for her. Sebastian was known to be the most vicious and monstrous wolf that walked the lands, and yet, to me, Queen Magnolia seemed even worse.

I was nervous about going to his study and disturbing him. I wondered if he knew what Queen Magnolia had done; he was the king, after all, it would surprise me if he didn’t know.

Knocking on the door of his study, I could feel his presence lurking within the walls. There was a pause where my breathing got caught in my throat and my nerves began rising into my chest.

He growled for me to enter, and I opened the door slightly to see him at his desk, writing something down and looking hard at work.

Sebastian looked unbothered, but his expression was still hard to read because of the mask he insisted on wearing. It couldn’t have been comfortable being attached to his face all the time.

He glanced over at me; his eyes were no longer the scarlet color they were the night before. They were a deep blue, and his gaze made my heartbeat rapidly against my chest. His scent filled his office and for a moment, I thought my knees were going to weaken. But I managed to keep my stance; I would be blind if I didn’t find him attractive, despite the mask. 

His dark eye scanned me over from my toes and back to my head; my face reddened as I remembered the casual and baggy clothing, I was wearing.

“What?” He asked after it was clear I wasn’t going to speak.

I snapped out of the trance and met his eyes.

“I just wanted to check on you,” I told him, keeping my tone low as I entered his office. He stared at me for a long while, trying to process what I was saying. “Because of the maid that died…” I clarified, trying to keep the nervousness out of my tone.

He looked back down at his desk and continued his work.

“Maids die here all the time. You get used to it,” he muttered; his tone was so harsh, and I shuddered.

“I see…” I said slowly. The silence between us grew thick before I got the courage to speak again. “I know it wasn’t you who killed her.”

He stopped writing to look at me; his eyes narrowing.

“Oh yeah?” He asked, his voice softening and sending a warm wave through my body as my face flushed.

I nodded once.

“Yes,” I told him.

I wasn’t going to clarify any more than that; I’m sure he understood his stepmother was trying to pin these murders on him. I felt a weird sensation tugging at my heart as I stared at him. I found myself wishing I knew what he was thinking and how he was feeling.

“I’m going to be returning to my father’s house this afternoon,” I told him. “I need to gather the rest of my belongings.”

“Take a guard with you,” he ordered, his tone was back to being harsh as he turned away to continue working.

“That’s not necessary,” I told him. “My father doesn’t live far from here. I won’t be long.”

He looked back over at me; for a second, I thought he was going to argue, and I braced myself for his temper. I worried he would lose control again like he did last night. I glanced down at his hand and saw it was bandaged from when he stabbed himself.

I pulled my eyes away from his hand and tried to smile politely at him before turning away. Before I could leave his study, I heard his voice from behind me.

“Will you be back this afternoon?” He asked; the harshness from his voice was gone completely and it was replaced with curiosity. 

I turned back to him slightly and nodded once.

“Yes,” I answered. “Why do you ask?”

“The celebrity dinner party is tonight and as my luna, you need to attend,” he answered.

My eyes widened and I stared down at my clothing once again, feeling my face heating up with embarrassment.

“I don’t have the clothing to attend such an event,” I told him sheepishly.

“That’s why I need you back early this afternoon. I have a meeting before the party; on my way, I’ll drop you off at the boutique,” he told me.

I knew right away that I didn’t have a choice in the matter. I nodded once and turned towards the door once again.

My breathing grew heavy as I left his study; I tried hard to not hyperventilate right then and there. I was going to a celebrity dinner party. I was going to a celebrity dinner party with the wolf king.

Well fuck.  

…

Sebastian’s POV

Sebastian stared after her; there was something about her he couldn’t shake. Of course, he heard the whispering and the murmurs of the servants around the palace. He knew of the maid that turned up dead in the library; he also knew he was nowhere near the library.

But he wondered how someone as simple-minded as Hannah would know such a thing as well. Surely, she didn’t go investigating this murder on her own.

“Her scent…” his wolf, Eric, breathed. “It still lingers.”

There was a deep longing that rose in him as he continued to take in her lingering scent.

“You want her, tonight, and you can’t wait,” Eric laughed. “You never wanted a woman so badly.”

Sebastian took a deep breath, trying to restrain the hot flow that surged through his abdomen.