Chapter 498: Mother’s Killer

Sebastian went to their now-permanent home, her penthouse, the place they’d live together from now on without ever being separated the way they had been in the past. He climbed the stairs into the room they would now share every night, carefully laying his wife down on the bed and pulling the blanket over her, knowing she was far more prone to cold than the average she-wolf.

Once he had her settled comfortably, he sank to his knees beside the bed, resting his elbows on the mattress as he reached out to tuck a strand of hair delicately behind her ear. She must have been shaken by what had happened in Mooncreek, and he suspected she was already silently blaming herself for destroying what little remained of her parents’ history.

"It’s not your fault. Not everything bad has to be your fault, mi amor. Some things happen for reasons we can’t always see, and sometimes... a misfortune can turn into a blessing." He whispered to her, brushing his thumb along her cheek. She needed all the rest she could get, and if it were up to him, Sebastian wouldn’t have woken her just to tell her he was planning to go to war against his cousin, to end that pathetic pack before it grew any larger.

After everything she’d already been through these past days, he didn’t want to add more to her plate. He thought, bending down to press a kiss to the corner of her lips, but as he began to pull back, her eyes opened.

"You’re planning to go to war without telling me again, aren’t you?" She said, catching him off guard, since he’d assumed she was still asleep. He looked down and met her blue eyes.

"You’re awake." Sebastian muttered, still tracing her cheek gently. "You weren’t actually asleep this whole time, were you?" He narrowed his eyes at her, and she shook her head, lips pursed.

"I was asleep, until your voice and Matt’s woke me up." She said, and watched understanding dawn on his face as he realized she now shared the mind link with him, meaning that unless he specifically blocked her side of it, she’d overhear every conversation he had in it with anyone.

"I see. You heard everything, then." He mused, and she nodded, reaching for his hand and holding it in hers.

"I want to come with you, to bring Zoe home." Viola announced, knowing she wouldn’t be able to rest easy staying behind when she could actually help, both as his Luna, and as a friend who wanted to be there for someone she cared about. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

But before she could even finish reasoning it through, her husband was already shaking his head. "Absolutely not. It’s best if you stay home. Kenny’s on his way, and I told him to bring Tess, you can keep her company, talk about the baby. You could go baby clothes shopping, or find something to occupy yourself, anything that will—"

Viola sat up on the bed, glaring at him. "I don’t want to shop. When it’s time for baby shopping, I’m doing that with you, and Tess can spend time with Laila instead. But I am not staying behind. If you’re worried I’ll slow you down or drag you back don’t be, don’t forget, I have my wolf now. I can fight, and I can heal myself."

Viola carried a deep personal grudge against Nick, one she knew no amount of talking herself down would erase, not after what she’d uncovered about him. Realizing she still hadn’t told her husband, she finally said it.

"I think...no, I believe, he killed my mother, Seb. Haven’t you ever wondered where he got the ability to cover his tracks so completely in Silver? That day I was in the sea, Aunt Natasha tried to insist I stay with them, saying you were my mother’s killer. When I asked her if she’d actually seen your face in my mother’s death memory, she said no, but—"

Viola recalled the conversation she’d had with her aunt, after Natasha had urged her to pick a side and tried to convince her to choose the mermaids with the false fact that Sebastian was her mother’s killer.

"She didn’t see his face clearly, but she told me he had silver hair, and eyes that flashed with something intense, and that he wore a silver chain around his neck. Nick wears a chain he never takes off, he told me once it belonged to his father."

Viola hadn’t put it together right away, but eventually it had all clicked into place, it had to be him. Now she had every more reason to hate him, and even more reason to be there when he finally get caught, because she intended to make sure he suffered exactly the way he’d made her mother suffer, and her, too.

She’d long made herself believe that her best friend, Nick was gone, and this person was someone who should be brought down no matter what.

Sebastian saw the murderous look in his wife’s eyes and knew there was nothing he could say to keep her home, not when she was going after her own mother’s killer. He realized the only thing left in his power was to shoulder as much of the danger himself as he could, while keeping her close by his side.

He cupped her cheeks, and the murderous look in her eyes softened at once as she turned to him. "Fine. You can come along, but if you start feeling unwell on the way, you’re staying in the car. Pregnant women should be resting, not fighting." He said with a sigh, and his wife rolled her eyes.

"But this one wants to fight alongside her husband, and our baby will be fine, I’ll make sure to protect it too." She said, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

"Don’t overdo anything, love." He warned her, then added, "Matt says Kenny’s on his way to Silver. Before they arrive, I might as well have a quick meeting with the elders. Get some rest while I’m gone, okay? I’ll let you know when our guests arrive."

Knowing he’d agreed to let her come along was enough to settle Viola, and she nodded, letting herself relax. After making sure she was comfortable, he kissed her and left the room. But sleep was the last thing on Viola’s mind, she couldn’t stop worrying about Zoe, who by now must have discovered exactly what kind of monster Nick was and that he was responsible for her weakened wolf.