Free Web NovelChapter 34: Chapter 34
Riley’s POV
We move into a dimmer part of the building, and the air feels heavier the farther we go. The lights are fewer here, the walls darker.
My heart is drumming loudly in my ears, so loud I’m scared they can hear it. Cane, Caden, and Gunnar walk ahead of me like they already know every shadow in this place. I follow closely, my steps careful, my fingers curling into the fabric of my dress.
There are more guards here. A lot more.
They stand straighter than the others, their faces blank, their eyes sharp. As we pass, they bow slightly to the three Alphas.
We stop in front of a massive door made of dark wood and metal. It looks old. Powerful. freёwebnoѵel.com
From behind the door, I hear low grunts.
My stomach tightens instantly.
I swallow hard.
Caden raises his hand and knocks once.
The grunts stop immediately.
Silence.
Then a deep voice speaks from inside.
"Come in."
Caden pushes the door open.
The room we step into is large, but dimly lit. The light crackling at the side is the main source of light, casting shadows across the walls. The smell of sex hits me next, strong and uncomfortable.
The room feels private in a way that makes my skin crawl.
Sebastian is standing near a table when we enter.
He straightens slowly and turns toward us.
My chest tightens the moment our eyes meet.
He looks exactly how he sounded earlier. Tall. Broad. Dominating. His presence alone feels like pressure on my lungs. His hair is dark and streaked slightly with gray, his face sharp and unreadable.
His eyes lands on me, and something dark flickers there.
"So," he says calmly, his voice deep and steady. "You came to see me with my son’s?"
Caden steps forward slightly. "Sebastian"
Sebastian lifts a hand, stopping him.
"No," he says without looking away from me. "This is between her and me."
My pulse jumps.
Cane and Caden hesitate, then step back reluctantly, positioning themselves behind me but close enough that I can feel them.
Sebastian’s gaze travels slowly over me, from my face to my dress, then back to my eyes.
"You have way too much nerves for a human," he says flatly. "Asking to see me after everything."
I lift my chin. My hands are shaking, but I keep them at my sides.
"I needed answers," I say. "And I won’t get them hiding behind your sons."
His lips curve into a slow, cold smile.
"Bold," he says. "Or foolish."
"Maybe both," I reply, my voice steady despite the fear running through me. "But you don’t get to decide my life without speaking to me first."
He lets out a short laugh.
"You think this is a negotiation?" Sebastian asks. "You walked into my territory, tried to marry my sons, and brought chaos with you."
"I didn’t try to marry anyone," I snap. "I was dragged here against my will."
His eyes harden.
"You are married already," he says. "That alone makes you unacceptable."
"My marriage is none of your business," I say quickly. "And neither is my past."
Sebastian steps closer.bThe aura feels tighter instantly.
"You made it my business the moment you stepped into Obsidian Veil," he says coldly. "You belong to another Alpha. You bore his child."
My breath catches painfully. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
"That child is dead," he continues without mercy. "And by your own failure."
My vision blurs.
"That’s not true," I whisper. "You don’t know what happened, you don’t listen to one side of the story."
"I know enough," he says sharply. "Enough to know you bring weakness, scandal, and danger."
I feel something snap inside me.
"You talk about weakness," I say, my voice rising. "But you hide behind power and threats. You’d rather kill me than face the truth, won’t you?"
Sebastian’s eyes flash.
"You think I enjoy this?" he growls. "You think I don’t see what you are?"
"What am I?" I ask.
He steps closer until he’s towering over me.
"You are a liability," he says calmly. "A human woman with no place here. And I will not allow my sons to destroy everything for you."
I clench my fists.
"Your sons chose this," I say. "Not me."
"They are blinded," Sebastian snaps. "And you are the reason."
Cane shifts behind me. "Father, enough."
Sebastian turns his head slightly. "Stay out of this."
He looks back at me.
"You should leave," he says. "Go back to your husband. Crawl back to the life you came from."
My chest tightens at the mention of Ethan.
"I won’t go back to someone like Ethan Forlorn Vaelkor," I say.
Sebastian raises a brow."Do you think you have a choice?"
"I do," I say firmly. "And threatening me with death won’t change that."
He laughs again, darker this time.
"You heard about the Rite," he says. "Good. Fear is healthy."
"That rite is murder," I snap. "And you know it."
"It is tradition," he replies coldly. "And traditions exist to protect what matters."
I inhale shakily.
"I lost my child. I lost my home. I lost my dignity. And now you want to take my life too just to make a point so that I don’t get to marry your son’s?"
Sebastian doesn’t respond immediately.
"You raised sons who are willing to defy you," I continue. "That didn’t come from nowhere. Maybe you should ask yourself why."
The room goes deadly quiet. Sebastian’s jaw tightens."You are dangerously close to crossing a line Riley Grayson," he warns.
"I already crossed it when you humiliated me in front of everyone," I say. "When you let them call me names. When you reduced me to nothing."
He stares at me, his expression unreadable.
"You are stronger than you look," he admits slowly. "But strength does not change reality."
"Reality changes whether you like it or not," I reply. "Your sons won’t give me up. And you know it."
A flicker of something dark passes through his eyes.
"That is exactly why this ends now," he says. "Either they renounce their bloodlines, or you face the Rite."
I feel my stomach drop again.
"I won’t let them lose everything for me," I whisper.
"Then you already know your answer," Sebastian says.
I straighten.
"No," I say. "I know yours."
He frowns slightly."You know mine?" He asks, cracking up in a fit of laughter.
I nod and then say the one word that burned the entire room"I accept to perform the Rite Of The Borrowed Moon for Sixty days"
