Chapter 0187

The nightmare still clung to me like a second skin. Watching those vampires tear Genevieve apart had been pure torture. Prince Damien's crimson eyes burned into my memory, his gaze locking onto mine with terrifying intensity. Even though I knew it was just a dream, the screams, the metallic scent of blood, the sickening sounds of flesh rending—it all felt too real. My chest tightened with the desperate hope that somehow, Genevieve had escaped.

It took several shuddering breaths before I could ground myself in reality. The soft sheets beneath me, the faint scent of pine and leather that permeated Sebastian's room, the steady warmth at my back. Wait—warmth?

My entire body went rigid. When had he shifted back? Why?

"I need to talk to you." His voice was low, rough with sleep. One hand carded gently through my hair while the other rested possessively on my hip, pulling me flush against him. The contact should have made me recoil—just like Prince Damien's touch always had—but instead, I found myself acutely aware of the hard planes of Sebastian's chest beneath my palm. The urge to explore those ridges and valleys, to see if I could elicit the same shiver from him that Dorian gave when I scratched behind his ears, was almost overwhelming.

"About what?" I managed to keep my voice steady.

"I don't want to upset you further, so tell me if it's too much." His thumb traced absent circles on my hipbone. "But I need to know about the other girl you mentioned."

So I told him. About Genevieve. About our secret alliance in that hellhole, the whispered plans, how she'd shoved me toward the trees with a hissed "Run!" when the hunters came. Sebastian stayed silent throughout, his breathing even. When I finished, I tilted my head back to find him staring at the ceiling, jaw clenched.

"What?" I prodded.

His eyes met mine briefly before returning to the ceiling. "When we first learned about the bounty on you, there was another one—for a human girl. I was too focused on you to pay it much mind then. But now... I think it might have been Genevieve."

I bolted upright, bracing on one elbow to study his face. "It had to be her. We were the only ones who lasted more than a few days. Who else would they care enough to hunt?" The tears came hot and fast. "Do you... do you think they caught her?"

Sebastian cupped my cheek, calloused fingers wiping away the moisture. "I don't know. Can you tell me anything about her? Where she was from? Where she might have gone?" I was already shaking my head before he finished.

"I thought she'd be safe with the hunters. I was so worried about myself, about what they'd do if they found out what I am..." My voice cracked. "I should have thought about her. Why didn't I realize she was in just as much danger?"

"Hey." He caught my chin, forcing my gaze to his. "Tell me everything. What she looked like, how tall she was, anything that could help me find her. I'll put the word out. And I'll check if the bounty's still active—if it is, that means she's still free. We can reach her first."

I searched his face. "You'd do that? For a human? For a stranger?"

The intensity in his eyes stole my breath. "I'd do it because she needs help, and protecting the vulnerable is an Alpha's duty. But more than that—she helped you when no one else would. Helped you escape, kept your secret." His thumb brushed my lower lip. "That makes her pack."