Chapter 422 Release your power

“Un-fucking-believable, is it just me, or does she somehow look like… the Supreme Luna?” Matt remarked, a slight frown crossing his face as he studied the creature up close. “Seb, look closely and you’ll see the—”

A glare from Sebastian sealed his lips before he could finish his observation, and Matt quickly cleared his throat, knowing Sebastian hated mermaids to the point that he wouldn’t tolerate any of them being compared to his precious wife. No matter how much Matt thought the two looked alike, he decided it was wiser to keep his mouth shut.

“Have you gotten the dagger ready?” Sebastian asked the doctor, who looked up from the tablet displaying an anatomical diagram of a mermaid with her chest cut open, her glowing heart exposed, much like this mermaid’s own would be in a few days.

“Everything’s ready. We just need her prepared before the day arrives, that’s all… and—oh, she’s coming around,” Gilbert said as the mermaid’s head slowly turned, consciousness returning to her while a soft groan of discomfort escaped her lips.

When her blue eyes opened fully and regarded them all with pure hatred, Sebastian’s silver eyes barely flinched, showing no reaction at all. She snarled at them before parting her lips and unleashing a scream that shattered every pane of glass around them as she thrashed against her bindings.

Gilbert dropped his tablet and covered his ears, and Matt cursed as their men began collapsing to the ground around them, only Sebastian remained unaffected, being a Supreme Alpha.

When she showed no sign of stopping, he raised his hand, smoke curling from his palm, and reached out to seal the mermaid’s mouth shut, trapping her screams inside.

“You’re too loud, mermaid.”

Yasmin yanked at her bindings, desperate to teach the werewolf the lesson of his life, but she couldn’t move. His powers were burning against her skin, and her blue eyes snapped to the ashy smoke restraining her mouth as something dawned on her.

It confirmed what she had feared about this werewolf in particular.

He had used a mermaid before to obtain the power he was now using against her.

She wasn’t going to be his first victim.

He possessed abilities that werewolves were never meant to have, powers they could only obtain by tearing out a royal mermaid’s heart and devouring it.

Yasmin wasn’t surprised that he had done such a thing, but the realization filled her with terror. If he had stolen another royal mermaid’s heart before, then he intended to devour hers just as mercilessly.

The pain and fury of being treated this way made her close her eyes, preparing to unleash her sharpest scales at them, scales that would leave permanent marks across their skin, even if they wouldn’t kill them.

But then she stopped as someone suddenly burst through the door, panting.

The mermaid’s eyes flooded with relief at the sight of her cousin rushing in and she dropped the attempt to hurt the werewolves around her.

Viola, who had made her way there with Wave’s help, hurried forward. The moment she saw Sebastian standing with his hand outstretched, his power sealing Yasmin’s mouth shut, she reached out and pressed her hand gently against his. He turned to her, surprise flashing across his face as he asked,

“What are you doing here?”

“Release your power. You’re hurting her.” Viola said gently, seeing the pain etched across the mermaid’s face.

Gilbert and Matt exchanged glances, unable to help but wonder how the Supreme Luna had found her way to this hidden place, where they’d planned to drain every drop of water from the mermaid’s stored reserves.

Sebastian’s brows knit together in displeasure, but he lowered his hand, turning back to her. “You shouldn’t be here. How did you find this place?”

He saw her turn her head slightly to the side, and Sebastian followed her line of sight to find Wave glaring at him from the corner. He cursed under his breath. Of course, the little bastard had brought her here to see the mermaid he had in custody.

“Can we talk? In private,” Viola asked, her eyes flicking toward the mermaid, who had calmed down now, as though she trusted she was safe with Viola there. Yet tears glistened at the corners of her eyes, ready to fall and harden into pearls.

Sebastian turned to Gilbert and Matt. “You two, keep watch. I’ll be back.” Then he took Viola’s hand and led her out of the room.

After Sebastian left, the air became awkward. Matt and the doctor’s relationship was no longer what it had once been, ever since Matt had warned him not to hurt Zoe and if he dares hurt her, he would have his limbs.

Meanwhile, Gilbert, who had already decided that once this mermaid sacrifice was over he would take the Luna’s advice and tell both the Supreme Alpha and Zoe that she deserved better than him, found it difficult to maintain a friendly atmosphere around the Beta, who would no doubt break his leg for hurting Zoe regardless of the warnings.

Rather than speak to the doctor, Matt turned to the mermaid, who was glaring at them with undisguised hatred, and said, “You understand our language, don’t you?”

Yasmin snarled at him, and he smiled.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Let’s have a conversation and pretend the doctor isn’t in the room, shall we? What kind of food do you eat in the sea?”

Meanwhile, Sebastian led his wife into the adjoining room on the deserted floor, one that resembled a warehouse, and closed the door behind them before turning to face her patiently.

“What did you want to talk about?”

Viola didn’t want to open the conversation with telling him to release the mermaid because she was related to her, so she started instead with, “Can you tell me why you have her?”

Sebastian tucked his hands into his pockets, looking away from her. “I planned to tell you this once everything was done, but I suppose it’s best you know now. She’s the only way I can mark you without killing you, and the only way to cure my brother. There are records showing that sacrificing a royal mermaid, using her heart, has lifted this curse across two generations before.

“Since I no longer want to follow the prophecy, I have no choice but to use a mermaid as the sacrifice.” He turned to look at her, and when he saw her expression, his eyes took on a look of understanding. “You don’t like that I want to use her, do you?”