Chapter 423 Both on different sides

This was exactly why he hadn’t wanted to tell her, Sebastian thought, because he knew that no matter how he explained it, she would never feel entirely at peace with him using something that came from her own kind, to lift his curse and solve the biggest problem standing in his way.

Viola, who until now had assumed he wanted the mermaid for whatever reasons other werewolves usually captured them for, suddenly felt torn. So this entire time, when he’d spoken of finding a way to mark her safely, this was what he’d meant, a mermaid’s heart?

She had looked forward to being marked, to sharing his emotions the way he already shared hers, but she had never imagined it would come at this cost. And it was also, once again, his way of fixing things with his brother, since once Alex was cured, Sebastian could finally risk telling him the truth about their past, without fear that the truth alone might worsen his condition.

That was a reasonable reason for him to capture a creature he never truly liked to begin with.

But if Viola did nothing to stop him from using this particular mermaid, she would be failing her own sister, possibly even dooming her to death somewhere in the sea. Ivy had given her so much, even when Viola believed she hadn’t deserved it, and for the first time, her sister had asked for her help. She didn’t want to fail her.

Viola wished, almost desperately, that this had been some nameless, faceless mermaid with no connection to her sister at all. Maybe then she could have looked away, fought down her conscience. But could she really look away from this one and still live with herself afterward?

“Sebastian…” Viola began, slowly pressing her hands against his chest, catching the suspicious look already forming on his face, as though he sensed she was about to plead for the mermaid’s life.

“No,” he said, before she could even continue. “This is the only way I can mark you, the only way I can save you, and save Alex, the people who matter most to me. Mermaids are hard to find, baby, and a royal one could lift two generations of this curse. I can’t let her go. I’ve searched for one for years. I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to look past this, and if you can’t, I can ask Kenny from Grim Pack to erase the memory from your mind, so you’ll never know I killed a mermaid to mark you. Is that what you want?” He asked gently, cupping her cheeks in his hands, but Viola shook her head, feeling the sting build behind her eyes as everything was becoming so difficult than she thought.

“No. Listen to me, Sebastian. I know how much this sacrifice means to you, but I can’t let you kill this one. Please,” she whispered. “She’s related to my sister. They were together when she was captured. We have to return her to the sea as soon as possible or Ivy will be in trouble.”

Sebastian went still at that, then cursed under his breath and dragged his fingers through his hair. He stared at her for a long moment, as though weighing something heavy, before he cursed again.

If he let the mermaid go, he would have to let his brother go too. Alex would die this month, Sebastian had heard from him just last night, which was exactly why he’d rushed to begin preparations as soon as possible. And if he let this mermaid go now, he would lose his only chance to mark Viola, condemning himself to a life spent fearing that some other fated mate might one day appear, pulling his love away from her against his will, toward someone else entirely.

“You said your sister is a mermaid, and she was with her when she was caught?” He asked, watching Viola nod her head.

“Then we can send Wave to bring her here. I’ll build a man-made river, and we can keep her there, safe from the dangers of the sea. She’ll be protected with us, and I’ll keep her safe for you.” Sebastian said, reaching out to take her hand.

Viola frowned. “What about Yasmin? What happens to her?”

“I don’t know who the fuck Yasmin is, Viola. All I know is my wife, and my family.” Sebastian said, frustration barely contained in his voice. “I can’t let that mermaid go. If she goes, there’s a real chance I lose not just you, but my brother too. I’m doing this for us. For our future. You have to look pass this one, love.”

Viola shook her head, again and again. “We can try to find another way to cure Alex, and… and I can live without your mark, for as long as I know you’ll still love me. But I can’t let Ivy down again, Seb.” She said, pleading. “Please…”

“You don’t know what you’re saying. I’m destined to a dozen possible mates, and only one of them is truly meant for me, and you’re not the one, Viola. Not yet. But if I mark you and you survive it, you will be. Are you willing to let me lose that for the sake of one mermaid you don’t even know?” he asked, looking down at her tear-streaked face. He hated himself for making her cry, but he saw no other path.

Sebastian was trapped in a situation he couldn’t turn back from, and to save both her and his brother, he was willing to make any sacrifice in this world.

“Sebastian… don’t do this. You know I love you, but we don’t have to use a mermaid for this. We can—”

“We can’t! I don’t have much time left. Don’t you understand that? I have a dozen other reasons to kill that creature!” He released her hand and dragged his fingers through his hair. “She has to die.”

“We can look for another way, please…” she pleaded, forcing more tears into her eyes. She knew he hated seeing her cry. She didn’t have any other way to convince him, and if it took manipulating him with her tears, then she forced herself to sob into her hands.

She was willing to work with him to find another way out of this, and if it came to Alex, she could research her abilities and see whether they could heal him. Seeing how torn he looked, she added, “Won’t you do this for me? We don’t have to kill her…”

“I’m sorry, my love. There is no other way. I’ve spent my whole life researching this, and every path leads back to sacrificing the source of my curse. Gammas!” he called out.

Three men immediately walked into the room and bowed to him.

“Escort my Luna back to my penthouse. Make sure she’s comfortable, and make sure she doesn’t step outside until I arrive,” he ordered before turning and leaving the room without waiting for a response.

Viola, caught off guard by his orders, rushed after him, but the guards caught hold of both her arms. At that moment, Sebastian’s voice rang out once more.

“Don’t you dare hurt her while you take her back!”

“Sebastian!” Viola yelled, struggling against the men’s grip as she realized he was confining her to his penthouse until he had finished the sacrifice. The realization stunned her, and she cursed him in fury, “You bastard! How dare you?!”

“I love you!” Sebastian called back, his voice already fading into the distance.

“Fuck you! Come back here, we are not done talking!” Viola screamed, but the men were already pulling her away. Though they weren’t using force against her, she couldn’t break free of their hold.