Chapter 524
The Past 18:
Amelie paced restlessly in her room, trying to force herself to wait for Draven’s return, all the while constantly checking the clock. It was already late evening. The time the witch had given her to meet in the backyard, sharp five o’clock, was closely approaching.
“Amelie,” Irene’s soft voice came from outside as the door opened. She turned around and saw her mother standing in the doorway.
“Why do you look so worried, dear?” Irene asked, observing her daughter’s frantic state. “We have packed all the bags now. The carriage is waiting for us outside. Shall we go p>
“Mother, I’ll come later with Gabriel,” Amelie suggested, needing her parents out of the way. “Why don’t you and Father leave first p>
“What? Why would we leave without you?” Irene questioned, confused by the sudden change of plan. “And you’ll see Prince Gabriel once we arrive safely at the palace,” she reminded her.
Amelie shook her head, trying to sound convincing. “Gabriel will come here, Mother. I think you two should go first. Many warriors are stationed in the house for security, so you don’t have to worry about my safety,” she opined. She didn’t wish her parents to get harmed in any way. Ophelia was making her dark moves and the intimidating message was scaring her more.
“No, dear. We will go with you and Prince Gabriel then,” Irene stated firmly. She could feel intuitively that something was seriously wrong with her daughter, and she wouldn’t leave her alone.
“Mother, you should go first. Gabriel will be upset if he finds that—” Amelie couldn’t finish her argument as a servant’s voice sounded from outside the door.
“Miss Amelie, someone wishes to see you p>
Amelie and her mother both turned toward the door.
“Who is it?” Irene asked, her brow furrowing.
“Draven, Madam,” the servant replied.
“Who’s Draven?” Irene glanced at her daughter for an explanation.
“Gabriel has stationed him here for my safety,” Amelie answered quickly. “I’ll be back soon,” she asserted, and before her mother could object further, Amelie slipped out of the room to meet Draven.
As she stepped out of the house, in the courtyard, she saw Draven standing firm, his expression serious.
“Where’s Gabriel?” Amelie asked immediately, urgency overriding all manners.
“Miss, I couldn’t find him,” Draven confided in a low voice, looking deeply troubled. “He wasn’t at the location where Ophelia was kept. As for Soren, the Beta, he’s injured and was immobilized by the witch’s spell p>
“What? Where did Gabriel go then?” Amelie gasped, the note’s threat suddenly feeling real now. “What did Soren say exactly?” she demanded.
“He said Prince Gabriel has gone to search for Ophelia. But no one knows where since he went alone,” Draven stated, confirming Gabriel’s dangerous solo mission.
“Why did he have to go alone?” Amelie cried out, her eyes immediately brimming with tears. Her hand moved to her head in intense restlessness. “It all happened because of me,” she murmured, overwhelmed by guilt.
“Calm down, Miss Amelie. Panicking won’t help us now,” Draven said gently but firmly. “Now, we have to follow that note’s instruction carefully. That’s the only lead we have left p>
“Can’t we find a witch to help us track her?” Amelie asked, desperation in her voice.
“We can, Miss. The High Priest is the one we should contact,” Draven suggested, nodding. “But the Alpha King must be informed first. This situation has grown too dangerous and political for us to handle without his authority p>
“Then, please inform him. Gabriel was supposed to do it, but he couldn’t connect. We can’t let anything happen to Gabriel,” Amelie stated, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, her resolve clear.
Gabriel opened his eyes with a low groan as he looked around his surroundings. He was in a small, miserable room that clearly hadn’t been cleaned in years. Dust coated every surface, and thick spiderwebs hung everywhere.
He immediately tried to move, but found he couldn’t. At the same time, he could feel his supernatural strength being drained rapidly to a critical level; he couldn’t even use his wolf’s power to get free from the heavy restraints used to tie his wrists and ankles to the metal bed frame.
He recalled the moments leading up to this. Earlier, while investigating the area, he had reached the precise location where Ophelia was last seen when she revealed herself.
Before he could even act or defend himself, she had used a strange, paralyzing spell on him, and he had been instantly rendered unconscious.
“Amelie,” he murmured, his first thought being his mate. He tried desperately to establish a mindlink with her, but the silence remained unbroken.
Suddenly, the rickety door creaked open, and he saw Ophelia walking in, cloaked in darkness and fury.
“You’re awake!” Ophelia glared at him, her eyes burning with hatred, and she pulled out a long, silver dagger from the sheath tucked into her belt.
“I’ll kill you,” Gabriel growled, struggling uselessly against the constraints, his voice hoarse.
“No. I will kill you and Amelie both,” Ophelia remarked, stepping closer. “You two killed my daughter, and now you must pay p>
“She tried to kill Amelie first,” Gabriel countered, defending his actions.
“So? Anaya was my only daughter! My only child! Can you bring her back to me?” Ophelia bellowed at him, her voice cracking with pain and rage.
“No. But I can you send back to her!” Gabriel shouted with the strength present in him.
Ophelia laughed evilly and closed the distance between them. She brought the silver dagger to his cheek and made a sharp cut on it. Gabriel winced in pain.
“I’ll put you both in a curse, which will be unbreakable. You killed my daughter, then you must pay for it in every lifetime. In every single lifetime, I will make sure you two die without uniting with each other,” Ophelia screamed with all the hatred she had in her heart.
Gabriel cried in pain as the touch of silver brought agony to him. Only when Ophelia withdrew it, he felt a little relief. Ophelia collected the blood in a tiny flask and moved to the table behind Gabriel. With her magic, the candles in the lampstand glowed.
Gabriel tried his best to free himself from the bounds, but his attempts went in vain.
’I have to save Amelie,’ he thought, but it seemed too hard now.