Chapter 578
“Your Highness p>
The maidservants dropped into deep, synchronized curtsies the moment Gabriel strode into the sunlit chamber.
He barely acknowledged them, his mind racing far ahead of his body.
“Where’s Mother?” he asked, his eyes already scanning the empty seating area.
“Her Majesty has gone to the rose garden,” the eldest maid replied quickly, smoothing her apron. “I’ll fetch her at once p>
“Gabriel?” Mabel’s gentle voice cut through the air from the doorway. She stood framed in the arch, a light shawl draped over her shoulders. “What is it, darling? You look p>
She stopped, reading the storm on his face before he turned fully toward her. The maidservant froze mid-step, sensing the shift in the air. The other attendants quietly retreated to the corners with their heads bowed.
“Katelyn… She’s been abducted.” Gabriel delivered the news to her. Noah’s tiny face turned upset hearing that name.
Mabel’s hand flew to her chest. The color drained from her face in an instant, her steps faltering as if the floor had tilted beneath her. The attendant behind her reached out instinctively, steadying her elbow, but Mabel barely noticed.
“What?” she whispered. “How? Who did it p>
Gabriel crossed the distance between them in three long strides.
“I just got the call from Sage,” he said, though his own heart was hammering hard enough to drown out everything else. “It happened this morning. It seemed the one behind it was Ophelia p>
“Find her,” she pleaded, voice barely above a whisper. “Gabriel, please bring my daughter home p>
“I will,” he promised. He pulled her into a brief, fierce embrace, feeling her shake against him. “I swear it, Mom. I will p>
“I’m leaving Noah with you,” Gabriel said. He carefully transferred his son into Mabel’s waiting arms. “Amelie’s bathing. I don’t trust anyone else around, just family. Tell Father and the others what’s happened. And when Amelie’s out, make sure she knows: she stays inside the palace. No one leaves these walls. Not a single one of you p>
Mabel nodded, her eyes brimming with tears, and her arms instinctively curling protectively around Noah. The little boy blinked up at his father. A small, confused whimper escaped him as he reached one chubby hand toward Gabriel’s face.
Gabriel’s heart twisted. He leaned down, pressing a fierce, lingering kiss to the soft curls on top of Noah’s head, breathing in the sweet baby scent that always grounded him.
“I’ll bring you aunt back,” he whispered against his son’s hair. “I promise p>
Then he straightened, gave his mother one last look before disappearing. He was now in Carlos’s room, who was drinking the water and lowered the glass upon seeing the Alpha Prince.
“We must hurry. Ophelia has taken Kate,” Gabriel said urgently as he strode toward him.
“What? How is that possible? Did Katelyn remove the ring?” Carlos asked, his voice laced with alarm.
Gabriel had already pulled out his phone and thrust it forward, displaying the video. “Sage sent this,” he said grimly.
Carlos watched intently, his expression darkening. “It’s definitely Ophelia p>
“We need to find her now,” Gabriel declared, scrolling swiftly through his contacts until he landed on Jaxon’s name. He tapped the call button and held the phone to his ear.
After a few rings, the call connected. “Jaxon,” Gabriel said without preamble, “send me Ophelia’s location immediately p>
“Your Highness, but—” Jaxon began to protest.
Gabriel cut him off sharply. “Ophelia has Kate. I have to rescue her. Send the location. Now p>
“Your Highness, I’ll lead your way to that location,” Jaxon asserted. “Please, wait for me to come p>
Gabriel agreed and hung up the call.
Katelyn regained her consciousness, this time the pain shot from her entire body. Her eyes scanned the damp basement once again and found Ophelia was making something strange. The sting from her cheek hadn’t gone and it felt like the wound was still open.
’I need to get out of this place. She may use me to lure Amelie and Gabriel here.’ Katelyn still was unable to connect with her wolf, which seemed like was because of the magic she was bound with.
Suddenly Ophelia turned around, and Katelyn shut her eyes close quickly. She couldn’t let the witch know that she was awake. She heard the door was clicking shut and opened her eyes instantly. Ophelia had gone out of the basement, giving Katelyn a perfect chance to plan her escape. Ignoring the constant shooting pain, she tried using her strength to tore the ropes from around her wrists.
But whenever she did so, it felt something was pressing her chest, particularly the heart. It was the magic that Ophelia had cast on her to prevent her from doing anything.
“Just bear with it, Kate,” he told herself. Clenching her teeth, she felt the feeling would kill her but it was the only way to escape Ophelia’s clutches. She succeeded in tearing the thick rope bound from her right hand. But blood oozed out of her mouth as she began coughing.
Pressing her lips tightly, she suppressed that feeling and quickly removed the tightened rope from her other wrist and then ankles. Her fingers had burned because of the wolfsbane present in those ropes. But she cared less. As soon as she stood up, she heard the door was opening again.
“Please,” she shut her eyes tightly, thinking about the palace and ended up teleporting, the power that was never present in her saved her in the moments when she least expected it.
Katelyn found herself outside the palace gates and the next second she fainted.
The car in which Carlos and Gabriel were present immediately stopped which just left the palace’s gates.
“What happened?” Carlos questioned.
“Kate!” Gabriel sensed her presence and quickly exited the car. He ran to her and got on his knees before lifting her up, holding her head. His hand moved to her cheek when Carlos reached beside him along with the driver and other guards.
“She’s heavily injured. Let’s take her inside!” Carlos said in an urgent tone.