19. Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Eighteen
Hal
The moment I realized Briar was gone, my world collapsed.
While Briar was in the bathroom, I tried to make sense of what had just happened in the dining hall.
Although I hadn’t voiced it when Seb had read the letter, I think I knew who was behind all this.
It had to be Briar’s father. Who else would have any interest in having Briar come alone to release Sin?
It had to be him, the once so powerful but now banished Clive.
There was no way I was letting Briar venture out into the unknown alone.
I wasn’t letting him go now that I’d just found him, my mate, my love.
Since leaving the dining hall, I’d had this strange foreboding that wouldn’t go away.
Like a darkness crouching in on me, threatening to swallow up my world.
Like a sudden chill I couldn’t shake. Something dreadful was going to happen, I just knew it.
So when I realized Briar had been in the bathroom for way too long, the feeling intensified and transformed into a physical pain, almost like I’d lost something, or a limb had been torn from my body.
The bathroom door was locked, and there was no sound to be heard from the other side, only a hollow quiet.
I knocked on the door, but of course, no one opened it.
In the end, I kicked it in. As I’d dreaded, I found the bathroom empty and the small window open, the freezing night air invading the room.
Briar. My sweet, brave omega. For a second, my heart stopped, only to be catapulted into action as if I’d been struck by lightning. My entire body was on alert. My omega was in danger. I had to find him, and I needed my best friend’s help.
I ran down the hallway, then started pounding frantically on the door to Seb and Gus’ chambers. Within seconds, Gus threw the door open.
“Hal! What is it?”
I stumbled inside the room, clasping his shoulder, afraid my legs would give way beneath me.
“It’s Bri-ar,” I stuttered, my lungs struggling for their next breath of air.
“He’s gone!” I collapsed into Gus’ arms and he half-carried me to a chair next to the fireplace.
Seb must’ve heard the ruckus because he came rushing from the adjoining room, which was the twins’ bedroom.
“Hal! What on earth—” his voice faltered as he took in my slumped form.
“Gus?” Seb came to his husband’s side, reaching for his hand, then something flashed in his eyes, his hand flying to his mouth.
“Oh gods, he went after all. That silly omega. I told him not to.” Seb’s voice softened, and he squeezed my shoulder.
“It’ll be alright, Hal, I promise. Briar can’t have gone far.
We’ll find him.” He turned to Gus, his voice imploring, “Gather a group of alphas, my love. My best men only. We shall head out immediately.”
“But… we…” My voice failed me as immense sadness overtook my body. I felt lost without my omega. Briar wasn’t just the man I loved; no, he was my heart, my soul, my everything. He was my reason for existing, my purpose.
“It will be alright, Hal.” Seb’s voice came out strong and unwavering. “We will find him, and he will be alright. If the guards we sent ahead haven’t already run into him, we will.”
“I… I think Briar’s father is behind this,” I mumbled, clutching my chest. It felt like an invisible cord connecting me to Briar had been severed, and I was now bleeding internally.
Did my poor Briar feel it, too? Was he frightened?
Briar was strong, but I gathered he must be, out there alone in the dark.
“Clive?” Seb gasped. “But…”
“Who else would have any interest in doing this?” I muttered, renewed anger flaring inside.
Seb shook his head. “If it’s him, then there are no limits to the lengths he’ll go to regain power. Clive thrives on power, and he doesn’t care about anyone but himself. We must go right aw—”
“Stop! In the name of his Majesty King Sebastian, I implore you to stop!” Chaos erupted outside the royal chambers, a myriad of rushed voices and shuffling.
“Let us inside! We have urgent matters to discuss with the king!” There was more shuffling.
“One of his royal advisors is in grave danger, and I demand to talk to the king now!” A desperate voice tore through the disturbance.
A guard appeared in the doorway, looking alarmed. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty, about the inconvenience and the late hour, but someone has urgent matters to discuss with you.”
Seb waved at the guard. “It’s alright. I’m up anyway. Let them in.”
The guard stepped aside, and an omega, the spitting image of Briar, only older and slightly larger in frame, hurried inside, followed by a huge alpha.
“Sin!” Seb exclaimed. “But… how…?”
“Please tell me Briar is safe!” Sin fell to his knees in front of Seb, clutching his legs. “Please tell me my brother is safe, Your Majesty,” he cried. The alpha was at his side in seconds, speaking comforting words against his ear, then pulled Sin from the floor and into his arms.
I stood from the chair on wobbly legs and approached Briar’s brother. “Briar has left,” I whispered, and the wound inside burst wide open as pain surged through me.
“Gods, no!” Sin cried out, burying his face in his hands, his body shaking. “It’s all my fault.”
“Darling, it isn’t your fault,” the alpha spoke gently, cradling Sin in his arms. “How could you have known the lengths your father would go to?”
“But I allowed him back into our lives,” Sin countered.
“You did that out of the goodness of your heart, darling.”
“Still…” Sin shook his head. “We need to go immediately.”
Seb nodded. “Of course. But first, tell me everything.”
“Martin, will you tell them?” Sin’s voice shook as he looked imploringly at the alpha by his side.
“Of course, darling.” Martin sighed deeply, then continued, “Clive came to us a while back after he had been banished from the palace. He was a broken man, asking Sin for forgiveness and claiming he now saw the error of his ways and accepted me as Sin’s mate.
He seemed genuine and Sin…” Martin hesitated, and Sin nodded.
“Sin wanted so desperately to believe his father. So we allowed him into our home and into our lives. When it came to his banishment from the palace, Clive spun us a tale of betrayal and…” Martin faltered, eyeing Seb warily.
“And of a cruel and dominant king who was unwilling to share his power with anyone. A king who had gone mad with love and was under the spell of a ruthless alpha. An alpha who was a threat to all omegas.”
“That bastard!” Seb gasped, clenching his jaw. “I should’ve had his head!”
“You couldn’t have known, my love,” Gus interjected.
Seb shook his head, then looked at Martin. “Continue, please.”
“We didn’t know the truth. We live far away from the palace and had no way of finding out. Clive stayed with us for a while, taking on the role of the perfect father and grandfather to our little Rue.”
A sob fell from Sin’s lips, then a muffled “I hate him…”
“After a while, he started leaving the house for longer periods of time,” Martin continued. “We didn’t really think anything of it until he started asking questions about Briar. Of course, Sin didn’t know anything; it had been years since he’d seen his brother.”
“Years,” Sin sobbed. “So many years lost because of that evil, deceitful man.”
“My love, don’t exert yourself,” Martin cooed, patting Sin’s stomach fondly. Then, looking at us, Martin smiled softly, “We have a little one on the way. Just found out.”
We mumbled our congratulations. Briar was going to be an uncle again. The thought of Briar never knowing his nephews was unbearable. “Continue, please,” I implored Martin.
“Yes. Then one evening, I was attending to my horses, and I heard voices in the vicinity of the woods. We live out in the country, you see, and no one is around, especially not at night. I approached quietly, and that’s when I heard Clive and another voice.
It was an alpha, I’m sure, from the depth of his voice.
Clive was telling the alpha about a dangerous omega working undercover at the palace with plans to overthrow the king himself. ”
“Lies!” Seb roared. “The loathsome, vile imposter!”
Martin continued unfazed, his voice urgent. “Clive told the alpha about his plan to lure the dangerous omega from the palace to a secluded place where the alpha could then snatch him and keep him imprisoned until the king could be notified and then deal with the threat.”
Sin sniffled as Martin continued. “I knew it was a lie, of course. Why would Clive care about the safety of the king if said king was a cruel leader under the spell of a ruthless alpha? Something didn’t add up.”
“Briar…” My voice broke. “He would never. He thought Sin was in danger. And now he’s gone. On his own.” I hunched over, clutching my stomach in blinding agony.
“We need to find him,” Sin urged. “My father… There’s no limit to his thirst for power. I don’t know what his plan is, but it is cruel, I’m sure.”
I nodded. “He’ll probably try to use Briar as some sort of leverage to regain power.”
“I agree,” Seb said.
“Oh, gods, no. My poor brother,” Sin cried against his alpha’s chest. “It’s all my fault.”
“You couldn’t have known,” Gus said. “We shall gather a rescue party, and we will leave immediately.” Clasping my shoulder, my best friend looked at me. “We will find him, Hal.”
Sin looked at us questioningly, tears clinging to his lashes. My heart ached at how much he resembled Briar and how much I missed my mate. “Are you…?” Sin whispered.
“I’m Briar’s mate,” I confirmed, pride rising in my chest. “My name is Hal, and I’m Gus’ best friend, and Briar is my—” my voice shook.
Sin flew from the chair. “Briar has a mate?” Tears welled in his eyes again.
He held out his hand to me, and I grabbed it.
“Hal, is it? I wish we could’ve met under different circumstances, but it’s good to meet you nonetheless.
” Sin searched my face. “Will you help me? Will you bring my brother back?”
I nodded furiously. “I swear it. I will. I’ll bring Briar home to us.” I hesitated. “If I only knew where they took him.”
“The letter mentioned the Sunmorrow Farm. That Briar was to go there alone,” Seb said.
Sin and Martin both paled, then Sin whispered, “The Sunmorrow Farm? Surely not.”
“Yes,” I said. “That’s what the letter said. Of course, we told Briar not to go alone, but did he listen, my silly omega?”
“But…” Sin clutched his chest. “The Sunmorrow Farm burned down a decade ago. There’s nothing left but ruins and…”
“And the old caretaker’s cottage,” Martin nodded. “It’s been abandoned since the fire. Perhaps…”
Hope sparked in my chest. Perhaps. The concept of losing Briar didn’t exist in my world.
It couldn’t. There was no light without him, without my beautiful Briar, my shy little butterfly.
There was no alpha without the omega. As sure as the sun rose in the east and set in the west, it was a universal truth. There was no me without him.
“Then let’s go at once!” I boomed, already rushing from the room.
“Gus, gather more men now!” I heard Seb. “Martin, you’re coming with us, and Sin, you’ll stay here.”
“But—”
“No buts. You are with child, Sin. Hal, go get Adrian and ask him and Corin to get the horses ready!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” I called out over my shoulder as I ran down the hallway, my heart pounding in my chest. And I felt it then, the bond. It was still there, pulsing with life, love, and hope.
I’m coming, Briar. Stay strong, sweetness. I’m coming to bring you home.