SEBASTIAN’S POV
Her words hit me like a fist to the chest. “My parents,” she whispered, her voice breaking, tears streaming down her bruised cheeks, her green eyes raw with pain.
I sat frozen on the bench by the lake, the shimmering water and vibrant garden fading, my focus locked on her. Maximus growled, a storm of rage and pity churning inside me, my fists clenching on my knees. Her parents? The ones who were supposed to protect her? My jaw tightened, my wolf urging me to act, to tear into anyone who’d hurt her.
“Your parents?” I said, my voice low, incredulous, my eyes searching her tear-streaked face. “Why? I mean, how could they…?” I trailed off, my words failing, my chest tight.
Isabella laughed, a bitter, broken sound, her hands swiping at her tears. “I highly doubt you’d unde
