Vanished Sisters: The Lycan King's Slave Island Chapter 123

Natasha's POV

Sebastian retracted his claws with deliberate slowness, smoothing his collar to restore his venomous elegance. "Since the King urgently needs this boy to calm his agitation, I naturally won't stand in the way." His purple eyes glittered as he turned toward Davelina, still kneeling. "Take the boy, Fergus. But leave the girl."

"No." The word fell like a hammer striking stone. "I'm taking both."

Sebastian's eyes narrowed to slits. "You're too greedy, Fergus. You want to keep them both for yourself?"

Fergus didn't acknowledge that, simply turned and issued a command. "Follow me, slaves. Don't make me repeat myself."

I wrapped my arm around Davelina's waist as her legs nearly gave out, and together we stumbled after Fergus. Just before we crossed the threshold, I glanced back. Sebastian raised his crystal goblet in a mocking salute, those purple eyes promising: *This isn't over.*

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We emerged into the courtyard where a massive black carriage waited, its surface etched with the Northern Lord's wolf sigil. Four enormous black horses stamped impatiently, their breath steaming in the cold air.

Fergus walked ahead, his back ramrod straight, and I could sense the anger radiating from him—not directed at Sebastian, but at us, for forcing him to intervene.

My mind raced back to those final moments in Sebastian's chamber, to the instant when his claws had been poised to tear through my shirt. If Fergus had arrived even one second later, everything would have been revealed.

Just as we reached the carriage, Fergus stopped abruptly and turned, those mismatched eyes fixing on me with crushing intensity.

"You stupid fool." The words emerged quietly but carried more menace than any shouting. "Who gave you permission to come here alone?"

I lowered my head, forcing my voice into that boyish tone. "Forgive me, my lord. I heard that my sister had been taken here, and I couldn't—"

"Couldn't what?" He cut me off, taking one step closer. "You're not a knight. You're not a hero from your human fairy tales. This is the Obsidian Reefs. This isn't your storybooks. This is reality, and in this reality, you have no power. You are a slave—worth less than the rats in the dungeons."

Each word landed like a physical blow. "If Sebastian had torn out your throat back there, I would have ordered my guards to throw whatever was left by the roadside for wild dogs. That's all you're worth. And this is how you protect her? You walk straight into an obvious trap and accomplish nothing except ensuring both of you die together? That's not protection, boy. That's just stupidity."

The tears finally broke free, sliding down my cheeks—not tears of shame, but tears of pure fear of how close we'd come to exposure.

He was right. Every word was absolutely right.

Then Davelina moved, taking one step forward, placing herself between Fergus and me. "Please stop." Her voice was barely audible but somehow cut through the tension.

Fergus went absolutely still, staring down at this fragile human woman who barely reached his chest. "What did you say?"

"No, Davelina, don't—" I grabbed at her arm, terror flooding through me.

But she shook off my grip and raised her face to meet Fergus's gaze directly, tears streaming but her eyes blazing. "You're right. Yes, we're slaves. Yes, we have no power here. You can kill us whenever you want. We know that. But we have each other. That's something you cold-blooded monsters will never understand, something you can't take away no matter how much you torture us."

Her voice cracked but she pushed through. "We may be powerless to fight back, unable to escape this nightmare. But as long as we're still breathing, we will do everything in our power to protect each other. Even if those efforts seem laughable to you, even if they're futile and stupid—we'll still try. Because that's what family does."

The courtyard had gone silent. Guards stood frozen, waiting for violence.

"Even if this is a battle we cannot possibly win, even if we're fighting impossible odds with no hope of victory, we will continue to fight. Because he is my brother, and I am his sister." She was crying openly now, but her gaze never wavered. "What's wrong with loving your only family with everything you have, Lord Fergus? What's wrong with trying to protect them, even when you can do so little? Tell me—what crime have we committed by refusing to abandon each other?"

Fergus stood motionless, his gaze fixed on Davelina with an unreadable expression. Something flickered in those strange eyes—for just a moment, I saw something that looked almost like pain.

I watched emotions war across his face.

The red light in his eye flickered, then slowly faded. His shoulders relaxed fractionally.

He looked at Davelina for a long moment, and when he finally spoke, his voice was quiet. "...Foolish." Just that one word, but the killing intent had vanished.

He turned away and pulled open the carriage door. "Get in. And remember this—next time you decide to do something this stupid, no one will be there to save you."

I grabbed Davelina's arm, practically dragging her toward the carriage. She was shaking so hard I could feel the tremors running through her. I helped her climb in, then scrambled after her. Fergus followed, settling onto the opposite bench, his posture radiating: *Do not speak to me.*

The carriage lurched into motion. Davelina and I huddled together in the corner, our bodies pressed close.

I leaned close to her ear, my voice dropping to the barest whisper. "Oh God, Davelina... what you did back there... if he—"

She turned her head, her lips nearly brushing my ear. "As long as you're safe. As long as you're okay, nothing else matters." Her hand stroked my short hair with trembling fingers.

I turned toward the window, watching the hostile landscape roll past. And as I stared out at this cursed island, I felt something crystallize inside me.

*I have to become stronger. I can't let Davelina keep risking herself like this.

The carriage rolled on through the night. Across from us, Fergus sat in silence, eyes closed.

We'd survived tonight through luck and Fergus's unexpected intervention. But we couldn't count on either saving us again.

Next time, we'd need to be strong enough to save ourselves.