<h4>Chapter 521: A journey to their past lives (16)</h4>
<strong>The Past 15:</strong>
Gabriel quickly brought Amelie back to her house and gently lowered her onto the sofa in the living room.
"Your Highness!" Irene rushed forward, immediately bowing to him before ncing frantically at her daughter. "What happened, Amelie? Wait! Is that blood on your dress? Are you injured? Why are your clothes so soiled?" She immediately fired off questions, rushing to the side of her daughter.
Gabriel moved to the sideboard and poured a ss of water for Amelie.
"Mother, Anaya tried to kill me," Amelie confessed weakly, still shaking from the ordeal.
"What?" Irene’s eyes widened in profound shock and horror.
"I will exin everything, Mrs. Irene," Gabriel interjected calmly, handing the ss of water to Amelie. "Drink slowly," he whispered, caressing her hair reassuringly.
"Mrs. Irene, why did you let two witches reside in your house in the first ce? Why did you even allow them here?" Gabriel turned to his soon-to-be mother-inw, fixing her with a stern, reprimanding gaze.
Amelie was surprised by his sudden, intense shift in tone and tried to stop him.
"Werewolves and witches live separately for a reason, Mrs. Irene. Had you forgotten that fundamental rule?" Gabriel continued, his voice tight with controlled anger. "What if I hadn’t reached Amelie at the right time? What if something fatal had happened to her? I understand that as a mother, you are worried for her, but what you did was sheer foolishness," Gabriel asserted, not hesitating to reprimand Irene. Ever since his terrifying encounter with Anaya, his fury had been simmering just below the surface.
"Gabriel, calm down," Amelie said, gently holding his hand.
"Forgive me, Your Highness," Irene apologized, lowering her head, her eyes by now brimming with tears. "I—I did ask them to leave as soon as Amelie told me what Anaya did. But she tried to take..." Her words ceased as a lump formed in her throat, halting her confession. She settled close to Amelie’s side and anxiously examined her again.
"Do you know where Ophelia lives now?" Gabriel finally asked, his voice calmer but still hard.
Irene lifted her head and nodded. "Amelie’s father granted her a ce for a few days," she said. "I will send the chauffeur with you, the one who dropped them offst night," she indicated.
"Sure," Gabriel epted. Irene reluctantly left her daughter’s side to instruct the chauffeur while Gabriel remained fuming in barely restrained rage. Amelie held his hand again, caressing it softly with her thumb.
"I’m fine, Gabriel. You saved me," Amelie whispered. She brought his palm to her cheek before pressing a tender kiss onto it.
Gabriel lowered his gaze to look at her, his expression softening only for her. "I’ll calm down once I finish Ophelia," he asserted. "And you are not taking a single step outside of this house until I finish this businesspletely."
"Hmm, I won’t," Amelie promised him, her eyes reflecting the sincerity of her vow.
Gabriel got down on his knees before the sofa and pressed a feather-light kiss onto her lips. It was a brief kiss, meant only to reassure himself that Amelie was safe and sound beside him.
"Amelie, my life is connected to yours," he murmured, his eyes glistening with profound emotion as he held her gaze. "If anything had happened to you, how would have I lived?"
"I’m sorry for making you go through this fear," she whispered back, her hands tenderly holding both of his now, acknowledging his distress.
Gabriel shook his head, refusing her apology. But before he could speak again, Irene had returned to the living room.
"Your Highness, I have asked the chauffeur to drop you off at Ophelia’s ce immediately," Irene quickly informed him. Gabriel rose to his feet and gave Irene a curt nod of thanks.
"I’ll be back soon," he promised Amelie, giving her onest, intense look before turning and heading out with grim determination.
Gabriel climbed into the carriage, which immediately began moving and headed swiftly for the ce where Ophelia was now residing.
’Alpha, I have seized Anaya’s body,’ Soren connected through the pack mindlink. ’Where should I bring it?’ he asked.
’I will tell you about the ce soon. Wait for the instructions,’ Gabriel ordered tersely and immediately broke the mindlink. He nced out the window, his wolf, Kael, rumbling restlessly inside his chest, anticipating confrontation.
Finally, the short journey ended, and the carriage stopped before an old, dpidated house. Gabriel stepped out and went straight to the front door. He knocked, but found it securely locked. Ophelia was clearly not inside. A deep frown appeared on his forehead, and without hesitation, he teleported himself instantly inside the house.
He searched the rooms and stopped at a dark one, where even natural light struggled to reach. Gabriel reached for its handle to open it, but it was locked too. Before he could break the door down, Soren mindlinked with him again, his voice filled with strain:
’Alpha, the witch is incredibly powerful. She injured us.’
Gabriel instantly teleported away from the old house and back to the location where Amelie had been held captive earlier. He saw his Beta, Soren, lying on the ground outside the dpidated house along with the other wolves.
"Soren!" Gabriel quickly rushed to his side and lowered himself to his level. Luckily, Soren was not seriously wounded, but the bloody witch had used a spell to immobilize them.
"I couldn’t stop her. She’s too strong," Soren managed to say, struggling against the spell holding him. "She took away her daughter’s body. Also, she ominously dropped a message for you before leaving."
"What is it?" Gabriel’s brows furrowed deeply.
"She said that you and Miss Amelie have to pay for taking the life of her daughter," Soren answered, his voice grave. "Your Highness, she may harm you both. You have to tell the matter to the Alpha King immediately," he asserted.
"I will. First, we have to find a way to break free with this spell," Gabriel stated. ’Amelie and her family is in danger too. I have to take them to the pce before anything evil happens.’