I felt my body m against the leather seat as Ethan shoved me into his Midnight Maybach. The familiar scent of his car-leather and his Alpha musk-filled my nostrils, bringing back


    unwanted memories.


    "Let me go!" I shouted, struggling against his iron grip.


    My wolf surged forward, lending me strength. I managed to twist my body and kick him


    squarely in the chest. He grunted but didn''t release me.


    My enhanced senses detected someone walking nearby. "Help!" I screamed, hoping they


    would hear me.


    Ethan''s reaction was lightning-fast. He mmed the car door shut and locked it with a click,


    then activated the special tinting that turned the windowspletely opaque from the


    outside.


    "Scream again,” he threatened, his amber eyes glowing with dominance, "and you''ll regret it."


    I was trapped. His werewolf strength far exceeded mine, and we both knew it. Anger surged


    through my body, my wolf bristling beneath my skin.


    This soundproofed luxury vehicle had once been a ce of passion between us. I remembered


    our first time here, when I had desperately needed money for Lily''s treatments. I had gone to


    Stone Pack Enterprises, and he had taken me in the underground parking garage. Now, despite his proximity, my wolf felt nothing but cold detachment. The mate bond that had


    once burned so brightly between us had withered to almost nothing.


    "What is your problem?" I asked coldly, my emerald eyes shing with defiance.


    "You need to convince my grandmother to abandon this ridiculous adoption idea," he


    demanded, his voice hard with authority.


    I didn''t hesitate. "No."


    His jaw tightened, a muscle twitching beneath his skin. "Do you understand what this means?


    If she adopts you into the Stone family, you''ll legally be my sister."


    "And?" I challenged.


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    < Chapter 77: Shattered ss


    +8 Points>


    "It will permanently sever any possibility of renewing our mate bond," he growled, his wolf''s


    frustration evident in his tone.


    A bitterugh escaped my lips. "Ethan Stone, don''t tell me you still think I love you and want to


    be with you?"


    His eyes widened slightly, surprise flickering across his face.


    "I wee the adoption," I continued, my voice gaining strength. "It will sever any possibility of a rtionship between us. I couldn''t ask for anything more!"


    My wolf howled in agreement within me, standing firm against his dominance for perhaps the


    first time since we''d met.


    (Ethan''s POV)


    Her words hit me like a physical blow. My wolf snarled beneath the surface, refusing to believe


    what we were hearing.


    "I''m adding both Emma and Lily to the Stone family registry tomorrow," I said, trying to regain control of the situation. "Consider itpensation for my past neglect."


    I watched her face, expecting gratitude or at least acknowledgment of my gesture. Instead, her expression hardened further.


    "Lily doesn''t want it!" she cried, her voice breaking. "She never wanted anything from you except your time and love, which you never gave her!"


    Her wolf''s grief was palpable, filling the confined space of the vehicle.


    "All those gifts you gave her over the years," she continued, her voice trembling with emotion, "were they just Emma''s hand-me-downs?"


    The usation stung, partly because there was truth in it. I had often bought matching gifts for both girls, giving Emma''s to her first.


    My anger escted, my wolf''s dominance surging forward. "You haven''t moved on, Olivia. This is just jealousy speaking."


    Her emerald eyes shed dangerously. "Jealousy? Of what? Your neglect? Your betrayal?"


    "Whose pack would Lily prefer to belong to?" I challenged. "Mine or Lucas ckwood''s?"


    The mention of the rival Alpha was deliberate, meant to provoke her. It worked. "Any pack would be better than yours," she spat. "You were never fit to be Lily''s father."


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    < Chapter 77: Shattered ss


    Her next words cut deeper than any knife could have. "My greatest regret is that night five years ago. I wish I had never fallen in love with you. I wish I had never conceived Lily."


    +8 Points


    Her wolf howled in anguish at the admission, the painful truth of her words filling the confined


    space between us.


    (Olivia''s POV)


    My words ignited a firestorm of rage within Ethan. His wolf surged forward as he grabbed my jaw with bruising force and kissed me forcefully, attempting to assert his dominance as my


    Alpha mate.


    I struggled against him, turning my head, but he held me tight with his superior strength. I fought with everything I had, keeping my lips pressed firmly shut, my body and wolf radiating


    repulsion.


    I could sense his confusion as he felt my genuine disgust. In the past, no matter


    how angry I


    had been, my wolf had always submitted to his. But not anymore.


    A flicker of panic crossed his amber eyes as he realized my rejection was real-my


    wolf was


    no longer responding to his.


    "Get away from me!" I hissed when he finally released my mouth. "Don''t touch me, I''m


    disgusted!"


    My wolf recoiled from his scent, the thought of himpleting the mate bond with Victoria-


    the woman I believed responsible for Lily''s death-making my stomach churn.


    Ethan''s expression darkened further, a desperate need to disprove my words driving him to


    be even more aggressive. His Alpha pheromones filled the confined space, attempting to


    force my submission.


    His hands gripped my shoulders painfully as he pushed me against the seat, his


    wolf