The morning sun cast long shadows across Sacred Moonlight Cemetery as I knelt before


    Lily''s tombstone. My weathered fingers traced the engraved name, the cold stone a stark


    contrast to the warmth of my tears.


    "My great-granddaughter," I whispered, memories flooding back like a broken dam.


    Bernard stood respectfully behind me, his silence heavy with shared grief. I


    closed my eyes,


    remembering a conversation I''d overheard between Ethan and Olivia just before my spiritual


    retreat.


    "How is Lily?" Ethan had asked casually, as if inquiring about the weather. "I was thinking we


    could have dinner together this weekend."


    Olivia''s face had remained carefully neutral. "She''s fine. Just busy with school projects."


    The memory twisted like a knife in my chest. Lily had been dead for months, yet Ethan spoke


    as if she were alive. And Olivia had maintained the charade.


    "She protected me from the truth," I realized aloud, my voice breaking. "Because of my


    memory issues, she didn''t want to cause me pain by telling me repeatedly that Lily was gone."


    Bernard shifted ufortably. "Matriarch, perhaps we should return to the estate. This shock


    isn''t good for your health."


    I ignored his concern, another memory surfacing-Olivia''s haunted eyes whenever Lily was


    mentioned, the careful way she redirected conversations. She had carried this burden alone.


    "But Ethan," I said, rising shakily to my feet. "How could he not know his own daughter was


    dead? How could he ask about her so casually?"


    The implications were too terrible to contemte. Had my grandson truly been so neglectful


    of his family that he hadn''t even noticed his daughter''s passing?


    "Bernard, what kind of father doesn''t know his child is dead?" I demanded, anger recing


    grief. "What kind of Alpha abandons his mate to mourn alone?"


    My faithful butler remained silent, his eyes downcast. His loyalty to the Stone family


    prevented him from speaking ill of the Alpha, but his silence was answer enough.


    < Chapter 86 Lily''s Death Reve


    +8 Points>


    "Take me to him," Imanded, my voice regaining its authority. "I will confront him here, at Lily''s grave, where he cannot hide from the truth."


    (Matriarch Evelyn''s POV)


    As we walked toward the cemetery gates, a wave of dizziness washed over me. The world


    tilted rmingly, colors blurring together.


    "Matriarch!" Bernard''s rmed voice seemed toe from far away.


    My legs gave way beneath me, the emotional shock finally overwhelming my aged body.


    Strong arms caught me before I hit the ground.


    "Call the medical den immediately!" Bernard ordered someone I couldn''t see.


    The world faded to darkness as I was carefully lifted into a vehicle. Myst conscious thought


    was of Olivia''s face, so brave despite her pain, and my grandson''s betrayal of everything I had


    taught him about pack leadership and family.


    Meanwhile, at Imperial Gardens, Ethan knelt among the scattered fragments of Lily''s mug.


    Each broken piece seemed to mock his attempts at redemption.


    Hisrge hands, capable ofmanding an entire pack, trembled as he gathered the shards.


    The disappointment stinging his heart was nothingpared to what Lily must have felt


    each time he broke his promises to her.


    Amber eyes scanned the room, searching for a photograph, any image of the daughter he''d


    never truly known. But there was nothing-no pictures, no mementos, no trace of Lily''s


    existence in his private quarters.


    "What kind of father am I?" he whispered to the empty room.


    (Ethan''s POV)


    The broken pieces of Lily''s mugy scattered across my palm, jagged edges cutting into my skin. I barely felt the pain, too consumed by the hollow ache in my chest.


    I had spent hours meticulously repairing this mug, this precious artifact of my daughter''s love, only for Olivia to shatter it again. I couldn''t me her. The mug was just a symbol of all I had


    broken between us.


    "I DAD!" The childish inscription mocked me from one of therger fragments.


    Setting the pieces aside, I moved to myputer terminal. There had to be records, videos, something to show me the daughter I''d neglected. The home surveince system kept archives going back years.


    < Chapter 86 Lily''s Death Reve


    +8 Points)


    My fingers hovered over the keyboard. What right did I have to these memories now? I hadn''t earned them in life; did I deserve them in death?


    Before I could make a decision, my phone rang. Bernard Sheppard''s name shed on the


    screen.


    "Alpha Stone," he said, his normallyposed voice tight with urgency. "Your grandmother has copsed at Sacred Moonlight Cemetery. We''re en route to Silvercrest Pack Medical Den


    now."


    My blood ran cold. “What happened?"


    A brief hesitation. "She discovered Miss Lily''s grave, sir."


    The simple statement hit me like a physical blow. Grandmother had found out


    about Lily''s


    death-a death I hadn''t even known about until recently.


    "I''ll meet you there," I said, already moving toward the door.


    Questions raced through my mind as I drove. Why had Grandmother been at the cemetery? How had she reacted to discovering Lily''s grave? And most importantly, would she recover


    from the shock?


    The Silvercrest Pack Medical Den was in chaos when I arrived. Medical staff rushed through corridors, their movements urgent but controlled.