Chapter 97: Reunion and Revenge


    (Olivia''s POV)*


    Matriarch Evelyn''s words broke the dam I''d built around my emotions. Tears streamed down


    my face as I copsed against her frail shoulder.


    "I hate her so much," I sobbed, my body shaking uncontrobly. "Victoria took everything from me. She stole Lily''s chance at life, and now she''s trying to curse her spirit. How could anyone


    be so cruel?"


    Matriarch Evelyn''s weathered hand stroked my hair, her touch gentle yet firm. Her own tears fell silently as she held me.


    "My poor child," she whispered, her voice breaking. "My poor, sweet Olivia."


    I clung to her like a drowning woman to a lifeline. This was the woman who had protected me


    when I first came to the Silvercrest Pack as a frightened child. She had stood between me and


    those who would have cast me out for being an orphan with no pack connections.


    "I''ve tried everything," I choked out between sobs. "I''ve begged Ethan to listen, to understand


    that our daughter is gone. But he refuses to believe me. He thinks I''m hiding her."


    Matriarch Evelyn''s grip tightened around me. "My grandson has failed you both terribly."


    Her words only made me cry harder. The validation of my pain, after years of being dismissed and gaslighted, was overwhelming.


    "I want to kill her," I admitted, the dark confession spilling from my lips. "Every time


    I see Victoria smiling, knowing what she did to Lily, I want to tear her apart with my bare hands."


    "Shhh," Matriarch Evelyn soothed, though I could feel her body trembling with her own rage. "I understand your hatred, child. But I cannot lose you too."


    She pulled back slightly, her aged hands cupping my tear-stained face. Her eyes, though clouded with age, burned with fierce determination.


    "I cannot bring our Lily back," she said, her voice steadying. "But I will not let that woman escape justice for what she''s done."


    Hope flickered in my chest for the first time in months. "How? Ethan protects her. He''s assigned bodyguards to keep me away from her."


    +15 Points >


    Matriarch Evelyn''s expression hardened. "I may be old, but I am still the former Luna of this pack. My word still carries weight, especially with the elders who remember when I ruled alongside my mate."


    She wiped away my tears with her thumbs. "You must promise me something, Olivia. Promise you won''t take matters into your own hands. Let me handle Victoria."


    I hesitated, the thirst for revenge still burning in my veins.


    "Promise me," she insisted. "I cannot bear to lose you too."


    "I promise," I whispered finally.


    Matriarch Evelyn nodded, satisfied. "My grandson has proven himself unworthy of you. After years of neglect, after choosing that woman over his own mate and child, he has forfeited any right to your loyalty."


    Her words struck a chord within me. For so long, I had clung to the hope that Ethan would remember what we once meant to each other, that he would return to being the man I had fallen in love with.


    "I will speak with him," Matriarch Evelyn continued. "He will hear the truth about Lily''s death from me, and he will be forced to face what his blindness has cost."


    She reached for her mobile phone on the bedside table. "Hand me my phone, child. It''s time Ethan answered for his failures."


    I passed her the phone, watching as she dialed Ethan''s number with shaking fingers. The call


    went straight to voicemail.


    "He''s not answering," she frowned, trying again. Still nothing.


    After the fifth attempt, Matriarch Evelyn sighed heavily, the emotional toll of our conversation clearly weighing on her.


    "Perhaps it''s for the best," she murmured, her eyelids drooping with exhaustion. “I need to gather my strength before confronting him."


    I gently took the phone from her hand. "Rest now, Grandmother. We''ll try again when you''ve had some sleep."


    She nodded, her eyes already closing. "Don''t leave me, Olivia. Stay until I wake."


    "I will," I promised, settling into the chair beside her bed.


    As Matriarch Evelyn drifted into sleep, I felt a strange calm settle over me. For the first time


    216


    Chapter 97: Reunion and Rev..


    +15 Points 2


    since Lily''s death, I wasn''t alone in my fight for justice. Someone believed me. Someone with power and influence was on my side.


    I watched the rise and fall of the matriarch''s chest, hope and determination recing the despair that had been my constantpanion for so long.


    (Ethan''s POV)


    The newly constructed Moonlight Fair stretched before me, a testament to my determination. to make things right with my daughter. Colorful rides towered against the clear blue sky, and the scent of venison skewers and cotton candy filled the air.


    "Is everything ready?" I asked Maxwell Chen, who stood beside me with a clipboard.


    "Yes, Alpha King," he confirmed. "The fair isplete down to thest detail, exactly as you specified."


    I nodded, satisfaction mingling with the guilt that had driven this project. Three months ago, I had found a stack of Lily''s drawings hidden in Olivia''s desk drawer. Simple childish sketches of the three of us at an amusement park-Lily on my shoulders, Olivia holding my hand, all of


    us smiling.


    The date on the drawings had struck me like a physical blow. They were from the day Lily had


    waited for me at the old Moonlight Fair, the day I had promised to meet her but never showed


    1. up.


    "She wanted this so badly," I murmured, more to myself than to Maxwell. "To ride


    on my


    shoulders like other children with their fathers."