I handed Ethan the death certificate, watching as his eyes scanned the document. His face drained of color when he read the cause of death: kidney failure.


    "No..." he whispered, his powerful frame seeming to shrink before my eyes.


    The Alpha King of the Silvercrest Pack, the man whomanded respect with a single nce, now looked utterly broken. His amber eyes, usually somanding, now pleaded with


    1. me.


    "Where is she buried?" His voice cracked. "Please, Olivia. I need to see her grave."


    I felt nothing as I watched him crumble. The satisfaction I''d expected from his pain


    never


    came. Instead, there was only emptiness where my rage had been.


    "You don''t deserve to see Lily," I stated tly, my emerald eyes hardening. "You chose to favor


    the very person who caused our daughter''s death."


    Without another word, I turned and walked away. Ethan, consumed by grief, didn''t attempt to


    stop me.


    The cool night air hit my face as I left the Moonlight Fair. Behind me stood a man who had


    finally learned the truth, but it was five years toote.


    My phone vibrated in my pocket. Margaret Shepherd''s name shed on the


    screen.


    "Mrs. Winters," Margaret''s voice was urgent. "The Matriarch has awakened and is insisting on


    being discharged. The healers are trying to convince her to stay, but she''s quite determined."


    "I''ll be right there," I replied, quickening my pace toward my car.


    The drive to the Silvercrest Pack Medical Den was a blur. My mind kept reying the look on


    Ethan''s face when he finally epted Lily''s death. Part of me had wanted to hurt him as deeply as he''d hurt me, but now I felt hollow.


    Dr. Harrison Fletcher met me at the entrance, his expression concerned.


    "Mrs. Winters, thank goodness you''re here. The Matriarch is refusing treatment and


    demanding to return home."


    I nodded and followed him to Matriarch Evelyn''s room. The elderly woman was sitting up in


    < Chapter 100 Ashes and Rede.....


    bed, her silver hair loose around her shoulders, arguing with a young healer. "Grandmother," I called softly, approaching her bedside.


    +15 Points >


    Her eyes lit up when she saw me. “Olivia, dear! Tell these people I''m perfectly fine to go home."


    I sat beside her, taking her frail hand in mine. “Grandmother, the healers are concerned about your health. They believe you need more time to recover."


    She waved dismissively with her free hand. "Nonsense. I''ve survived worse than this."


    I thought of Lily then, of how she would sit beside her great-grandmother''s bed during her visits, telling stories and making the elderly womanugh.


    "Lily would want you to stay," I said gently. "Remember how she always worried about you?"


    The Matriarch''s expression softened at the mention of Lily''s name.


    "She used to bring you those little moonberry tarts," I continued, "and she''d check your temperature with her small hand on your forehead."


    A smile touched the elderly woman''s lips. "She was such a thoughtful child."


    "She was," I agreed, feeling the familiar ache in my chest. "And she would want you to stay and


    heal properly. She always said a strong pack needs a strong matriarch."


    The fight seemed to leave her then. She sank back against her pillows with a sigh.


    "Very well," she conceded. "For Lily''s sake, I''ll stay a bit longer."


    I stayed with her until she fell asleep, her breathing deep and even. As I was leaving the medical den, my phone vibrated again. A message from Gregory Tanner, the Sacred Moonlight Cemetery guardian, appeared on my screen.


    "Mrs. Winters, I thought you should know that Alpha King Stone is here at Lily''s grave."