"It''s a promise," he said solemnly.
A rare smile touched my lips. He was trying to connect with Lily''s memory, and the gesture
meant more than he could know.
(Lucas''s POV)
I drove Olivia back to her cottage in Maple Grove, parking close to her door. Though reluctant
to leave her alone, I respected her need for space.
"I won''t do anything foolish again," she assured me, correctly reading my concern. "You''re
right. If I haven''t avenged Lily, how can I face her?"
Relief loosened the tension in my shoulders. "My phone is on for you day and night. You can call me anytime, anytime!" I emphasized, needing her to understand mymitment.
"Okay," she replied softly, her emerald eyes reflecting gratitude that made my chest tighten.
"Good night," I said, reluctant to part from her.
"Good night," Olivia responded, her voice stronger than it had been in days.
I waited until she locked the door before turning to leave, my resolve hardening. I wouldn''t let
this fragile woman slip away again.
(Ethan''s POV)
The Maybach purred quietly as I parked beneath Olivia''s cottage in Maple Grove. My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, knuckles white with tension.
I wanted to go to her, to apologize, to exin that I hadn''t known the donor kidney had been meant for Lily. But what difference would it make?
The result remained unchanged: I had secured preferential treatment for Emma, leading
directly to my own daughter''s death.
The weight of this knowledge crushed me more thoroughly than any physical blow. My wolf howled in anguish within me, the pain almost unbearable.
stayed in my car for hours, watching the light in Olivia''s window, unable to summon the courage to face her. What could I possibly say to the woman whose child I had unwittingly
< Chapter 113: Sacred Grounds
helped to kill?
Eventually, I drove back to my residence, my heart heavier than it had ever been.
+15 Points >
In my private quarters, I reached for the strongest alcohol I possessed, pouring ss after ss despite knowing the danger to my werewolf physiology.
The burning liquid did nothing to ease the pain in my chest - a de twisting in my heart with every breath. As the night deepened, my body finally rebelled.
Blood rose in my throat as I stumbled onto the balcony. Thest thing I remembered was copsing onto the cold stone floor, darkness iming me as blood pooled beneath my face.
(Maxwell''s POV)
"Alpha Stone?" I called, knocking on the bedroom door. No response.
After three unanswered calls to his phone, concern had driven me to check on him personally.
The door was unlocked, the bedroom empty.
I spotted him through the open balcony doors. "Alpha!"
Ethany unconscious on the Stone Residence Balcony, blood pooled around his head. The
stench of alcohol and blood filled the air.
My fingers trembled slightly as I checked his pulse - weak but present. I immediately called Dr. Harold Bet, the Stone family''s personal healer for over twenty years.
"It''s the Alpha," I said tersely. "Unconscious, blood loss, alcohol poisoning. Prepare the
medical den immediately."
Within the hour, Ethany pale and weak in a private room at the Silvercrest Pack Medical Den. Dr. Bet worked efficiently, his experienced hands preparing healing salves and
medicinal infusions.
"Will he recover?" I asked quietly.
Dr. Bet nodded grimly. "Physically, yes. But this goes beyond the body. His wolf is in
turmoil."
I stood guard by the door, watching over my Alpha as he drifted between consciousness and
oblivion.
(Ethan''s POV)
Through the haze of pain, memories surfaced - fragments of a life before Victoria''s return.
+15 Points>
Olivia''s gentle hands supporting me after I''de home intoxicated from a pack gathering.
Her patience as I growled irritably at her concern.
Lily''s small fingers trying to wipe my forehead with a cool cloth. "Daddy sick?" she had asked, her emerald eyes - so like her mother''s - wide with worry.
I had pushed her away harshly. "Leave me alone!"
The hurt in her tiny face haunted me now. Tears had filled her eyes, but she hadn''t cried. Even
at four, she had learned that Daddy didn''t like tears.
Olivia had sent her to bed, then returned with special healing tea, massaging my temples until
I fell asleep.
I longed to relive those moments, to treat my wife and daughter with the kindness they
deserved. To undo my mistakes, to prevent Lily''s death and Olivia''s despair.
But time moved only forward, carrying the weight of my failures with it. (Maxwell''s POV)
Ethan''s eyes fluttered open, immediately seeking me out. "Maxwell."
"I''m here, Alpha," I responded, moving closer to his bedside.
His voice was weak but the authority unmistakable. "Call Olivia."
I hesitated, remembering herst words to him. But a direct order from my Alpha couldn''t be
ignored.
I stepped into the hallway, dialing her number. She answered on the third ring. "Mrs. Winters, Alpha Stone is in the medical den. He''s asking for you."
Her response was cold and t. "Is he dead? Call me back when he''s dead."
The call ended abruptly. I returned to Ethan''s room, dreading his reaction. "Mrs. Winters says she''s busy..." I offered weakly.
Pain shed across his face before he masked it with a nod. "Of course. She has her own life
now."
I updated him on pack business matters, grateful when he seemed to focus on the reports. Suddenly, his head turned sharply toward the window.
(Ethan''s POV)
Movement outside caught my attention. I turned toward the ss, suddenly alert despite my
Chapter 113 Sacred Grounds
weakness.
15 Points
Through it, I spotted a familiar figure entering the medical facility. Olivia, carrying
her Thermal
Food Container, her chestnut hair catching the morning light.
A spark of hope ignited within me. She hade after all.