+15 Points >
I rushed through the hospital corridor toward the exit. My grandfather''s condition had finally stabilized after a night of terror. The specialist I''d arranged had worked miracles.
I checked my phone again. Three missed calls from Olivia. Guilt gnawed at me as
remembered refusing her request to visit the Ancient Moon Temple.
"Mr. ckwood?" Thomas called, holding the car door open. "Where to, sir?"
"Maple Grove," I replied, sliding into the backseat. "Quickly."
As we approached Silverfang Bridge, I saw Olivia''s blue sedan swerving wildly acrossnes. A
school bus had just pulled onto the bridge ahead of her.
"Stop the car!" I shouted, already reaching for the door handle.
Time slowed as I watched Olivia''s car veer sharply left - away from the bus, toward the bridge
railing. The crash of metal against metal echoed across the water as her car broke through
the guardrail.
"Olivia!" I screamed, running toward the railing.
Her car hung suspended for one terrible moment before plummeting into the churning waters.
of Moonstone River below.
I was already climbing over the railing when strong hands pulled me back.
"You can''t jump!" Travis Walker shouted. "The current''s too strong! You''ll both die!"
I struggled against his grip. "Let me go! She''s drowning!"
"Call the Timber Ridge Rescue Squad!" Travis yelled to the gathering crowd.
Reality crashed over me. Travis was right. The Moonstone River was notorious for its deadly
currents. If I jumped, I''d only add another body to recover.
I pulled out my phone with shaking hands, calling every contact I had with water
rescue
experience. Money, resources, equipment - I promised it all.
The wait for the rescue team was excruciating. Each second stretched into eternity as I paced the bridge, my eyes never leaving the water''s surface.
< Chapter 124 Depths of Despair
Travis approached cautiously. "Alpha ckwood, there''s a small chapel near the Ancient Moon Temple. Many wolves findfort there in times like these."
Without another word, I walked to the small stone structure. I''d never been particrly spiritual, but in that moment, I would have bargained with any deity who would listen.
+15 Points >
I knelt before the simple altar. "If she survives this, I''ll fund Elder Tobias Gray''s sanctuary for the next decade. Just let her live."
The arrival of sirens pulled me from my desperate prayers. The Timber Ridge Rescue Squad had arrived, along with several other teams I''d called.
Unable to stand by uselessly any longer, I stripped off my jacket and shirt and dove into the frigid river. The cold hit like a physical blow, but I pushed through it, searching desperately in the murky depths.
Hours passed. The sun began to set. My muscles screamed with fatigue, but I refused to stop.
"Alpha ckwood!" A shout from the shore. "They''ve found the car!"
I swam toward the voice with renewed energy. A group of divers had surfaced, their
expressions grim.
"The car''s empty," the lead diver reported. "Driver''s side window is broken. She might have
escaped before it sankpletely."
Hope red in my chest. "Then she could still be alive. We need to expand the search
downstream."
The rescue captain shook his head. "Sir, with these currents and the temperature of the
water... if she hasn''t been found by now..."
"We keep looking," I growled, my Alpha authority making the man step back. "Until we find her
alive or otherwise - we keep looking."
Night fell, and still we searched. I refused to leave, refused to ept what logic was telling
1. me.
Olivia Winters was a fighter. She couldn''t die like this - not when she was finally seeking peace for her daughter''s spirit.
(Ethan''s POV)
The steady beep of medical equipment had be the soundtrack to my recovery. Three days since Olivia had stabbed me, and the wound was healing slowly too slowly for a
werewolf.
< Chapter 124. Depths of Despair
Victoria wheeled herself into my room, her face drawn with fatigue despite the perfect
makeup.
"You should rest," I told her, noting the dark circles under her eyes.
She smiled weakly. "I''m fine. I wanted to check on you."
+15 Points >
After she left, I asked the nurse to turn on the news. I needed to know what was happening in
my territory.
"...breaking news from Shadow Creek Highway," the reporter was saying. "A car has plunged
off Silverfang Bridge into Moonstone River below."
I was about to change the channel when the reporter continued.
"The vehicle, identified as a blue sedan with license te Silvercrest A62231, belongs to Olivia
Winters, former Luna of Silvercrest Pack."
The remote slipped from my suddenly numb fingers. Olivia''s car. I knew that te number by
heart - I''d chosen it myself when I gifted her the car on our fifth anniversary.
"Rescue teams have recovered the vehicle, but Ms. Winters'' whereabouts remain unknown."
A roaring filled my ears. Olivia. My Olivia. In the river.
I tried to sit up, ignoring the searing pain in my side. I had to get to her. I had to help find her.
The movement tore at my healing wound, and darkness crept into the edges of my vision.
(Victoria''s POV)
I wheeled myself back toward Ethan''s room, havingposed myself in the bathroom. The news of Olivia''s ident had reached me an hour ago, and I''d been careful to keep it from
Ethan.
But as I approached his room, I heard the television. The reporter''s voice carried clearly through the open door.
My heart sank. He knew.
I entered to find Ethan struggling to get out of bed, his face pale with pain and determination.
"What are you doing?" I demanded. "You''re still injured! The wounds haven''t fully healed."
"I have to go," he gasped, clutching his side where fresh blood was seeping through his bandages. "I have to find her."
"Ethan, be reasonable," I pleaded, genuinely concerned for his health if not for Olivia''s fate.
376
"You can barely stand. What good will you do her like this?"
His amber eyes shed with Alpha authority. "Call Maxwell, Tell him to bring the
car around.
Now."
Within twenty-minutes, against medical advice, Ethan was being helped into his SUV, I
watched from my wheelchair, a mixture of emotions churning inside me.
Part of me felt relief at the thought of Olivia Winters gone forever. But seeing
Ethan''s anguish
cut deeper than I expected.
"Be careful," I called as the car door closed.
He didn''t even look back.
(Ethan''s POV)
We arrived at Silverfang Bridge to find it crowded with rescue vehicles. Maxwell
helped me
from the car, supporting most of my weight as we approached themand
center.
"Have you found her?” I asked, ignoring the rescue captain''s concern.
Maxwell answered for him. "Not yet, sir. But we''ve recovered the vehicle. It was empty."
A flicker of hope ignited in my chest. "Empty? Then she could have escaped."
"It''s possible," Maxwell said carefully. "The driver''s side window was broken. But
with these
currents and the water temperature..."
He didn''t need to finish. I knew the odds as well as anyone.
"Keep looking," I ordered, my voice breaking. "Use every resource. Call in favors from
neighboring packs if needed."
I stood at the railing, staring down at the dark water below. Memories flooded my mind-
Olivia''s smile when we first met, her tears when I proposed, her radiant joy when Lily was born.
The search continued through the night. I refused to leave, despite Maxwell''s concerns about
my health. Dawn broke with no sign of Olivia.
By the third day, even I had to ept the inevitable. My wound had reopened,
and infection
was setting in.
As Iy in my hospital bed, staring at the ceiling, my phone rang. Maxwell''s name
shed on
the screen.
"Any news?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
216
< Chapter 124 Depths of Despair
"No, sir." His voice was heavy with regret.
After a long silence, I made the hardest decision of my life. "Don''t look anymore."
I ended the call and closed my eyes, the pain of losing Olivia leaving a gaping
hole in my chest.
(Olivia''s POV)
+15 Points >
Two years. Two years since I''dst set foot in the Northern Territory. The flight
attendant announced our final descent into Shadow Creek, and my stomach tightened with anxiety.
A smallmotion beside me drew my attention. A little girl had dropped her ice
cream cone. She stumbled, and I instinctively reached out to steady her. "Careful, sweetheart," I said, catching her arm.
The cold ice creamnded on my wrist, revealing the scars there - jagged
reminders of my near-death in Moonstone River.
The little girl''s eyes widened at the sight. "Did you get hurt?"
I quickly pulled my sleeve down. "It was a long time ago."
She frowned, then leaned forward and gently blew on my wrist. "My mommy says
blowing makes boo-boos better,” she exined seriously.
My heart clenched. Lily used to say the same thing.
As the ne began its descent, I gazed out the window at the familiarndscape
below. Shadow Creek. Silvercrest Pack territory. Home, once.
I touched the scars on my wrist, remembering the cold rush of water, the desperate fight for air, the moment I''d epted death only to be pulled from the river miles downstream by a fisherman who hadn''t even known who I was.
By the time I''d recovered consciousness, the news had reported me dead. And I''d
let them believe it.
For two years, I''d lived in a small coastal town where no one knew my name or
my tragic past. I''d healed, slowly. Notpletely I would neverpletely heal from losing Lily - but enough to function.
The ne touched down with a gentle bump. As passengers began gathering
their belongings, I remained seated, gathering my courage.
"You can do this," I whispered to myself. "For Lily."
< Chapter 124: Depths of Despair
+15 Points >
The terminal was crowded as I made my way through. I scanned the faces,
looking for the one
person who knew I wasing.
And then I saw him- Lucas ckwood, standing tall among the crowd, his gray
eyes searching until they found mine.
Recognition shed across his face, followed by a smile that transformed his usually serious
features. He pushed through the crowd toward me.
"Olivia," he breathed, pulling me into a tight embrace. "You''re really here."
I hugged him back, surprised by the emotion that welled up at seeing a familiar face after so
long.
"You''re finally home," he murmured, his gray eyes reflecting genuine joy. He took my suitcase, and we began walking toward the exit, his hand warm and
reassuring in mine. I was so focused on controlling my anxiety that I almost didn''t notice the man who had
just entered the terminal from another gate.