My eyes fluttered open, a splitting headache pounding against my skull. The sedative hadn’t
kept me under for long. I found myself lying on the large bed in the master bedroom of
Imperial Gardens, the familiar ceiling coming into focus above me.
Memories of the previous night crashed through my mind like violent waves. Victoria at Lily’s
grave. The black dog blood splashing across my daughter’s tombstone. The ancient
talismans meant to curse my baby’s spirit.
White–hot hatred surged through my veins. I was about to sit up when Ethan’s voice drifted in from the balcony.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said softly into his phone. “Last night was an accident. It won’t happen
again.”
My body froze. I knew exactly who he was talking to.
“I’ve arranged for bodyguards to protect you,” he continued, his voice gentle in a way it never was with me anymore. “She won’t have a chance to hurt you and Emma again.”
His voice dropped lower, and I couldn’t make out his next words. But I’d heard enough.
Bodyguards. For Victoria. The woman who had killed my daughter and desecrated her grave.
A crushing sense of powerlessness washed over me. The boulder pressing on my heart grew heavier, almost suffocating me. I couldn’t touch Victoria now. I couldn’t make her pay for what
she’d done to Lily.
Tears welled up in my eyes and silently slid down my cheeks. I was truly helpless against
Victoria Frost.
I heard Ethan end his call and step back into the bedroom. Just as his footsteps approached
the bed, his phone rang again.
“Maxwell,” he answered. “What is it?”
“Alpha King, it’s all arranged,” Maxwell Chen’s voice came through clearly. “Luna Winters will be very touched when she sees it.”
“Good,” Ethan replied, his tone softening slightly.
1/6
<Chapter 96 Matriarch Awake
+TS Points
I kept my back to him, pretending to be asleep. Through barely–open eyes, I saw him glance at me before turning away.
“After today, she should understand that my compensation to Lily isn’t just empty words,” he murmured, more to himself than to Maxwell. “In the future, she won’t target Victoria and
Emma for Lily’s sake anymore.”
He ended the call and left the room without another word.
Compensation? For Lily? What was he planning? Whatever it was, it wouldn’t bring my
daughter back. It wouldn’t punish the woman who had stolen her chance at life.
My phone rang, startling me from my thoughts. I reached for it on the bedside table, my
movements sluggish.
“Ms. Winters?” A soft female voice came through the speaker. “Do you have time to come by
today?”
It was my psychiatrist, Dr. Rebecca Winters–no relation, despite the shared surname. She
specialized in emotional trauma among werewolves.
“I noticed you should have finished your medication yesterday,” she continued. “You missed your scheduled appointment, and I’m concerned.”
I closed my eyes, suddenly remembering. Without those pills, my emotions would become increasingly unstable. Grief was difficult enough to manage with medication; without it, patients prone to negative emotions could spiral dangerously out of control.
“Yes,” I replied, my voice hoarse. “I’ll come in today.”
After hanging up, I forced myself out of bed. My body felt heavy, as if gravity had doubled overnight. I washed quickly, changed my clothes, and drove to the psychiatrist’s office.
Dr. Winters examined me with concern in her eyes. “You’re not in good condition, Olivia.”
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Alpha King Chases Abandoned Luna