Alpha King Chases Abandoned Luna novel Chapter 48

The welts from the discipline rod were still visible across her pale skin. Angry red lines marring what should be perfect. Something twisted painfully in my chest at the sight.

Olivia suddenly tensed, sensing my presence. She whirled around, emerald eyes widening in shock and alarm. Water droplets clung to her lashes, making her eyes seem even more vibrant

“Ethan!” she gasped, immediately reaching for a towel to cover herself. “Matriarch Evelyn is waiting for me!” I blocked the doorway with my body. “Grandmother is already asleep, she doesn’t want to be disturbed.” Her eyes narrowed dangerously. She clearly didn’t believe me.

She tried to push past me, but I remained solid as stone. Her frustration was evident in the flush rising to her

cheeks.

“Let me go,” she demanded, her voice low and threatening.

When I didn’t respond, she raised her foot, clearly intending to stomp on mine. I reacted instantly, lifting her completely off the ground with ease.

Her wet skin slid against my clothes as she struggled. “Put me down!” she hissed, twisting in my grasp.

The sudden sharp tone of Victoria’s ringtone cut through our struggle like a knife. I froze, immediately recognizing the sound.

I released Olivia, letting her feet touch the floor as I reached for my phone. I kept one arm loosely around her waist to prevent her escape.

“Victoria,” I answered with sharp impatience. “What is it?”

Olivia continued to struggle against my hold. I pressed my hand over her mouth to silence her protests.

Victoria’s voice came through the line, but her words barely registered. Something about Emma acting up again. Nothing urgent.

10

“I’m busy. I’ll call you back,” I snapped, ending the call abruptly.

I tossed my phone onto the counter and turned my attention back to Olivia, who was glaring at me with undisguised hatred. Before I could speak, the phone rang again.

Victoria’s name flashed brightly on the screen. I ignored it, focusing on the woman in front of me.

But the ringing continued, persistent and demanding as Victoria herself. On the third ring, Olivia reached for the phone, likely to silence it permanently.

I caught her wrist mid–air, snatching the phone myself. “What?” I growled, not bothering to hide my irritation.

Victoria’s voice came through, high–pitched and frantic. “Ethan… what should I do? Emma has been having nightmares since she fell in the Moonlit Reflection Pool today.”

My body tensed immediately, all thoughts of Olivia vanishing.

*She keeps crying for you, and I can’t soothe her,” Victoria continued, her voice breaking with emotion. “I’m so worried. I want to take her to the Silvercrest Pack Medical Den, but the rain is too heavy… what should I do?”

In the background, I could hear Emma’s voice, small and frightened. “Daddy… I want Daddy…”

The sound of her distress twisted something deep inside me. Emma needed me. Nothing else mattered.

“Don’t panic,” I told Victoria, already moving toward my closet. “I’m on my way.”

I shook her off without a second thought and quickly changed into clean clothes. Emma’s cries echoed in my mind, drowning out everything else.

His devotion to her was almost impressive in its predictability. The moment Victoria called, nothing else mattered not even his supposed desire for me.

I returned to the bathroom to finish my shower, letting the scalding water wash away the lingering sensation of his touch on my skin. Every place he’d touched me felt contaminated.

I decided to go downstairs for a glass of water. The Stone Estate was eerily quiet at this hour, most of its occupants already lost to dreams.