Chapter 102: Blood and Betrayal
Chapter 102: Blood and Betrayal
(Olivia’s POV)
Blood flowed from the gash on his temple, pooling beneath his head as he lay unconscious on my doorstep. His powerful frame looked suddenly vulnerable, his face pale against the crimson spreading around him.
“He deserves to die! It would be better if he were dead!” The thought flashed through my mind with startling clarity.
The scene before me mirrored another–Lily collapsed at Moonlight Fair, blood trickling from her mouth as her small body gave out. I remembered the devastation that had torn through me then, the desperate need to save her.
But now, looking at Ethan, I felt nothing. A chilling indifference had settled over me, numbing me to his suffering.
I took a step back into my cottage, my fingers tightening around Lily’s urn. The pendant containing some of her ashes hung heavy around my neck, returned to me by the very man
now bleeding on my doorstep.
Without a word, I closed the door, shutting out the sight of Ethan’s unconscious form. I turned
off the porch light, plunging the entrance into darkness.
Let Maxwell find him. Let someone else care. I had given all the care I had to give, and Ethan
had thrown it away–just as he had thrown away our daughter.
(Maxwell’s POV)
I waited by the car, my gaze fixed on the window of Olivia Winters‘ cottage. The Alpha had
been inside for nearly twenty minutes now, far longer than I’d anticipated.
When the porch light went off, I assumed he’d left through another exit. But as minutes ticked
by with no sign of my boss, an uneasy feeling settled in my stomach.
Something was wrong. My instincts as Ethan Stone’s trusted special assistant rarely failed
- me.
I raced up the path to the cottage, triggering the motion sensor light as I approached. What I
saw made my blood run cold.
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Alpha King Ethan Stone lay motionless on the doorstep, surrounded by shattered fragments of
what appeared to be a decorative vase. Blood pooled beneath his head, the crimson stain
spreading across the wooden planks.
“Alpha King!” I dropped to my knees beside him, checking for a pulse. It was there, but weak
and erratic.
I immediately pulled out my phone, calling for an ambulance while using my free hand to
press my jacket against the wound, trying to stem the bleeding.
“Ms. Winters!” I shouted toward the closed door. “Ms. Winters, your mate needs help!”
No response came from inside the cottage. The realization hit me like a physical blow–she
had seen him fall and had done nothing. She had turned off the light and left him to bleed out
on her doorstep.
Fury rose within me, hot and overwhelming. “Ms. Winters, do you know that if you leave Mr.
Stone like this, he will die!”
The door cracked open slightly. Olivia Winters stood in the narrow opening, her face eerily
calm, her emerald eyes cold and distant.
“Shouldn’t he die?” she asked, her voice devoid of emotion. “It would be better if he were dead!”
Her words hung in the air between us, shocking in their cruelty. Even more shocking was the
reaction they provoked from the Alpha King.
Though seemingly unconscious, Ethan must have heard her words. His body convulsed suddenly, blood bubbling from his lips as he coughed. Then he went completely still, slipping into a deeper unconsciousness that terrified me.
“What have you done?” I whispered, pressing harder against his wound.
Olivia’s only response was to close the door firmly, shutting us out completely.
The ambulance arrived minutes later, the emergency medical team working quickly to stabilize the Alpha King before transporting him to Silvercrest Pack Medical Den.
I followed in the car, my hands still stained with my boss’s blood, my mind replaying Olivia’s
cold words over and over.
“It would be better if he were dead.”
How had it come to this? How had the Luna of our pack become so filled with hatred that she
could wish death upon her mate?
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I knew the answer, of course. Lily’s death had changed everything. But even knowing the reason didn’t make Olivia’s actions any less shocking.
As I drove through the night toward the medical den, I made a silent vow to protect my Alpha from further harm–even if that meant protecting him from his own mate.
(Ethan’s POV)
I awoke to the sterile smell of the Silvercrest Pack Medical Den, the harsh fluorescent lights forcing me to squint as consciousness returned.
My first thought was of Olivia. Had she called for help? Was she here?
A soft hand squeezed mine, and for a moment, hope flared in my chest. But when I turned my head, ignoring the sharp pain the movement caused, I saw Victoria Frost sitting beside my
bed.
The disappointment I felt surprised me. After everything Olivia had done–after she had left me bleeding on her doorstep–why would I expect her to be here? Why would I want her to be?
Victoria’s eyes were red–rimmed, her usually perfect makeup smudged from tears. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a hasty ponytail, so unlike her usual polished appearance.
“Ethan, you finally woke up,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “Ethan, what’s wrong? How did you get yourself into this state? Do you know how heartbroken I was to see you hurt like
this?!”
I stared at her for a long moment, memories flooding back. The cemetery. The freezing water.
of the Moonlit Reflection Pool. Olivia’s cottage. The vase striking my temple.
And before all that–Lily. My daughter. Dead for five years while I believed she was hidden
away by her mother.
I reached out, grasping Victoria’s hand tightly. “Lily is dead,” I stated flatly, watching her face
carefully.
I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to test her. Victoria had been my closest confidante since
childhood. I trusted her implicitly.
I remembered how she had cried for days when our neighbor’s dog was poisoned. How she had nursed injured birds back to health. How she had always shown such compassion for those who suffered.
Surely someone with such a tender heart couldn’t be responsible for my daughter’s death, as Olivia claimed. It was impossible. Victoria would never harm a child–especially not Lily.
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(Victoria’s POV)
My heart nearly stopped when Ethan said those three words. “Lily is dead.”
+15 Points>
I forced my eyes to widen in shock, my hand flying to my mouth in practiced disbelief.
“Lily is dead? How is that possible?!” I exclaimed, my voice rising with feigned surprise. “Ethan, is there a mistake? Didn’t you say Olivia hid Lily? How could she be dead? She’s only five years old… Impossible, absolutely impossible!”
Inwardly, I was calculating, assessing. Had Olivia told him everything? Did he know about the kidney transplant that should have gone to Lily but went to Emma instead? Did he know about
my role in redirecting that donor?
But as I studied his face–the grief in his amber eyes, the confusion in his furrowed brow–I realized with immense relief that he didn’t know the full truth. He was still in the dark about
my involvement.
I had been watching him closely these past days. I saw him at Moonlight Fair, witnessed his grief and remorse after learning of Lily’s death. I observed him visiting Sacred Moonlight Cemetery, kneeling all night at his daughter’s grave.
Most concerning was when I saw him frantically diving into the freezing Moonlit Reflection Pool at Stone Estate, searching desperately for something. I knew it must be related to Lily.
When he went to see Olivia afterward, I panicked. I was certain she would reveal everything about Lily’s kidney transplant–how I had manipulated the donor list to ensure Emma received the kidney instead.
But then I saw the ambulance. I heard about Ethan’s injuries. And I realized with relief that he had taken my side, that he had somehow provoked Olivia rather than learning the truth from
her.
“Lily… is really dead,” Ethan said hoarsely, his eyes reddening at the mention of his daughter.
This time, I realized, it wasn’t a test. He was simply informing me of his loss, sharing his grief
with someone he trusted.
I continued my performance, allowing tears to fill my eyes. I was an excellent actress when necessary, and this moment demanded my best performance.
“Oh, Ethan,” I whispered, squeezing his hand. “I can’t believe it. How could this happen? How sad Olivia must be! Have Lily’s funeral arrangements been made? Is there anything I can help
with?”
