Chapter 118: Shattered Bonds
Chapter 118: Shattered Bonds
(Olivia’s POV)
Ethan Stone hadn’t finished speaking when my hand flew across his face in a resounding slap.
The sharp c***k echoed through my small cottage as his head snapped to the side.
“Ethan Stone, are those the words of a human being? What does Lily mean to you after all?” I
trembled with fury, my eyes burning with unshed tears as I glared at him.
His amber eyes widened in shock. He raised a hand to his reddening cheek, looking stunned
that I had actually struck him.
“Olivia, please-” he started, but I cut him off.
“How dare you?” My voice shook with rage. “How dare you suggest we have another child? As
if Lily was just some… some pet that can be replaced?”
Ethan’s expression crumpled. “That’s not what I meant-
“Then what did you mean?” I demanded, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. “Our daughter is dead, Ethan. Dead! And you weren’t there when she needed you most.”
I could see the pain in his eyes, but I was beyond caring. Five years of grief and betrayal poured out of me like a flood.
“You abandoned her when she was sick. You chose Victoria and Emma over your own daughter. And now you think we can just… start over? Have another baby as if Lily never
existed?”
“No, Olivia, that’s not it at all,” Ethan pleaded, reaching for my hands. I jerked away from his touch. “I don’t want to replace Lily. I could never replace her.”
His voice softened, filled with a desperate hope that only fueled my anger. “I thought… I thought that if we had another child, maybe Lily could be reborn. Maybe she could return to
us.”
I froze, staring at him in disbelief.
“I’ve been speaking with Elder Tobias Gray,” Ethan continued quickly. “He believes in
reincarnation, that souls can return if there’s enough love calling them back.”
His eyes shone with a fervent light that frightened me. “Lily loved us so much, Olivia. If anyone
< Chapter 118: Shattered Bonds
could find their way back, it would be her.”
+15 Points
For a brief, terrible moment, I felt myself wavering. The thought of holding Lily again, of seeing her smile, hearing her laugh… it was almost too much to bear.
But then reality crashed back in. This wasn’t about Lily at all.
“You’re not seeking Lily’s return,” I said coldly, stepping back from him. “You’re only trying to ease your own guilt over her death.”
My voice trembled with emotion as I continued, “Even if Lily were to return to this world, you
would never be worthy to be her father again.”
Pain flashed across Ethan’s face, raw and real. “Olivia, please. I know I’ve made terrible mistakes. I know I can never fully make up for what I’ve done.”
He stepped toward me, his hands outstretched in supplication. “But I want to try. I want to be better. Any child we might have–whether Lily’s soul or not–I swear I would cherish them. I would never make the same mistakes again.”
I recoiled from his touch, disgust and fury warring within me. “Get out of my house, Ethan.
Now!”
“Olivia-”
“GET OUT!” I screamed, my control finally snapping. Tears streamed down my face as I pointed to the door. “You have no right to be here. No right to ask anything of me!”
I felt myself teetering on the edge of a complete breakdown. The walls seemed to be closing in, and I couldn’t breathe. Ethan’s presence was suffocating me.
Through my tears, I caught sight of a familiar figure at the edge of my vision. Lucas
Blackwood stood just outside my door, his powerful frame tense with anger as he took in the
scene.
Relief washed over me at the sight of him. Without thinking, I rushed toward him, my eyes
pleading.
“Lucas, please,” I begged, my voice breaking. “Take me away from here. I can’t… I can’t stay here anymore.”
(Lucas’s POV)
I had only made it halfway to my car when I felt it–a sharp tug of concern that made me turn back toward Olivia’s cottage. Something didn’t feel right.
2/8
<Chapter 118: Shattered Bonds
+15 Points >
As I approached, I heard raised voices. Olivia’s, filled with pain and fury, and a man’s–deeper, pleading. I recognized it immediately. Ethan Stone.
I moved silently to the edge of the clearing, staying in the shadows as I assessed the
situation. What I saw made my blood boil.
Olivia stood trembling in her doorway, tears streaming down her face as she screamed at
Ethan to leave. The Silvercrest Alpha looked desperate, reaching for her even as she backed
away.
I’d seen enough. When Olivia spotted me and ran toward me, her eyes filled with tears and
begging me to take her away, something primal and protective surged within me.
Without hesitation, I launched myself at Ethan, my fist connecting with his jaw in a powerful
blow that sent him staggering backward.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I growled, positioning myself between him and
Olivia.
Ethan recovered quickly, his amber eyes flashing with anger as he straightened. “This is
between me and my mate, Blackwood. Stay out of it.”
“Your mate?” I laughed harshly, feeling Olivia trembling against my side. “Is that what you call
her after abandoning her for years? After letting your daughter die while you played family
with another woman?”
Ethan’s face darkened with rage and guilt. “You know nothing about my relationship with
Olivia.”
“I know enough,” I snarled, pulling Olivia closer to my side protectively. “I know you’ve caused her nothing but pain. I know she’s crying and begging to be taken away from you.”
I felt Olivia’s fingers clutch at my jacket as she whispered something only I could hear: “Take me to the Moonstone Psychological Counseling Center.”
The request stunned me. I knew what that place was–a mental health facility for werewolves in crisis. For Olivia to ask to go there meant she was in a far more fragile state than I’d
realized.
I turned my attention back to Ethan, my voice dropping to a dangerous growl. “Haven’t you
caused her enough pain, Stone? What kind of man torments his wife this way?”
Ethan took a step forward, his hands clenched into fists. “Don’t pretend you care about her, Blackwood. We all know why you’re really here. The Silvercrest territory has always been a
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< Chapter 118 Shattered Bonds
prize for the Moonstone Pack.”
+15 Points >
I felt Olivia stiffen beside me, but I kept my eyes on Ethan. “Think what you want, Stone. But
right now, I’m taking Olivia somewhere safe–away from you.”
In one swift movement, I swept Olivia into my arms. She felt so small, so fragile against my
chest. Her emerald eyes, usually so fierce and determined, now looked lost and haunted.
“If you try to stop us,” I warned Ethan, “I won’t be responsible for what happens next.”
For a moment, I thought he might challenge me. The Alpha in him bristled at the threat, at
seeing another wolf–another Alpha–holding his mate. But something in his expression
shifted as he looked at Olivia’s tear–stained face.
“Olivia,” he said softly, his voice breaking. “Please. We need to talk about this.”
She turned her face into my chest, refusing to even look at him. I felt her tears soaking
through my shirt.
“She doesn’t want to talk to you,” I said firmly. “Respect her wishes for once in your life.”
Without waiting for his response, I carried Olivia to my SUV parked at the edge of the clearing.
I could feel Ethan’s eyes burning into my back, but he made no move to follow us.
As I settled Olivia into the passenger seat, I caught a flicker of movement in the trees beyond
her cottage. A flash of pale blonde hair, quickly hidden. Someone had been watching us.
I scanned the area carefully but saw nothing more. Whoever it was had disappeared into the
shadows.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked Olivia quietly as I slid into the driver’s seat. “The Counseling
Center?”
She nodded, her face pale and drawn. “I can’t do this anymore, Lucas. I feel like I’m drowning.
Like I’m losing my mind.”
Her honesty broke my heart. I reached over and squeezed her hand gently. “Then that’s where
we’ll go.”
What I didn’t see was Victoria Frost emerging from the shadows between the trees, a satisfied
smile playing on her lips as she watched us leave. She pulled out her phone and made a quick
call before following our SUV at a discreet distance.
