Chapter 55: The Matriarch’s Justice
Chapter 55: The Matriarch’s Justice
(Matriarch Evelyn’s POV)
Ethan looked up, surprise flickering across his features before he composed himself.
“Grandmother,” he greeted, rising. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Clearly.” I replied coldly. “If you were, perhaps you would have prepared a better explanation for your actions.”
Confusion crossed his face. “My actions?”
“Don’t play innocent with me, boy,” I snapped, advancing into the room. “I found Olivia in that basement. I saw what you did to her.”
His jaw tightened. “That was pack discipline. She endangered Emma-
“She did nothing of the sort!” My voice cracked like thunder in the confined space. Tve investigated the matter thoroughly. Olivia was at Canis Enterprises that entire day, surrounded by witnesses.”
Ethan stared at me, momentarily speechless. “That’s impossible. The contact number-”
“Was hacked,” I finished for him. “A fact that could have been discovered with even the most basic investigation. But you were too eager to believe the worst of your mate, weren’t you?”
His amber eyes–so like my own–narrowed defensively. “Victoria wouldn’t lie about something like this.”
“Wouldn’t she?” I challenged, stepping closer. “Victoria Frost orchestrated that entire incident herself. She manipulated you, just as she’s been manipulating you for years.”
Ethan’s face hardened into stone. “You have no proof of that.”
“I don’t need proof to know what’s in front of my eyes,” I retorted. That woman has been systematically destroying your family while you stood by and allowed it.”
(Ethan’s POV)
My grandmother’s accusations felt like physical blows. I struggled to maintain my composure as she
continued her tirade against Victoria.
“Victoria would never harm Emma,” I insisted, clinging to this certainty. “She’s her mother.”
“A mother who uses her child as a pawn, Grandmother countered, her eyes flashing with righteous anger. *Just as she used your feelings for her to turn you against your true mate.”
Through the stone walls of the basement in Matriarch Evelyn’s Villa, Victoria’s enhanced hearing captured every word of our argument. I could almost feel her panic rising as she realized I wasn’t immediately coming to her rescue.
“Let me out!” Victoria screamed, her voice muffled by the thick walls and heavy door. “Ethan! Help me!”
The knowledge that Olivia had deliberately chosen this location, knowing Victoria’s paralyzing fear of snakes, sent a chill through me. This wasn’t the Olivia I knew–the gentle healer who couldn’t bear to see anyone suffer.
14
“Grandmother,” I said, my voice tight with restraint, “I understand you’re upset about what happened to Olivia. But imprisoning Victoria isn’t the answer”
sn’t it?” she challenged “Why should Victoria be spared the very punishment you inflicted on Olivia? Or does your sense of justice only apply to some?”
Her words struck a nerve. I had locked Olivia in that basement without a second thought, convinced of her
quilt. What if I had been wrong?
Victoria’s screams grew more desperate. The snakes! Please! Get them away from me!”
The raw terror in her voice tore at me. I needed to get to her, to rescue her from this nightmare.
“Release her,” I demanded, moving toward the door. “Now”
(Matriarch Evelyn’s POV)
I blocked Ethan’s path with surprising agility for my age, my cane raised like a barrier between him and the
door.
“You will do no such thing,” I declared firmly. “As the elder of this family and guardian of our traditions, I
invoke my right to ensure justice is served.”
Ethan’s eyes flashed with frustration, “Grandmother-
“Victoria will remain there for exactly as long as Olivia was imprisoned,” I continued, unmoved by his protest.
“Not a minute less.”
I could see the conflict raging behind his eyes–respect for pack tradition warring with his desire to protect Victoria. Finally, his shoulders slumped slightly in reluctant acceptance.
“Fine,” he conceded, though his clenched fists betrayed his true feelings. “But if she’s harmed=”
“She will experience exactly what Olivia experienced,” I assured him coldly. “Nothing more, nothing less.”
We moved away from the basement door, Ethan’s gaze lingering on it as if he could see through to Victoria inside. As we walked, his eyes fell on Olivia, who stood silently nearby, supported by one of my bodyguards.
I watched as he noticed, perhaps for the first time, her pale face and the blood on her fingers where she had clawed at the stone walls during her imprisonment.
“You’ve forgotten, haven’t you?” I said, my voice heavy with disappointment. “You’ve forgotten how you her as a child, locked in that same basement by your cousin Isabelle.”
Ethan’s expression changed, shock replacing anger as the memory surfaced.
found
“A terrified eight–year–old girl,” I continued relentlessly, “huddled in the corner, covered in rat bites, screaming for help that didn’t come. You promised to protect her then. What happened to that promise, Ethan?”
Olivia’s eyes met his, filled with hurt and resentment. The stark contrast between her vivid memories and his apparent indifference was written clearly on her face.
“I… I didn’t think… he began, his voice faltering.
“No,” I cut him off harshly. “You didn’t think. You didn’t remember. You were too busy pleasing Victoria to recall your mate’s deepest trauma.”
(Victoria’s POV)
* Chate 55. The Matraco
The basement plunged into darkness as the last light was extinguished. My scream tore through the silence,
raw and desperate.
“Please!” I begged, though I knew no one was listening. “I’ll do anything! Just get these snakes away
from
mel
Something slithered across my foot, and I kicked wildly, my heart threatening to burst from my chest. The cold, smooth scales against my skin sent waves of paralyzing terror through my body.
Just as blackness began to creep into the edges of my vision–a blessed unconsciousness that would free me from this nightmare–the door opened. Light flooded in, momentarily blinding me.
“No sleeping,” a deep voice commanded.
Cold water hit me like a physical blow, shocking me back to full awareness. I gasped, sputtering and choking as the icy liquid soaked through my clothes
The massive form of one of Matriarch Evelyn’s bodyguards loomed over me, an empty bucket in his hands. His face remained impassive as he observed my terror.
“The mistress says you are to experience every moment,” he informed me coldly. “Just as she did.”
Fresh horror washed over me as I realized the full extent of Olivia’s revenge. She wouldn’t even allow me the
mercy of unconsciousness.
The door closed again, leaving me in darkness with my slithering tormentors. I tried to control my breathing. to find some reserve of strength, but another snake brushed against my arm and panic consumed me once
more
“Ethan!” I screamed, knowing he couldn’t hear me. “Save me!”
(Olivia’s POV)
The Stone Ancestral Hall was silent as we entered, its ancient stones bearing witness to centuries of pack discipline. Matriarch Evelyn led the way, her cane tapping rhythmically against the floor.
Ethan followed, his face a mask of controlled emotion. I walked behind them both, supported by Bernard, my body still weak from my ordeal.
“Stand there,” Matriarch Evelyn instructed Ethan, pointing to the center of the room.
He complied without argument, his eyes fixed on a point in the distance. The perfect Alpha, accepting the consequences of his actions with dignity.
Matriarch Evelyn turned to me, her eyes softening slightly. “Olivia, as the wronged party, you have the right to discipline even the head of the family when he has failed in his duties”
She gestured to Bernard, who stepped forward with a long, leather whip. The Ancestral Pack Whip–used only in the most serious cases of pack discipline.
“This is unnecessary,” Ethan said quietly. “I accept that I was wrong about Olivia’s involvement in the attack.”
“This isn’t just about the attack,” Matriarch Evelyn replied firmly. “This is about years of neglect. About forgetting your vows to your mate. About betraying the very foundations of what it means to be an Alpha.” She turned back to me, holding out the whip. “The choice is yours, Olivia. Our traditions allow you this right.” I stared at the whip, feeling the weight of the moment. Part of me wanted to refuse, to be better than the
Chupte 55 Thu Kada su li
cruelty that had been shown to me.
But then I remembered Lily–my beautiful daughter who had died while Ethan was with Victoria and Emma. I remembered the basement, the rats, the terror. I remembered every slight, every dismissal, every moment
Ethan had chosen Victoria over me
I took the whip
Ethan’s eyes widened slightly, perhaps surprised that I would actually go through with it. He removed his
jacket and shirt without being asked, revealing his muscular back
For a moment, I hesitated. Despite everything, this was still the man I had loved for years. The father of my
child
Then I thought of Lily’s final moments, calling for a father who never came.
The whip cracked through the air, landing with precision across Ethan’s back. He didn’t flinch, didn’t make a
sound.
I struck again, harder this time. A thin line of blood appeared, marring his perfect skin.
With each lash, I poured out my pain, my anger, my resentment. For Lily. For myself. For every moment he had chosen Victoria over his family.
Ethan’s white shirt, discarded on the floor, became stained with droplets of blood–a stark visual testament to my fury. Yet he remained silent, accepting the punishment with stoic dignity.
Comments
Watch Ads (0/20) >
106
H
Vote
