Chapter 96: Matriarch Awakens
Chapter 96: Matriarch Awakens
(Olivia’s POV)
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.
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+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.”
I stared at the prescription she handed me. More pills to numb the pain, to keep me
functioning.
“You should find an outlet for venting,” she suggested gently. “Find friends or family you trust.
Talk to them more. Don’t carry everything alone.”
Her words echoed in my mind. Friends? Family? Who did I have left?
“You’ve been depressed for too long,” she continued. “You’re like a tightly stretched string
reaching its limit. If you don’t relax, you’ll collapse.”
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“I understand,” I murmured, taking the medicine. “Thank you.”
+15 Points >
Instead of returning home, I drove to the Silvercrest Pack Medical Den. There was only one person I could think of who might listen without judgment–even if she couldn’t respond.
Who could I tell about Victoria killing Lily? I had no relatives; my adoptive mother had passed away years ago. My only true friend, James Knight, was in closed training for an upcoming race. I couldn’t burden him with this.
James had loved Lily like his own daughter. If he knew Victoria had deliberately killed her, he
would certainly go after her. And if he harmed Victoria, Ethan would destroy him. James
wouldn’t just lose his chance at next year’s championship; he might never race again.
Racing was James’s dream. I couldn’t implicate him.
As for Lucas Blackwood, our relationship was merely a pretense. We weren’t close enough for
such confidences.
So I carried the burden alone. The remorse for failing Lily, the burning need for justice, the
resentment toward Ethan’s blindness and Victoria’s viciousness–it all pressed down on me
like a physical weight.
The psychiatrist had asked me to find someone to help relieve my nearly collapsing emotions.
The only person I could think of was Matriarch Evelyn Stone, who lay unconscious in the
medical den.
She was one of the few people who had protected and loved me. And because she was in a
coma, I didn’t have to worry about her being upset by learning that Victoria had killed Lily.
I parked my car at the Silvercrest Pack Medical Den and went directly to Matriarch Evelyn’s
ward. The elderly woman remained motionless, her breathing steady but shallow.
Margaret Shepherd looked up as I entered. Her kind face creased with concern when she saw
- me.
“Ms. Winters, did you not sleep well because you were worried about the matriarch?” she
asked. “I’m here to care for her, you needn’t worry.”
“I’m fine,” I forced a smile. “I just miss her. I’ll sit with her for a while.”
I hesitated, then added, “Mrs. Shepherd, may I speak to Matriarch Stone alone for a moment?”
Understanding flickered in her eyes. “Of course! I actually have something to attend to. I’ll leave the matriarch in your care.”
She patted my hand gently. “I’ll ask the security detail to keep watch and ensure no one
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disturbs you.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Shepherd.”
She smiled lovingly at me, then left the ward with the nursing assistant, instructing the
security guards to maintain position outside.
Once alone, I sat beside Matriarch Evelyn’s bed and reached for her hand. Her skin felt
paper–thin beneath my fingers, the blue veins visible through the translucent surface.
+15 Points >
I leaned over, pressing my face against her wrinkled hand. “Grandmother,” I whispered, using
the term of endearment I never dared speak when she was conscious, “my Lily is dead.”
The words broke something inside me. Tears burst forth, hot and unstoppable. Even now, I couldn’t truly accept that Lily was gone. Every time I mentioned her name, thought of her face, or saw anything that reminded me of her, my heart ached as if cut by a knife.
Lily was a piece of my soul, my daughter whom I had raised and cherished like the most
precious treasure. After finally finding a compatible kidney donor and seeing hope that she
would overcome her illness to grow up healthy and happy, she was killed by Victoria.
How could I not be in pain? How could I not hate?
“It was Victoria Frost who killed her,” I continued, my voice breaking. “She deliberately stole
Lily’s kidney donor on the day of her operation, causing Lily to die on the operating table.”
I clutched Matriarch Evelyn’s hand tighter. “And I clearly know the murderer is Victoria, but I
have no evidence and can’t do anything about her.”
The words poured out of me now, unstoppable. “I’ve tried telling Ethan repeatedly that Lily is
dead, wanting him to avenge her, but he refused to believe me.”
My voice turned bitter. “He doesn’t care for Lily. He favors Emma, and he wholeheartedly protects Victoria and her daughter. I have no recourse. I can’t count on him.”
I wiped at my tears, but they kept coming. “I want to confront Victoria directly and make her pay myself to avenge Lily, but Ethan… arranged bodyguards for her, and I can’t even get close
to her.”
Hatred burned in my chest like acid. “Victoria is truly vicious. She killed Lily, and that wasn’t
enough–she took black dog blood with talismans and poured it on Lily’s grave.”
I broke down completely then, my body shaking with sobs. “Grandmother, I hate Victoria with
every fiber of my being. I want to make her pay dearly to avenge my Lily, but I’m helpless…”
Once unleashed, my emotions were impossible to contain. I leaned over the bed’s edge,
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<Chapter 96 Matriarch Awake
+15 Points>
consumed by grief so profound I couldn’t control myself. Unable to avenge Lily, I–her mother-
was the one most pained.
As I cried, I didn’t notice Matriarch Evelyn’s fingers moving. I was so immersed in sorrow that I remained unaware until a gentle hand landed on my head, stroking it with distress.
My body froze. I quickly raised my head to meet Matriarch Evelyn’s compassionate eyes.
The matriarch had awakened.
My mind went blank. I stared at her, tears still clinging to my face, until her distressed voice
reached me.
“Olivia… don’t cry…” She slowly raised her hand to gently wipe away my tears.
In that moment, I realized she had truly awakened. Setting aside my own grief, I forgot to use
the call button and instead rushed out with tears streaming down my face.
“Matriarch Stone is awake!” I shouted to the security guards. “Call Dr. Bennett immediately!”
Dr. Bennett arrived promptly. He gave Matriarch Evelyn a thorough examination and confirmed
she had indeed awakened with all vital signs normal.
“Remember, the patient must not become emotionally agitated,” he warned me sternly. After all, she was elderly and couldn’t withstand excessive stimulation.
I nodded, and Margaret escorted the doctor out. Throughout the examination, Matriarch Evelyn held my hand tightly. While the doctor checked her, her eyes remained fixed on me, the
distress in them almost palpable.
“Don’t inform anyone else. You may leave us,” Matriarch Evelyn instructed Margaret.
The caretaker, who had been about to call Ethan and other Stone family members, immediately put away her phone and left the ward.
“Grandmother…” I stood beside the bed with reddened eyes, my expression helpless.
Uneasiness filled my heart.
After the initial joy of the matriarch’s awakening came fear. I had revealed too much about Lily while at her bedside. The doctor had repeatedly warned that she shouldn’t be upset.
I wasn’t certain when Matriarch Evelyn had awakened or whether she had heard about Lily’s death and Victoria’s role in it. Although I desperately wanted her guidance, if it would endanger her health, I couldn’t bear the responsibility….
Matriarch Evelyn studied my expression and seemed to understand my internal struggle. Her
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<Chapter 96. Matriarch Awake
eyes softened with affection.
+15 Points)
“I heard everything… Lily, she…” The word “death” caught in her throat. Even though she had heard me say it, she still couldn’t immediately accept it.
When Lily was mentioned, tears rolled uncontrollably from her eyes. It was profoundly tragic for an elder to outlive a child.
“Olivia, don’t cry,” she said, her voice gaining strength. “I will make this right for you! I will never let Victoria, the murderer who killed Lily, escape justice. She will pay for Lily’s life!”
