: Confessions
: Confessions
(Theodore’s POV)
words
I watched Matthew pull Olivia out with a dark expression etched across his face. My chest tightened with worry that he might hurt her.
I hastily said goodbye to Faelan and followed them out of the mansion. My heart pounded as I pushed through the crowd of pack guests.
When I emerged into the cool night air, I saw through the half–open car window something that made my blood freeze. The woman I loved was passionately kissing another man.
She sat on his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck. His hands gripped her waist possessively.
The whispers of the pack guests echoed behind me like daggers. “How could Luna Kane have anything to do with her former mate?”
“The Alpha King and his Luna seem to have a very good relationship.”
The armored vehicle slipped away from my sight. Even her car was driven away by Matthew’s enforcers.
Matthew Kane… he had deliberately let me see this scene! He had deliberately let everyone see it, to nip the rumors about him and Olivia in the bud.
(Matthew’s POV)
In the back seat of the armored vehicle, my hand cupped Olivia’s chin. I stopped her from kissing me further.
Olivia panted in my arms, her hands tightly covering my eyes as she trembled slightly. Her voice was choked with sobs, thick with a crying tone.
“I can explain, I…” Her thoughts were clearly a mess.
But my heart softened. I was always too soft–hearted with her.
I took her hands down and pulled her into my embrace. Her face rested on my shoulder as my voice whispered low in her ear.
“No need to explain. My Queen, I know everything.”
Olivia froze. Her tear–filled eyes trembled as teardrops fell like broken strings.
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She wrapped her arms around my neck and broke down, crying uncontrollably in my embrace. “My mother was abused back then… Ethan… Ethan knows the truth…”
She sobbed intermittently. “Ethan is gone. What should I do? I can’t find him anywhere.”
She took out a photo from her bag. “The place where this was taken is that small courtyard of the Moonstone family. My mother was there back then.”
“I climbed in, but I found nothing but that wall mural. I found nothing.”
I lifted her small face, wiping away her tears with my thumbs. “I will find Ethan Moonstone.”
Her face was just below mine, her shoulders hitching from crying for so long. She cupped my face with both hands.
“Don’t be angry. I don’t know why, but no matter where I went, Theodore always appeared beside me like a ghost.”
“The wall was high, and I could only enter by shifting, so I didn’t refuse when he helped me.” I sighed, holding her close against my chest. Finally, she was opening her heart to me. The taut string in my heart slowly slackened. I kissed her temple, whispering by her ear as my hand soothed her back.
“I’m not angry. And I’m not scolding you. But you have to be obedient, don’t run around.”
“If something is on your mind, you have to tell me. We are mates.”
She nodded obediently in my arms. She placed her small hand in mine, our fingers interlocking. At that moment, she noticed the healing wound on my palm, now reduced to just a faint red mark, but she spotted it immediately.
“Did you just hurt yourself?” She looked at me with reddened eyes, caressing my palm.
“I couldn’t help it when I saw you with him,” I admitted.
Olivia stroked my face. “Don’t be angry anymore, my king.”
She placed my injured hand on her face and rubbed it. Then she extended her tongue and licked the wound on my palm.
I immediately had a physiological reaction. Damn, she always unintentionally provokes me.
I held her tightly, “Don’t move.”
s
Sometime later, I led Olivia into a private lounge in the Royal Citadel. I poured her a sweet glass of moonlight wine.
She noticed the bottle on the nightstand was labeled with healing herbs. I soon took the cup
away.
“Raise your hands,” I murmured.
Confused, Olivia complied. The dress was stripped from her body.
She frantically covered her chest, looking up at me with wide eyes. My expression was indifferent, a new dress now in my hands.
“I’ll wear it myself,” she said, reaching for it. But I wouldn’t give it to her.
“My King,” she glared.
I actually smiled, suddenly leaning in. “What did you call me?”
As she fell backward, my long arm caught her. The warmth of my inner arm against her back sent a blush creeping up her face.
She turned her head away. “Matt?”
The dress was slipped over her. I helped her into it before taking a wet cloth to clean her
face.
She looks at me: “I feel like your possessiveness is growing stronger, perhaps this is just the instinct of you alphas.”
I take her earlobe in my mouth, then her marking, “I’m being so gentle with you, Livvy, I really want to make love to you right here.” But there are still serious matters left unaddressed.
“Faelan Moonstone is dealing with me,” I revealed. “He doesn’t want me to consolidate power in the Eastern Territories, as it touches upon his pack’s interests.”
I warned her, “Don’t have any contact with the Moonstone Pack for now.”
She leaned against me, nodding obediently. I lifted her face and kissed her softly.
“Are you hungry?” Her reply was swallowed by my kiss.
“I’m so hungry,” I whispered hoarsely, my lips trailing down her neck, stopping at her chest. My restraint caused the veins on my forehead to throb.
“I’m hungry too,” she said, her face flushed. “I want to eat venison stew.”
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(Olivia’s POV)
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After leaving the Royal Citadel, I went to meet a lawyer – Grayson in front of the Mooncrest Global building. In the executive office, I confronted Morgana Mooncrest and Caelan
Mooncrest.
“You have infringed on my mother’s right of portrayal. I order you to stop using my mother’s image for your modeling project,” I stated coldly.
Morgana was livid. “Absurd! She’s my daughter, she came from our bloodline, I can use her image however I want!”
Grayson presented a court injunction. Morgana threw it to the floor.
Caelan tried to mediate, but Morgana’s scornful words ignited my fury. “I hate her, that traitorous wolf who almost brought the Mooncrest Pack to ruin and didn’t even come back for her father’s funeral.”
“If you insist, I will immediately apply to the court to shut down Mooncrest Global’s ‘Digital Resurrection‘ project!” I threatened.
Morgana angrily had me escorted out.
Outside, I instructed Grayson to file the lawsuit immediately. I was resolute, but I didn’t want to involve Matthew, especially now that Faelan was targeting him.
I needed to protect my mate.
As I parted ways with Grayson and walked to the side of the road, a black SUV slowly stopped in front of me. The car door was pulled open, revealing a gentle face.
The woman spoke with a soft voice. “Do you want to see Ethan? I’ll take you to see him.”
(Olivia’s POV)
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It was Annelise Moonstone, Ethan’s mother and Faelan Moonstone’s mate. Her face was gentle, almost motherly, but something in her eyes made me hesitate.
I turned away from her and got into my own car. Matthew’s warning echoed in my mind: Faelan Moonstone was plotting against him. I couldn’t risk getting involved.
Annelise quickly got out of her SUV and hurried over to my window. “Ethan is injured. Don’t you want to go see him?”
I glanced at her several times, studying her face for deception, before pulling my car door shut. However, Annelise grabbed the handle before I could lock it.
“Miss Blackwood, Ethan is very badly hurt, he might be dying.” Her voice cracked with emotion. “Are you sure you don’t want to see him? He mentioned you to me.”
Annelise’s expression remained calm, but her eyes were filled with genuine sorrow. “He said you look a lot like an old acquaintance. Perhaps, before he dies, he would want to see you one last time.”
I forcefully pulled the door shut. I knew I shouldn’t go. I definitely shouldn’t hide this from Matthew. But neither of us had been able to find Ethan. This might be my only chance to learn the truth about my mother.
After a moment’s hesitation, I rolled down the window. “Get in. Ride in my car and tell me the address.”
Annelise, who had been waiting patiently, opened the back door and slid in.
The car sped away from the Sovereign’s Citadel, heading into the mountains. In my rearview mirror, I noticed three other cars following at a distance. Were they Moonstone enforcers? Or Matthew’s men?
My phone lost its signal as we ventured deeper into the wilderness, but I discreetly activated the GPS tracking system in my car. It would continuously transmit my geographical location to the Shadow Syndicate’s secure network.
When we finally arrived, I was stunned. Before me stood a massive fortress hidden deep in the mountains, its stone walls rising imposingly against the darkening sky.
“What is this place?” I asked, unable to hide my surprise.
“A research laboratory,” Annelise replied calmly, leading me through the entrance.
The fortress was more like a medical facility, though eerily empty of patients. The hallways echoed with our footsteps as we made our way to the third floor of the medical wing.
Annelise pushed open a door, and I saw him. Ethan lay on the bed, tubes inserted all over his body, a heart monitor beeping steadily beside him, and an oxygen mask covering his face. He looked peaceful, almost as if he were merely sleeping.
“What happened to him?” I asked, approaching the bed cautiously.
“An accident,” Annelise murmured, her voice barely audible. “Can you talk to him for a bit?”
An accident? Then why lie and say he was abroad on business?
As I sat by the bed, I caught sight of Faelan Moonstone appearing outside the room. His face was contorted with rage. Annelise quickly excused herself, and I watched as she followed an enraged Faelan into the healer’s office across the hall.
(Third–person’s POV)
Faelan struck his mate hard across the face, his eyes blazing with fury. “Are you insane? Bringing her here?”
The usually gentle she–wolf clutched her reddening cheek, but her eyes matched his intensity. “I am insane! I went insane the day you brought Lyra Blackwood back to the Moonstone Pack!”
She stepped closer to him, tears streaming down her face. “When I was also young and beautiful, you didn’t even glance at me. Moreover, you made love to her right under my nose every night! How could I not go mad?”
She shoved him hard, her voice breaking. “You made me raise Ethan! That was your compensation! He is my son! What right do you have to lay a hand on him!”
Faelan’s face darkened. “Your ‘good son‘ was trying to destroy me and the Moonstone Pack. He was digging into things that should stay buried!”
“Because he knows the truth about his mother!” Annelise spat. “And now his sister is here. He’ll never love you, Faelan, just as his mother never did.”
Enraged by her taunts, Faelan grabbed his mate by the throat and slammed her against the desk. “Send her away! Or I’ll kill you.”
2/4
(Olivia’s POV)
In the quiet hospital room, I carefully opened Ethan’s hospital gown and gasped at what I saw. A fresh surgical scar ran down the center of his chest.
“A heart surgery?” I whispered, my hands trembling as I held his limp one. “You have a heart problem too?”
I hoped desperately that he would wake up and tell me the truth about my mother. About our shared past.
Suddenly, I felt his fingers twitch slightly in my palm. My heart raced as I quickly checked his eyes, but saw no signs of consciousness.
“Ethan, it’s me, Olivia,” I said softly, leaning closer. “I need to know about my mother… or about our mother.”
I continued speaking to him, recounting the painful memory of my own mother’s final surgery. “She never came back from that operating room,” I whispered. “I was too young to understand then. But now I need to know the truth.”
As I spoke, I noticed Ethan’s eyelashes flutter slightly. Was he hearing me?
Just then, Annelise re–entered the room,“He didn’t wake up?”
I reluctantly let go of his hand. “No.”
Annelise nodded, offering to drive me back. “We should go. Visiting hours are ending.”
On our way out, we stepped into the elevator. As the doors opened and closed at various floors, a tormented she–wolf in a hospital gown suddenly lunged in, her eyes wild with fear.
She grabbed my arm with surprising strength, her nails digging into my skin. “Save me… save me…” she screamed before two pack enforcers rushed in and dragged her away.
“High–security ward,” Annelise explained calmly, pulling me back into the elevator. “For wolves whose minds have been shattered by trauma.”
The doors closed on the woman’s desperate face, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had just glimpsed my potential future if I stayed in this place too long.
I said my goodbyes to Annelise and drove onto the main road. My mind was racing with questions about Ethan, about my mother, about this strange facility.
Suddenly, a seven–seater van sped towards me from a side street. Before I could react, it rammed into my car with tremendous force, sending my car flipping off the road.
The airbag deployed with a deafening bang, trapping me against the seat. Pain shot through my body as I struggled to move.
Through the shattered window, I saw several rogue wolves jump out of the van and approach. my overturned car. I tried to transform into my wolf form, but one of them was faster, shooting me with a tranquilizer dart.
The wolf form suppressant spread through my system like ice in my veins. I felt completely immobilized, helpless as they dragged me out of the wreckage and threw me into their vehicle.
As they sped away, I caught sight of a car in the distance approaching with flashing law enforcement lights. Hope flared briefly, but the van executed a sharp turn and lost them.
I fell into a semi–conscious, state, aware only of being carried into what seemed like a warehouse. Rough hands threw me into a large water tank, the cold shock momentarily clearing my mind.
“Are you crazy? She’ll die like this!” one of the men screamed, his voice echoing in the cavernous space.
“These venomous snakes have no effect on werewolves,” another responded dismissively.
Horror washed over me as I felt the cold, slimy bodies of snakes writhing against my skin. I tried to scream, but my voice wouldn’t come.
Then I felt a sharp pain in my neck, and darkness claimed me.
