Chapter 86: Shadow King’s Return
Chapter 86: Shadow King’s Return
When Theodore saw that I was truly angry, he softened his voice. “Then I’ll wait outside the door. When my mate forgives me, you can let me in again.”
His footsteps retreated down the hallway. I pressed my ear to the door, listening as he descended the stairs.
In the guest room below, I could hear Healer Elias speaking with Theodore. “Alpha Redgrave, the Aegis Institute abroad wants to hire me as a medical consultant,” the healer said carefully. “I wonder what your thoughts are?”
Theodore’s voice was cold and distant. “I won’t hinder your career development. But when I need you, you must return to the territory.”
I heard the rustle of paper and the soft thud of something being placed in a pocket. A pack enforcer had slipped a check into Healer Elias’s hand.
As their business car pulled away from the manor, I caught a glimpse through the window. Healer Elias’s mate clutched something red in her trembling hand. Her anxious expression finally found some peace.
The door closed with a soft click. I walked to the bedside and pulled back the covers with shaking hands.
The bottle of moonlight grass pregnancy pills sat on my nightstand. Without hesitation, I swallowed the entire contents in one gulp.
My expression was as cold as winter ice. I clutched my lower abdomen tightly, waiting for any sign of pain.
Healer Elias had said I wouldn’t feel anything. But earlier, the agony had been unbearable. I had only managed to spit out half the termination pill.
I wasn’t sure if Theodore’s poison had taken effect.
Just then, a familiar voice I hadn’t heard in so long whispered in my mind. “Hello, Oli. You sure kept me awake while I was sleeping.”
My heart leaped with joy and relief. It was Zoe, my wolf, finally awakening.
“Zoe, how is our little one?” I wanted to cry with desperation.
“Don’t worry, our little one is healthy.” Zoe’s voice carried a warm smile, and my heart finally settled into peace.
“You’re so brave, Oli. You’re a true warrior. Even without the wolf, you’d charge forward.” Her encouragement filled me with strength.
“Tomorrow, we’ll leave this place.” I was surprised to discover that the mate bond between Theodore and me seemed to have vanished completely.
“Every time I was about to wake up, you caused trouble. Weren’t you the one who rejected him?” Zoe pretended to be angry, and I finally understood why I had fainted so suddenly that day.
“Can Theodore feel it now?” I asked nervously.
“No, I’ve blocked him. He’ll only discover the truth once we leave tomorrow.” Finally, I felt truly at ease.
As night turned to day, Leo woke up early. He immediately requested to see Rosalie, so I had Rhonda take him to the banquet hall first.
Theodore consciously remained seated on the living room sofa, waiting patiently for me to get ready.
apter
+15 Points)
In the master bedroom, several pack Omegas stood in a neat row. They held elaborate gowns and sparkling jewelry in their hands. I sat at the vanity table, my eyes fixed on the livestream playing on my phone.
The joint celebration of the Crimson and Thorne packs‘ alliance and the Alpha heir’s birthday was the talk of the supernatural community. The lavish party at the Moonstone Summit Hotel was being broadcast everywhere.
Commentators praised the “mate–devoted Alpha Theodore” with glowing reviews. But others scoffed, mentioning “yesterday’s little video” with knowing smirks.
The comment section erupted into chaos. Pack members debated furiously about the state of our “perfect” mating.
My fingers swiped away the broadcast, but another immediately took its place. A fleet of black cars with royal flags sped down the main highway.
The screen read: Global Wolf Pack Technology Summit, Europe’s Alpha King arrives discreetly in Stonehaven City.
A flicker of light returned to my dead eyes.
Just then, Theodore’s phone rang loudly from outside the bedroom. It was Alpha Chamberlain Julian, his voice urgent
and insistent.
“Alpha Redgrave, the summit’s opening ceremony has been moved up to today,” Julian explained rapidly. “As the Alpha of the Crimson Pack and President of the Stonehaven Tech Alliance, you must attend.”
Julian continued breathlessly. “The tremendous networking and business opportunities this event will bring cannot be
missed.”
Theodore approached my door and called out softly. “Livvy, how much longer do you need?”
“Alpha, she just started getting ready and needs another two hours,” one of the Omegas replied respectfully.
“Alright, Livvy, I’ll go to the opening ceremony and wait for you at the hotel,” Theodore said through the door.
I paid no attention to his words. Theodore’s footsteps retreated down the hallway.
As he walked out the front door, he couldn’t help but look back. I was standing by the third–floor window, watching him
leave.
Our eyes met across the distance. He gazed at me tenderly for several long seconds, ripples of emotion appearing in his
dark eyes.
I smiled at him, just like I had when I went to Europe to study years ago. But back then, I knew I would return. This time, I
would be saying goodbye to him forever.
Once his car disappeared from view, I immediately dismissed all the Omegas. “Leave me. I’ll finish preparing alone.”
With pack sentinels stationed outside my door, I calmly changed into a simple white shirt and jeans. I pulled my long hair into a practical ponytail, looking exactly as I had when I first arrived in Stonehaven City at sixteen.
A knock came at my door. Anya Volkov’s courier had arrived with the final documents.
I signed the papers to donate my Luna’s share to the Lyra Blackwood Memorial Trust. The list of supervising legal advisors was updated with my signature.
After sending the courier away, I took one last look around the manor. New decor had systematically erased any trace of our life together.
I picked up a pen from my desk and crossed off the last few squares on my calendar. My hand stopped at today’s date.
My mind was set. I walked out of the manor with steady steps and slipped into the waiting car.
“First, to the Warden’s Post to retrieve the jewelry,” I instructed the driver.
The convoy, flanked by two business cars, was immediately caught in the massive traffic jam. The joint events had
created chaos throughout the city.
Horns blared endlessly around us. I frowned with impatience.
“We’ll be late. Let’s walk,” I decided suddenly.
The pack sentinels disembarked reluctantly, forming a protective detail around me. We entered the dense crowd of festival–goers and tourists.
In an instant, a large, familiar hand reached for me through the throng. I took it without hesitation and was pulled into the
crowd.
I disappeared into a thick, heavy embrace that felt like coming home.
The sentinels realized I was gone in the next second. “There!” one shouted, pointing at a figure in white.
It was a false alarm. “No, there!” another yelled desperately.
Countless she–wolves wearing white shirts, jeans, and ponytails suddenly emerged from the crowd. They appeared like mushrooms after rain, completely confusing my guards.
“Quick! Call the Alpha and tell him to lock down the territory!” a sentinel yelled in panic. “The Luna has been taken!”
A sleek black car with the Shadow Syndicate’s emblem slowly joined the convoy. It drove smoothly on the straight road
toward the sports center.
The business and political elites of Stonehaven City were waiting eagerly for the Alpha King’s convoy arrival.
I glanced out the window at my former sentinels, still stranded in traffic and searching frantically for me. Then I turned my
gaze back inside the car.
My eyes met those of Matthew Kane, who sat beside me. His gaze was deep and unwavering, filled with quiet strength.
I let out my first truly relaxed smile in months. “Matthew, you really came to pick me up yourself.”
Matthew smiled warmly and ruffled my ponytail with gentle fingers. “Do you regret it? Cipher is back, and Olivia will truly
disappear.”
My gaze grew deep and focused. I nodded firmly without any hesitation.
Matthew opened the laptop resting on his knees. A string of encrypted code blocks appeared on the glowing screen.
I picked up the moonlight crystal sitting in front of me. My mental energy caused it to pulse with ethereal light.
As Matthew’s laptop connected to the Shadow Syndicate’s secure network, the large screens at our European base went
completely dark. Every operative’s attention was drawn to the displays.
Red squares quickly gathered on the screens, forming the unmistakable shape of a wolf. I smiled, and the digital wolf on the screen smiled back.
It spoke in a synthesized voice that echoed through the base: “Cipher has returned. From now on, I will guard this realm.”
A deafening howl echoed through the base, filling my barren heart with a sense of deep accomplishment.
“Activate the ‘Shadow King’s Return‘ protocol!” I issued my first command upon my return. “Erase ‘Olivia Blackwood, Luna
of the Crimson Pack‘!”
