Chapter 153: Or did she even lie to you?
Chapter 153: Or did she even lie to you?
(Theodore’s POV)
Suddenly, I remembered the acrylic keychain. I returned to the ward, “Seraphina, is that keychain still with you?” I asked urgently.
Seraphina handed it to me without question.
Eleonora looked over curiously. “You are not concerned about his own pup, what’s he looking at?”
She gasped when she saw the photo. “This pup looks so much like Leo!”
“Mom, she must be my daughter,” I said with conviction. Killian’s words echoed in my mind – Olivia and Matthew’s mating
was a sham.
The pup wasn’t Matthew’s. It had to be mine.
“Alpha Theodore, that’s my brother’s pup,” Seraphina insisted. “She’s the spitting image of him.”
But Eleonora was lost in thought. “This is Olivia’s daughter? She’s this big? She’s two years old?”
Her voice grew excited. “Olivia has only been gone for three years. Could she have been pregnant when she left?”
The pieces were falling into place, and I could see the truth clearly now.
I stormed out of the ward with my sentinels. We went straight to the hotel where the healers were staying.
The door to Healer Elias’s room was kicked open. The healer and his mate startled awake, fear flashing in their eyes.
“Alpha Theodore?” Healer Elias stammered, “If you needed something, you could have just called me over.”
My gaze was dark and menacing as I recalled his mate’s odd comment about a ‘pup‘ on the phone that night.
“My mate took the medicine you gave her, she bled. Was the pup really gone?” I asked, staring them down.
“After taking wolfsbane extract, if there’s bleeding, the pup is certainly gone,” Healer Elias stated confidently.
I glanced at my sentinel, who grabbed the healer’s hand and pinned it to the edge of a table.
“I want the truth.”
The sentinel smashed a moonlight wine bottle next to the healer’s arm. Glass shards cut into his skin, drawing blood.
“Alpha Theodore, what are you doing? I’m telling the truth!” the healer cried out.
“One last chance,” I said, my eyes shifting to the terrified, cowering mate.
The sentinel raised the broken bottle again, ready to strike the healer’s hand.
“Don’t! The Luna’s pup wasn’t aborted!” the mate shrieked, collapsing in fear.
She confessed through sobs, “I… I switched your wolfsbane extract that night with moonlight herb. My mate knows nothing, please don’t hurt him. Or our two pups.”
The sentinel released Healer Elias, who pulled his trembling mate behind him protectively.
I stood in stunned silence, my mind reeling as the truth washed over me.
“It’s my daughter.”
Chapter 153. Or did she even lie to you?
I remembered Olivia’s desolate expression as I forced the pills down her throat. A sharp, unbearable pain seized my heart.
She would never forgive me. But that didn’t matter anymore.
As long as Matthew was out of the way, I was confident I could get her back. Even if she hated me for the rest of her life,
she had to belong to me.
Overcome with an urgent need to reclaim my daughter and bring Olivia home, I turned and gave a command.
“You two, come with me to the Kane Estate!”
(Olivia’s POV)
Late at night, I strolled along the quiet coastal path with Matthew, Shadow Syndicate guards following at a respectful distance. The moonlight cast silver ripples across the dark water below.
I clung tightly to his arm, my earlier worry about his anger over Leo’s injury now replaced by a different kind of nervous energy. I needed to smooth things over regarding Killian.
“Don’t take what Killian said today to heart,” I began, hoping to salvage the relationship between the two men. “He’s just blunt, he doesn’t have any bad intentions.”
Matthew’s reply was cool and cutting. “Bluntly coveting you.”
The single sentence silenced my defense completely. I tried again, my voice smaller now.
“Killian was probably just worried about me… some unnecessary worries.”
When Matthew pressed me on what those worries were, I evaded the question. A rare look of weariness crossed his
handsome face.
He seemed about to walk away, but I grabbed his hand, stopping him. “I believe you’re mating me sincerely, and I believe
you won’t confine me.”
My eyes shone with determination. “I’m accepting this mate bond for real too, and I won’t confine you either. We are really mated, really weathering the storm together.”
(Matthew’s POV)
Her earnest words and brilliant smile struck me with unexpected force, making my heart stir violently. I pulled her into an embrace, my large hands framing her small face.
Misreading my intense gaze as a sign of a good mood, Olivia continued with growing confidence. “Thank you for being so good to me, not just as a very good Alpha King, but also for playing the role of a very good mate.”
She praised me for handling everything well, especially the incident with Leo. “I will also be a good Luna, and I will be good to you, to repay you.”
The words “Alpha King,” “role–play,” and especially “repay” instantly cooled my budding sentiment. It was a stark reminder of how she viewed our relationship.
I had been about to kiss her, but now I just let out an exasperated, almost amused laugh. Thinking I was pleased, Olivia pressed her advantage.
“Matthew, Killian has two projects that were rejected… I think they have a lot of potential, could you take a look?” Before she could finish, my patience snapped. I tightened my grip on her waist, lifted her onto her toes, and crushed my lips against hers in a dominant, forceful kiss.
The kiss was brief but I felt her melt against me completely. “King, you… you…” Olivia stammered, her cheeks flushed.
Hearing her still use my formal name, I kissed the corner of her mouth, murmuring against her skin. “Don’t speak
nonsense.”
Just as she managed to say, “Matthew…” my mother’s voice cut through the night like a blade. “Matthew!”
I felt Olivia tense instantly in my arms, but I refused to let this moment be stolen.
With a faint, defiant smile, I ignored the interruption completely. I deepened the kiss, whispering against her lips.
“Concentrate.”
I held her until our breaths mingled, watching her eyes glaze over as her heart pounded against my chest. When I finally pulled back, I kept her close.
My mother approached, her expression a mixture of surprise and cold disapproval. “Follow me back. I have something to say to you both.”
Her sharp eyes caught the lipstick smeared on my mouth, and she shot me a withering glare before turning away. As she left, I quietly instructed Tristan.
“Go find out what happened at home.”
In the car, Olivia turned away to clean her face, and I could sense her confusion about the kiss. Was she wondering if I’d done it because of my mother’s appearance?
Her use of my title? Or was she thinking about the mate bond? I watched her furtively, noting how she bit her lower lip in contemplation.
My thoughts were interrupted when Beta Tristan reported back through the mind link. “Theodore has brought two guests, your uncle Simon Kane and Cynthia Mooncrest, to the Kane Estate.”
Olivia’s head snapped up, her voice tight with panic. “Is Aurora safe?”
The Beta reassured her quickly. Upon arriving at the Kane Estate, just before we entered, she paused to carefully wipe the last traces of lipstick from my face.
Her touch was gentle yet hesitant. I noticed how she paled at the sight of Healer Elias and his mate standing near the
entrance.
She leaned in close, her breath tickling my ear as she whispered frantically. “Healer Elias and his mate know I was
pregnant with Aurora when I left. They must have been the ones who swapped the real wolfsbane extract.”
Her terror was palpable. She was petrified that Theodore would discover Aurora was his daughter and try to take her
away.
“Don’t worry,” I murmured, squeezing her hand reassuringly. I was already formulating a plan to protect them both.
Seeing that her anxiety was directed at Theodore and not my kiss, I felt a sliver of relief. The focused intimacy of her gesture as she wiped lipstick from my face made my composure falter.
I wrapped an arm around her waist and led her into the bustling gathering hall. The tension in the room was thick enough
to cut with a knife.
Theodore stood near the fireplace, uncle Simon sat stiffly on the sofa. Cynthia rose from her chair, her face a mask of triumph. She slammed a document onto the coffee table with dramatic flair.
It was a paternity test report. The papers scattered slightly from the force of her gesture.
“Matthew,” her voice ringing through the room, “Did you lie to uncle and auntie, or did she even lie to you?”
