Chapter 55: Unexpected Encounters
Chapter 55: Unexpected Encounters
(Marcus’s POV)
I remained unfazed as I picked up the information, unsurprised. “Elena asked him to investigate.”
The file contained detailed records of Vincent’s activities and connections. Nothing I hadn’t expected.
Amber Stone shifted uncomfortably beside my desk. “Alpha Marcus, given the historical animosity between the Sterling family and the Blackwood family, Nathan Sterling might exploit Elena’s trust.”
I set the documents down with deliberate calm. “That’s her affair.”
My voice carried no emotion, but inside, my wolf Logan paced restlessly. The thought of Elena turning to Nathan Sterling for help grated against every protective instinct I possessed.
Amber Stone noticed my obvious displeasure despite my controlled exterior. She cautiously inquired, “What about David Blackthorne’s case? Should we continue the investigation?”
I remained silent for a long moment, staring out the window at the Northern Territory skyline. The truth
mattered, even if it complicated things.
“Investigate everyone connected to him,” I finally instructed. “I want to know exactly what happened.”
Amber Stone nodded and gathered the files. “Yes, Alpha.”
Shortly after she left, my phone rang. Sophia’s name flashed on the screen, and I could hear tears in her voice
before she even spoke.
“Marcus, please come quickly! Oliver hurt himself and he won’t stop crying without you here!”
I leaned back in my chair, feeling the familiar weight of responsibility. “How severe is the injury?”
“He fell onto sharp moon rock fragments and he’s bleeding so much!” Sophia’s voice cracked with panic. “I
don’t have a moonlight herb healing kit here. Please, Marcus, he needs you!”
The desperation in her voice stirred something protective in me. Despite everything, Oliver was just a child.
“I’ll come over after I finish my work,” I said noncommittally.
(Sophia’s POV)
I ended the call and stared at my reflection in the darkened phone screen. Marcus’s attitude h
drastically since the Moonstone Reflecting Pool incident.
anged so
Ever since he discovered I had lied about Elena pushing me, everything between us had shifted. The warmth
in his voice had disappeared, replaced by cold duty.
I couldn’t passively accept this situation. Not when I’d come so far.
An hour later, Marcus arrived with a pack healer in tow. The elderly healer examined Oliver’s wounds with practiced efficiency.
“Infection has set in,” the healer diagnosed grimly. “He needs a lunar serum shot immediately.”
Oliver whimpered as the needle pierced his skin, but he didn’t cry out. He’d learned not to show weakness in
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front of me.
After the pack healer left, I approached Marcus with carefully crafted vulnerability. “Marcus, I’m causing you
trouble, right?”
I watched his face for any sign of softening, any c***k in his newfound coldness.
Marcus looked at me, and I saw a flicker of guilt cross his features. Perhaps he was remembering all I’d
suffered, all the pain that had led me to this desperate moment.
“You’re not a bother,” he said, his tone gentler than it had been in days. “Don’t overthink it.”
Relief flooded through me. This was the opening I needed.
Tears welled in my eyes as I spoke. “I know I was being unreasonable, lying to you. I won’t do it again, I
promise.”
I took a shaky breath, playing my final card. “Marcus, I won’t force you anymore. I know we can’t go back, and I’m just stuck in the past. But now I’ve figured it out.”
I gestured toward Oliver, who was watching us with wide, hopeful eyes. “After all, I have Oliver, and I’m not
good enough for you anymore.”
Marcus was quiet for a long moment. I could see the internal struggle playing across his face – duty warring
with old affection, guilt battling with logic.
“We did have something once,” he said finally. “And I do owe you a debt.”
The admission sent hope surging through my chest.
After another pause, he continued. “Once Oliver’s injury heals, I’ll take him to the Moonhaven Estate’s recreational grounds as promised.”
Oliver’s face lit up with pure joy from his position on the healing cot. “Really, Alpha Marcus? You promise?”
“I promise,” Marcus confirmed.
Standing aside, I fought to keep my expression neutral while internally sneering. By taking a step back, I had evoked his guilt and pity exactly as planned.
I was determined not to lose this battle. Elena Blackwood might think she was walking away victorious, but I
knew better.
(Elena’s POV)
I emerged from a private healing clinic, squinting in the afternoon sunlight. My phone buzzed…th a message from Nathan Sterling containing Heidi Cross’s recent contacts.
Scrolling through the list, I found several calls to Sophia’s number, but notably none to William Cross. They had to be communicating through other channels.
As I pondered their connection, children’s laughter echoed from nearby. I looked up to see a group of young wolves surrounding a woman who clutched a carved wolf pup figurine to her chest.
They were spraying her with water guns, laughing as she cowered and begged them to stop. “Please don’t hurt my pup! Please!”
The woman seemed completely disoriented, her eyes unfocused and frightened.
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Chapter 55 Unexpected E
“Stop harassing her!” I shouted at the children. “I’ll alert the pack elders if you don’t leave her alone!”
The children scattered immediately, their game forgotten in the face of adult authority.
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I approached the woman carefully. She wore a valuable moonstone pendant around her neck – the kind of heirloom I’d seen Victoria Blackwood wear.
Such jewelry was worth a fortune. How could a woman with obvious mental issues possess something so valuable without being robbed?
“Auntie, are you okay?” I asked gently.
The woman looked up and suddenly grabbed my hand with surprising strength. “Sweetheart, is that you?
You’re back?”
Her eyes filled with desperate hope. “Please don’t leave Mommy again, okay? Look, this is you.”
She pointed to the carved wolf pup figurine in her arms, treating it like a precious child.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not your daughter,” I said softly.
The woman suddenly focused intently on my face, her grip tightening. “Please come home with me. Please!”
Before I could respond, a man’s voice called out sharply. “Madam!”
Benjamin Hayes rushed out of the healing center, his face flushed with worry. When he saw me, he paused in
recognition.
“You’re the woman I took to the Northern Territory Central Healing Institute,” he said. “When you fainted on
the road.”
“That was you?” I felt a surge of gratitude. “Thank you for saving my life.”
Benjamin Hayes shook his head modestly. “You should thank my young master, Adrian Whitmore. He’s the
one who deserves your gratitude.”
The woman continued clinging to my clothes, repeating her plea. “Come home with me, Sweetheart. Please!”
Benjamin Hayes sighed deeply. “She suffers from mental issues. Could you help me persuade her to come
with me?”
I nodded, understanding the delicate situation. “Of course.”
I followed Benjamin Hayes toward a private healing room, the woman still clutching my sleeve like a lifeline.
Benjamin Hayes spoke into his phone. “Young Master, I found your mother. She’s with the woman who helped
us before.”
Inside the healing room, I saw Adrian Whitmore for the first time. He was strikingly handsome with gentle features that radiated warmth and refinement.
Dorothea Whitmore stared at me expectantly. “Why are you standing still, Sweetheart?“.
I felt embarrassed by her continued insistence that I was her daughter.
Adrian Whitmore approached and put his arm around his mother’s shoulders. “Benjamin, why don’t you take Mother to buy her favorite wild berry treats?”
Dorothea Whitmore hesitated, glancing between Adrian and me. “What about Sweetheart?”
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“Sweetheart will eat the treats too,” Adrian assured her with infinite patience.
Dorothea Whitmore’s face brightened with childlike joy. “Really? Then let’s go!”
She left happily with Benjamin Hayes, finally releasing her grip on my clothes.
I quickly composed myself and turned to Adrian. “Thank you for saving me when I fainted. We seem destined
to meet.”
I reached for my wallet. “Please let me pay for the healing expenses.”
Adrian Whitmore raised his hand to stop me. “I saved you, you brought my mother back. We’re even.”
I nodded, preparing to leave this awkward situation behind.
As I turned toward the door, Adrian called out. “Could I have your contact information?”
I paused, looking back at him questioningly.
“My mother has shown unusual fondness for you,” he explained. “I might need to trouble you in the future. I’ll compensate you for your time, of course.”
He smiled warmly. “I saved you, you brought my mother back, we’re even.”
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