Chapter 341
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(Olivia’s POV)
The parking lot outside Rosewood Haven fell into an eerie silence. Victoria’s face had gone from triumphant to terrified in an
instant, her eyes fixed on something–or someone–behind me.
I turned slowly, following her gaze, and my heart stopped.
There, sitting in a wheelchair just yards away, was my mother.
Evelyn Winters looked frail but alert, her eyes clear and focused for the first time in weeks. Dr. Harold Bennett stood behind her
wheelchair, his expression unreadable as he watched the scene unfold.
I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. My wolf went completely still beneath my skin, afraid that any movement might shatter this
moment, revealing it to be another cruel hallucination born from my desperate hope.
“Liv.”
Just one word. Two soft syllables that crashed into my heart with the force of a tidal wave.
It was real. She was awake. My mother had come back to me.
Tears flooded my eyes as I rushed forward, dropping to my knees beside her wheelchair. My hands fluttered anxiously over her,
checking for any sign of discomfort or pain.
“Mom! You shouldn’t be out of bed!” I cried, my voice breaking. “We need to get you back to the Healing Chamber right away!”
My wolf whined with concern beneath my skin, protective instincts overwhelming everything else. After nearly losing her, I couldn’t bear the thought of her health deteriorating again.
Evelyn’s eyes, so like my own, were rimmed with red. She reached out with trembling hands to cup my face.
“I’m fine, sweetheart,” she assured me, her voice stronger than I expected. “Dr. Bennett is with me. There’s no need to worry.”
She glanced over my shoulder at Victoria and Ethan, her expression hardening momentarily before softening as she looked back
at me.
“I heard everything,” she whispered. “I saw what she did to you.”
My mother opened her arms, and I fell into her embrace, burying my face against her shoulder. Her familiar scent enveloped me, bringing comfort I’d been starved for.
“No matter how old you get,” she murmured against my hair, “you’ll always be my pup.”
James, who had been watching with relief, finally broke free from the security guards‘ loosened grip. He hurried to my mother’s side, his hazel eyes bright with emotion.
Chapter 341
“Mrs. Winters,” he said warmly, “it’s so good to see you awake.”
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His russet–brown wolf radiated relief beneath his skin. James knew better than anyone how much my mother meant to me–she
was my pillar, my foundation. If I had lost her too, after Lily…
I couldn’t even complete the thought.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Ethan approaching, his amber eyes showing genuine relief at my mother’s recovery. Before he
could reach us, Victoria’s voice cut through the moment.
“Ethan…” she called weakly, her tone deliberately frail.
I turned to see her slumped in her wheelchair, one hand pressed dramatically to her forehead. Her wolf’s scent carried notes of
panic and desperation.
“I don’t feel well,” she whimpered. “Please, take me to the Healing Den.”
Her eyes darted nervously to my mother, then back to Ethan. The fear in them was unmistakable–not concern for her health, but
terror at what my mother’s presence might mean.
Ethan hesitated, torn between approaching my mother and responding to Victoria’s plea. After a moment, he turned to Dr.
Bennett.
“Harold, please check on her,” he requested, his voice calm but authoritative.
Dr. Bennett’s lips thinned with barely concealed disdain as he moved toward Victoria. He bent to check her pulse, his movements
efficient and professional despite his obvious dislike.
“Are you feeling nauseous because of your own behavior?” he asked dryly, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Victoria’s face flushed with anger, but she maintained her act of weakness. Her wolf cowered beneath her skin as she realized she
couldn’t escape this confrontation.
Ethan finally reached us, stopping a respectful distance from my mother’s wheelchair.
“Mrs. Winters,” he said formally, inclining his head.
My mother’s expression was a storm of emotions–anger, resentment, disappointment, and bitter regret. Her wolf’s scent
carried years of suppressed fury.
“Help me up,” she said suddenly, looking between James and me. “I want to stand.”
