Chapter 403
(Ethan’s POV)
“Olivia!” Seeing Olivia Winters standing there safe and sound, my amber eyes turned red with overwhelming relief. I rushed forward excitedly, pulling her into a desperate embrace.
Overjoyed at finding what I had lost, I held her very tightly. My chin rested on the top of her head, finally able to let the heart that had been hanging in my throat fall.
My wolf whined with relief beneath my skin. Fortunately, my mate was okay.
The terror of almost losing her in that inferno still gripped my soul. When I had seen those flames consuming her cottage, my entire world had nearly collapsed. “Thank the Moon Goddess you’re alive,” I whispered against her hair. My voice was rough from smoke damage and raw emotion.
The warmth of her body against mine was the only thing keeping me grounded. After hours of uncertainty, holding her felt like breathing again.
My wolf settled slightly, but remained vigilant. The scent of smoke still clung to her, a reminder of how close we had come to losing everything.
“I thought I’d lost you forever,” I murmured, tightening my grip. The burns on my arms screamed in protest, but I ignored the pain.
Nothing mattered except the fact that she was here, alive, in my arms. My mate was safe.
My sudden embrace caught Olivia off guard. Her emerald eyes instantly turned cold as she pushed against my chest with werewolf strength. “Let me go,” she demanded, her voice sharp as winter wind.
I refused, holding her tighter. I was desperate to feel her warmth after the terror of almost losing her in the fire.
I couldn’t bear to think of what might have happened if I hadn’t been there to save her and Evelyn. The thought of losing them both filled me with dread.
My Alpha instincts screamed to protect my mate. Every fiber of my being rebelled against releasing her.
“Please, just let me hold you,” I pleaded. “I almost lost you tonight.”
But Olivia remained rigid in my arms. Her body language spoke of rejection and anger.
“I said let me go, Ethan,” she repeated, her voice growing colder.
Despite my desperate plea, Olivia remained unmoved. I could see the memories flickering behind her emerald eyes.
She was remembering the countless times she had begged me to spend time with Lily. All those moments when I had turned her down for Victoria and Emma.
The memory of Lily’s dying moments filled her gaze. Our daughter’s sadness and the realization that her father didn’t love her fueled Olivia’s resentment towards
- me.
She struggled harder against my embrace. Her movements caused me pain as she inadvertently rubbed against my burns.
Maxwell Chen noticed with alarm, stepping forward to intervene. But I silenced him with a commanding Alpha glare. “Don’t,” I growled at Maxwell. This was between my mate and me.
Olivia’s struggles grew more violent. Each movement sent fire through my injured skin, but I endured it.
“You have no right to hold me,” she hissed. “Not after everything you’ve done.”
Her words cut deeper than any physical wound. But I couldn’t let her go, not when I had just gotten her back.
(Olivia’s POV)
I was overwhelmed by worry for Lucas Blackwood who had saved my mother and fne from the fire. I only wanted to know if he was safe.
I remembered hearing him calling my name through our growing connection. He had urged me to hold on, saying he couldn’t live without me.
His words and actions stood in stark contrast to Ethan’s past neglect. This made me even more determined to break free from my estranged mate’s desperate embrace.
“Where is Lucas?” I demanded, pushing harder against Ethan’s chest. “Is he hurt?”
Ethan’s grip tightened possessively. “Why are you asking about him?”
“Because he saved us,” I snapped. “While you were nowhere to be found, he was there.”
The irony wasn’t lost on me. Lucas, who owed me nothing, had risked everything. Meanwhile, Ethan, my supposed mate, had failed me countless times before. “I need to see him,” I insisted. “I need to know he’s okay.”
Ethan’s amber eyes flashed with jealousy and pain. But I didn’t care about his feelings anymore.
(Ethan’s POV)
1/2
Chapter 404
Heartbroken by Olivia’s rejection, I
I confessed
“I love you,
my love
and begged for another chance to make amends.
Olivia,”
1 said desperately. “Please, give me another chance to make
this right.”
damaged,
still pulsed between us.
My wolf howled in anguish at her continued resistance. The mate bond, though
“I know I I failed you and Lily,” 11 I continued. “But I can change. I will change.”
However,
Olivia coldly rejected
- me. Her emerald eyes held no
warmth, no forgiveness.
“I no longer l love you, Ethan Stone,”
,” she declared with finality.”
“I want
nothing to do
with
you.
