Alpha King Chases Abandoned Luna

The Alpha King is unavailable 44

Ethan immediately loosened his grip, but his anger was palpable. He stood up, towering over me, his amber eyes

flashing with fury.

"Olivia, just because you didn't push Emma today doesn't mean Lily didn't push her that day," he said coldly

before turning and leaving the room.

| slowly sat up, my eyes cold and distant. | had hoped that today's incident, mirroring the past, would at least

make him question the narrative he believed. | had underestimated the hold Victoria and her daughter had on

him.

The door slammed behind him, leavingalone with my thoughts and the lingering scent of Dr. Bennett's

healing salve.

(Isabelle's POV)

| sat on my bed, tears streaming down my face as | looked at my bruised knees and bloodied legs. The pain was

excruciating, but my rage burned even hotter.

"That b**h, Olivia, | won't let her get away with this!" | seethed, pressing a cold compress against my throbbing

knee.

Mother stood nearby, her expression a mixture of concern and anger. She'd always protectedways ensured |

got whatever | wanted. This humiliation was unprecedented in my twenty-four years.

Just then, a servant from Ethan's quarters entered without knocking. His face was impassive as he delivered

his message.

Chapter 17 Words and

"Miss Stone, Mr. Stone has ordered you to the ancestral hall to receive punishment."

My eyes widened in fear. "lI won't go!" | cried, the pain from the earlier whipping still fresh,

| looked pleadingly at Mother, expecting her to intervene as she always did. But the servants, following. Ethan's

direct orders, grabbed my arms and began draggingfrom the bed,

"Let go of me! I'm injured!" | screamed, fighting against their grip.

Mother stepped forward, her voice sharp with authority. "How dare you! Release my daughter immediately!"

The servants hesitated, caught between conflicting orders from two powerful members of the Stone family. But

Ethan's authority as Alpha King outweighed my mother's.

"We apologize, Mrs. Stone, but these are direct orders from the Alpha," one servant said apologetically before

continuing to pulltoward the door.

My screams echoed through the hallways as

scolding.

(Eleanor's POV)

they draggedaway, ignoring my protests and Mother's

| arrived at the ancestral hall just as the punishment concluded. My daughter lay

on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, having endured ten lashes of the discipline rod. Her shirt was torn,

revealing angry red welts across her delicate skin.

"Mom!" Isabelle wailed, her face streaked with tears and mascara.

My heart broke at the sight of my daughter's suffering. How could Ethan do this to his own cousin? | rushed to

her side, gathering her trembling form in my arms.

'Shh, I'm here now," | soothed, stroking her hair.

| ordered the servants to take Isabelle back to her quarters and immediately stormed off to confront Ethan. |

found him in his study, calmly reviewing documents as if he hadn't just ordered my daughter's brutal

punishment.

"Ethan, what is the meaning of this? What did Isabelle do to deserve such punishment?" | demanded, trying to

maintain an authoritative tone, but faltering under his cold gaze.

He looked up from his papers, his amber eyes devoid of emotion. "She lied about witnessing Olivia push Emma.

She attempted to frmy mate for a serious transgression."

"She's just a young woman, afraid of pain," | argued, gesturing wildly with my hands. "How could she endure ten

lashes?"

"Aunt, Olivia is the sage." Ethan replied calmly, his eyes sharp as he set down his pen.

The message was clear. He was retaliating for Olivia, Isabelle, for trying to harm Olivia, had received the exact

spunishment that had been inflicted on his mate.

| clenched my fists, realizing | was at a disadvantage. For years, Ethan had ignored Olivia, allowin her however

we wished. This sudden defense of her made no sense.

to treat

"Isn't Victoria the one you care about?" | blurted out, confused by his sudden defense of Olivia. Ethan's

expression darkened. "Victoria is not my mate. Olivia is the Luna of this pack, and any attack against her is an

attack against me."

O<

(0 Chapter 17r. Wounds and

His words were practiced, formal the expected response from an Alpha regarding his Luna. But there was

something else in his eyes, something I couldn't quite identify.

"You've never cared before," | pressed, searching his face for answers.

"I've always cared," he replied, his voice low and dangerous. "Don't mistake my patience for indifference, Aunt

Eleanor."

(Olivia's POV)

| stood on the second floor landing, having followed the sounds of Eleanor's confrontation with Ethan. His words

reachedclearly: "Victoria is not my mate. Olivia is the Luna of this pack..."

A flicker of hope had sparked within me, only to die just as quickly. His defense was about position, not love.

About pack hierarchy, not personal feeling.

| descended the stairs, ignoring Eleanor as she emerged from Ethan's study. Her venomous glare meant nothing

tonow, | made my way toward the kitchen, intending to prepare a meal for Matriarch Evelyn.

As | passed Ethan, who had followed Eleanor out of his study, he stopped me. "Olivia," he called out.

| continued walking, refusing to acknowledge him. After our confrontation in his room, | had nothing more to

say.

"Where's Lily?" he asked. "I'll go pick her up so she can have dinner with Grandmother."