Gone With Your Son, Alpha

Chapter 6

Olivia's POV

Ethan abruptly turned around and was about to storm out.

"Wait."

I called out to him.

Ethan stopped, but he did not immediately turn around.

"You said Kael almost died." I stood up and asked, "Was it because of me? What exactly are you talking about?"

He slowly turned around, his face carrying a mocking expression. "You really don't know anything, do you?"

He let out a short, piercing sneer, but the smile did not reach his eyes. "Goddess, you really are slow."

"Make yourself clear." My patience was almost exhausted. When was he in danger?"

"You used to be his Luna! How could you not know?" He roared sharply, "Think about it yourself!"

After saying that, he yanked open the door and left in anger.

I stood in place, watching him exit like a farce.

Before the door slammed shut, I shouted at his retreating back, "You're right, Ethan! The key words are 'used to be'! That is all in the past!"

I rolled my eyes and folded my arms across my chest.

If he thought that merely mentioning Kael would make me collapse and burst into tears, then he was terribly mistaken.

I was not heartbroken.

I was only irritated.

Now he had dropped a bombshell and then turned around and ran away like a coward.

Kael had almost lost his life?

When had that happened?

And what exactly had happened?

I tried hard to recall every detail from the past two years, but my mind was blank.

If Kael had truly been seriously injured, the news would certainly have caused an uproar among the Packs.

But I had never received any news from the doctors, and there had never been any reports about it outside.

Kael had always been good at hiding things.

He was like a silent stone.

No matter how hard I knocked, he would not make the slightest sound.

He always came home late at night.

Apart from the cold scent of cedar on him, there was often the lingering scent of expensive Scotch whisky as well.

Many times, before I even woke up, he had already gone out.

The conversations between us had been reduced to superficial exchanges about routine matters.

He would not even let Maya talk to Leonardo.

Every time, he would find some clumsy excuse.

"Dinner is ready."

I used to say that often.

"I've eaten."

And his answer was always the same.

That was the life the Goddess had given me.

Looking back at my former self, it was truly laughable.

I had once prepared dinner in the kitchen with care, only to sit alone at the dining table and wait until the candlelight burned out.

But now, there was no sorrow in my heart.

Only absurdity.

For two whole years, I had faced a cold wall, desperately trying to close the distance between us.

I used to think he was just gloomy by nature, or that he had once been hurt somehow.

I had even naively believed that as long as I loved him enough, I could heal him.

Thinking about it now, it was absurd to the extreme.

He was not deep or complicated.

He was simply emotionally indifferent, selfish, and cold.

If he was unwilling to share his life with me, then so be it.

Even if he had truly experienced a near-death danger, he would only hide it alone in his heart like a miser guarding treasure.

After realizing this, I no longer felt stifled.

I became clearer and more determined.

I was not a decoration in the house.

Nor was I an invisible shadow.

I was still me.

It was just that I had once wasted too much time on a wolf who was not worth missing at all.

"Liv?"

Julian's voice pulled me back from my thoughts to reality.

"Are you all right?"

His emerald-green eyes carried undisguised concern.

As my childhood playmate, he was still just as good at sensing my emotions as he had been before.

"Do you think..."

I had just started speaking when Finn stepped forward first.

"Miss Astor, regarding the matter you just mentioned, we need to initiate the competitive alliance process. The alliance council team will need your approval before they can begin drafting the competitive alliance documents."

Right.

There was still work to do.

I pressed down the irritation in my heart.

"Do it."

My tone was firm.

Finn nodded and left the council chamber with the documents.

Julian crossed his arms in front of his chest and said, "Let Sullivan figure it out himself. Don't let him keep taking advantage of us."

I looked at Julian, still somewhat confused.

"Julian, I want to know. Would an Alpha really give up his life for his Luna?"

Julian did not hesitate at all.

"Of course."

"Why?" I asked, "Isn't an Alpha supposed to put the Pack's interests first? Their ambition and responsibilities, for example."

Julian looked at me, his tone serious.

"Liv, never underestimate an Alpha's possessiveness and devotion. If an Alpha truly loves his Luna, then the soul bond between them is far stronger than ordinary people can imagine. I've even heard of some Alphas who followed their Lunas in death shortly after their Lunas passed away. But on the other hand, if an Alpha can forcefully resist that bond, then..."

He paused for a moment. "I can't really say."

I thought Kael was probably the kind of Alpha whose will was strong enough to resist the mate bond.

He could even have relations with another she-wolf and have a new pup with her.

I lowered my head and looked at my still-flat lower abdomen.

I no longer wanted to feel even the slightest bit of pity for Kael.

He had Meg.

And he had a new pup.

Now, he was free.

And frankly, so was I.

Kael's POV

I was reviewing the report submitted by the Beta.

The door of the council chamber was suddenly knocked open.

Without raising my head, I knew who it was.

"Ethan, if you barge into an Alpha's council chamber so rudely again next time, I will have to start considering whether to restrict your access here with guards."

Ethan did not bother with any greetings.

He walked straight toward the crystal decanter by the wall, his movements impatient and agitated.

Click.

Splash.

Gulp.

He poured the amber whisky full into the glass.

He did not even bother adding ice before tilting his head back and taking a large swallow.

The strong liquor made him choke, his brows tightening, and his face became even uglier.

He set down the glass and said in a strange, sarcastic tone, "As expected of the fated mate appointed by the Goddess. You even speak the same way."

It seemed he had suffered a setback with Olivia.

I still did not raise my head, my gaze remaining on the dense lines of text.

"What did she do?"

"She threw me out."

Ethan leaned against the cabinet, his tone full of unwillingness.

"She absolutely refused to renew the alliance and insisted on initiating open competitive bidding. Kael, she actually wants me to compete on the same stage as other Packs for a cooperation that should have been firmly in my hands."

My fingertips paused, and I slowly lifted my eyes.

"She wants open competitive bidding?"

"Exactly!" Ethan's volume suddenly rose. "She has become cold as hell now, without the slightest regard for old ties!"

Ethan looked extremely frustrated.

He ruffled his own hair, turning his originally well-groomed black hair into a mess.

"I messed up this important renewal alliance. I can already imagine how the Council of Elders is going to criticize me..."

"f**k!"

Leonardo lazily paced in my mind and flicked its tail. "Look at this restless boy. Even if my claws had been sitting across from him at the negotiation table, he still would have screwed it up."

"No need to be so mocking."

"Why not?" Leonardo slowly rolled over in my mind. "Do you know what Maya is doing right now? She is cursing every single thing you did tonight from beginning to end. And I completely agree with her on this. You are an i***t. Stop doing stupid things."

Ever since the day I decided to bring Meg home, Leonardo had been at odds with me.

It always mocked my choices with cold sarcasm.

Either that, or it simply hid away and refused to communicate with me.

I guessed it was blaming me for not letting it communicate with Olivia's wolf before.

"Do you know who I saw after I left Astor Manor?" Ethan suddenly said.

Before I could ask, he continued on his own, "Alpha Voss! He watched me come out of the building and even sneered at me. f**k. Are all Astors this condescending?"

"He is still Astor's Alpha." I said lightly, "He doesn't need to bow to anyone."

"That's not what I mean." Ethan's hair was already as messy as a bird's nest.

The glass in his hand had been emptied several times.

"f**k, I need to start thinking about the competitive alliance now. Otherwise, my Pack will treat me like a sinner for all eternity."

He looked at me, then suddenly changed the direction of the conversation, his anger erupting completely.

"This is all your fault!" He accused me sharply, "If you hadn't insisted on getting entangled with Meg back then, I would have already signed the contract smoothly by now! You disrupted everything with your own hands, Kael. All of this happened because you insisted on rejecting Olivia!"