Filed to story: Alpha’s Regret After His Pregnant Luna’s Death (Evelyn & Declan)
My fingers twitched at my sides. My wolf stirred uneasily, pacing restlessly, sensing the tension in the room.
Margaret, I thought, the word bitter on my tongue. She used to be someone, more than just my mother, more than just the woman who had raised me.
She had once been a legal star, a sharp, brilliant mind with a commanding presence. Before she’d become someone’s wife, before she had been reduced to this shell of herself, Margaret had been known across the legal world, admired and respected.
I’d stepped onto the legal scene like a force of nature. People noticed me immediately, not just for my talent, but because they knew who I was. Margaret’s daughter. They all said the same thing, didn’t they? Her child was bound to be exceptional, inheriting her remarkable talent.
I had thought they were right. I thought that in my own way, I could prove them right. That I could be her equal.
And for a while, I had been. In the first three years of my career, I won cases that stunned Asterfell. I was praised as a prodigy by veteran lawyers. I had made my mark. But all I ever wanted was her approval.
I thought that, maybe, just maybe, she would be proud of me. That she’d look at what I had accomplished and see that I was more than just her daughter, I was my own person, my own success.
But I was wrong.
Margaret, who should have understood me better than anyone, had never acknowledged my efforts, my brilliance. Instead, she showered praise on Sophia.
For what? Finishing an ordinary thesis? It had been like that from the beginning. And over time, I had stopped hoping for her approval, I had stopped caring. The only person I lived for now was Lana.
I blinked, pushing back the sting of tears that threatened to blur my vision. I was done. The grief, the disappointment, those things were over. I accepted it now. My mother had never really seen me. She had used my expertise to manipulate me, to stand against me.
I focused on the present, pushing all those thoughts to the back of my mind. Alexander’s face twisted in unease, his hand clutching the will like it was a hot brand, burning through his skin.
I could see sweat beading on his forehead, his eyes flicking nervously from one of us to the next.
“Well…” Alexander finally spoke, his voice hesitant.
Margaret pressed, unrelenting. “If you can’t prove its validity, this so-called will shouldn’t take effect.”
Her words cut through the air, and I could feel the tension crackling in the room. My heart pounded, the beat steady beneath the wolf’s growl, itching to break free.
Alexander took a deep breath, his face pale. “When Madam Osborne drafted this will, I was the only one by her side. She was in her final moments, and by the time the notary arrived, she’d already been moved from the ICU.”
“So who’s to say you weren’t bribed by Evelyn?” Sophia’s voice broke through, sharp and mocking.
Evelyn’s POV
Sophia crossed her arms, giving me a taunting glance. “That will might be Evelyn’s own creation. Or maybe Madam Osborne was too ill to know what she was signing.”
Her words hit me like a slap, but I didn’t flinch. I couldn’t.
I clenched my fists, the nails digging into my palms, the tension making my muscles burn. The wolf inside me paced harder, the urge to lash out building like a wave. How dare she? How dare she accuse me like that?
Alexander sighed, the weight of the moment pressing down on him. “With these objections, I can’t proceed with the transfer for now. We’ll have to pause the inheritance process.”
I could feel the tension in the room tightening like a noose, my claws itching beneath the surface. Alexander, that poor man, had clearly made a mistake coming here today. I could sense his discomfort as he wiped sweat from his brow, his body tense as he closed the file and backed away.
I could almost hear him cursing his decision to be part of this storm. The outcome hadn’t gone the way Margaret had hoped, but for her, a delay was nothing, just another obstacle to bulldoze through.
She gave him a curt nod, her sharp eyes cold and calculating. “I’ll be in touch.”
And with that, Alexander hurried out, eager to escape, no doubt. I don’t blame him, I thought, my skin prickling as my wolf within me strained against the walls I’d built. This place is filled with poison.
Sophia’s eyes narrowed, a predatory gleam in them as she positioned herself behind me. I felt the air shift, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up like a warning. Her breath, hot and angry, grazed my neck, sending a ripple of instinct through me.
“You won’t get a single penny of that old hag’s inheritance,” she hissed, her words dripping with venom.
I didn’t react. My face remained impassive, like a stone mask hiding the fury beneath.
Sophia didn’t stop there. “I was there when that old hag took her last breath.”
Her words cracked the icy calm on my face, the barrier between me and the storm brewing inside. So, she knows. She knows about the will and could confirm its authenticity-but she’d never testify to that. No, she’d rather burn the whole thing down.
I could feel her eyes gleaming with malicious delight as she saw the flicker of emotion in my gaze. She was enjoying this, every second of it.
“I stood outside the door, listening as that old woman gasped your name with her dying breath. Too bad you were rotting in prison. She doted on you her whole life, but what does it matter? Where has that left her?” She chuckled wickedly, “Everything she left will be mine and mine alone.”
I could feel my chest tighten, my breath was coming faster and hotter. My wolf snarled, snapping at the restraints in my mind, urging me to rip her apart. I was almost at my wits end, it was taking every single thing in my to keep my wolf from taking absolute control.
“You weren’t there,” she continued, her voice cold. “But oh, I wish you’d seen her.”
The venom in Sophia’s voice cut through the air. “She was so proud, wasn’t she? But in the end, she was just like a pathetic old dog, gasping for air. It was almost comical.”
I could see the satisfaction on Sophia’s face, but it didn’t last long. She hadn’t expected me to really react. My eyes burned with fury, glowing red like embers in the dark. I felt my hands rise before I could stop them, ready to slap the smirk off her face.
“Sophia!” Margaret’s voice pierced through the haze of my rage. She was halfway across the room, seeing Alexander out, and didn’t catch the words exchanged between Sophia and me. But she saw my raised hand, and I could see the shock on her face, the tension in her body. Her temples throbbed as she shouted, “What are you doing? Sophia, watch out!”
The force of my swing cut through the air, and I could feel Sophia’s hair whip across her cheeks. Her face paled in fear, good, she should be afraid, but I didn’t care anymore. I was done holding back.
But just as my hand was about to connect, a presence appeared beside Sophia cold and steel, A sudden, suffocating chill filled the room.
I froze. My hand hung midair, suspended by a force I couldn’t control. What the hell?
I looked up, and my heart skipped a beat. There, towering over us, stood Declan. My mouth went dry, and the words I’d planned to say caught in my throat.
“Declan?” I whispered, stunned.
Evelyn’s POV
Standing in front of me was Declan. My blood ran cold. How was he here?
He didn’t say anything at first, just stared at me with that icy gaze of his, like a blade cutting through my skin. His presence was very overwhelming.
“Even though you’ve been in prison, you haven’t learned your lesson,” he said, his voice low and commanding.
His shadow stretched across the room, enveloping Sophia and me. He towered over me, and in that moment, I felt small and insignificant. My wolf snarled within me, wanting to fight Declan. But I knew better. Declan wasn’t someone I could face in a battle.
I felt the chill of his breath hover just above my head, laced with the same frost that surrounded him. So this is what it feels like to face him again.
The memory of that day hit me like a punch to the gut, that day in the garden when heavy hands of the enforcers had dragged me away. I could still hear Declan’s voice, cold and detached, as if I were just another problem to deal with.”Push for the harshest sentence.” That was what he had told them, without even sparing me a glance.
My hands clenched into fists, the fabric of my sleeves tight against my skin as my nails dug into my palms. My wolf stirred within me, angry and restless. I could feel the heat rise in my chest, like the simmering burn of a wildfire ready to erupt.
That day… that day broke me. And now, here I was again, face-to-face with him.
Declan, the man who had once been my everything. Now, he stood there, his presence an icy wall between us. I hate him, I thought. I hate him for what he’s done, for what he didn’t do. This was the first time since my release that I’d faced him head-on, and everything inside me screamed to lash out, to make him feel the same pain I did.
“What, a year in prison and you’ve gone mute?” Declan’s voice cut through the air, icy and disdainful.
I heard the shift in his tone. He was irritated. But before he could say another word, a sharp, resounding slap rang out through the room, and my head snapped to the side. The force of it left me stunned, my mind struggling to catch up. What just happened?
I barely registered the sting on my cheek before my thoughts shattered into a thousand pieces. Declan had stopped me from hitting Sophia. But now he let her strike me?
The red mark from Margaret’s slap still burned on my skin, now joined by a fresh one. My face felt raw, but the anger was hotter than the pain. I can’t believe this. I can’t believe I’m standing here, being treated like this, by both of them.
I dimly registered Declan’s shock as he turned toward Sophia, his expression betraying something close to surprise.
Sophia slipped behind Declan, using him as a shield as if she were the innocent party in all of this.
I could feel the wolf stir inside me, the hunger for retribution growing stronger.
And then, like a punch to the stomach, a cold realization settled in my bones. That man, Declan, protecting my enemy… was my husband.
A bitter laugh bubbled up in my throat, but I swallowed it down. This was how far I’d fallen. Just like my mother, even he never took my side.
It was in their nature to gang up on me and beat me down until I knew my place, until I stopped fighting back.
My head buzzed, my body was rigid. The chill of Declan’s grip was seeping into my bones.
Sophia, ever the actress, feigned a delayed reaction, her voice sweet but full of venom.”Oh, Evelyn!” she gasped, her hand fluttering to her chest in mock concern.”I-I was scared. You were about to hit me, and I just tried to block. I didn’t mean to… Declan showed up, and I panicked. Does your face hurt?”
Her eyes flicked up to Declan’s, glinting with hidden amusement. I could practically see her savoring every word, every moment of the game she was playing. She’s so pathetic.
“Declan, please,” she cooed, turning her gaze back to him with an exaggerated pleading look.”Tell her I didn’t mean it. I don’t even know why she wanted to hit me, I’d have let her if that’s what she wanted! I didn’t mean to hit back.”
Her flustered explanation dripped with false innocence, but I could see the taunting gleam in her eyes. She wasn’t sorry. She was enjoying every second of this.
The metallic taste in my throat was like iron. I swallowed it down, letting the anger and frustration settle in my chest, my body trembling just slightly. I let my disheveled hair fall over my face, concealing the mockery that burned in my eyes.
I closed my eyes, but no tears came. I lifted my head slowly, my gaze locking onto Declan, and in that moment, I could feel my wolf growling, wanting to take control and fight him.
His brow furrowed as they landed on the red marks on my cheek, his throat tightening. I saw something flicker in his eyes, maybe regret? Guilt?. I didn’t care. It was too late for that.
His sharp gaze flicked to Sophia and then to me. I glared at him with cold eyes full of mockery, making him swallow whatever words were on the tip of his tongue.
He frowned, stepping closer.”What’s that look for?”
I didn’t answer. My stare remained icy, unwavering, as it shifted to Sophia and in that instant, I wrenched free from Declan’s grip, every muscle in my body screaming as I lunged at her.
“Evelyn, what are you doing? Declan, help me!” Sophia shrieked, but her voice only made the rage inside me burn brighter.
