Olivia’s POV
God, I wished I could wipe that smirk off his face with a single punch. My wolf pushed hard inside , but I forced her down. I couldn’t risk losing control now. I straightened, lifting my chin, letting my voice co out calm. "We are not yet married, Lord Frederick." For a heartbeat, his smirk faltered—then returned, wider, sharper. He leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lazily against the polished wood. It seed like this was a habit of his.
"I’m not asking you to pack your things and move in, Olivia," he said smoothly, his eyes locked on mine. "Not yet. That day will co soon enough." His tone made my skin crawl, but he went on, calm and so sure of himself.
"All I ask is tonight. Stay here, under my roof. Learn the walls you will one day walk as their mistress. Know , as I know you." He tilted his head, his voice dropping into sothing softer. "That’s how it begins."
I kept my face blank while my fingers curled into the fabric of my dress under the table. This man was up to no good but I’m up for it... two can play this ga. "Okay." I shrugged, crossing my legs and leaning back, feigning composure when I was anything but calm.
Frederick gave a fake smile before turning back to the scattered papers on his desk. His focus shifted instantly, pale hands gliding as he scribbled and signed, his eyes scanning docunts as though I wasn’t even present. I stayed still, though my gaze wandered around the office.
"Could it be here?" My wolf whispered inside , "The vessel. It has to be sowhere close. Sowhere he trusts." I scanned the shelves behind him, lined with old books and strange jars. The carvings on the door. The tall chest in the corner with iron locks. My heart quickened.
If his vessel was here, I had to find it. I had to search, to look into every shadow of this mansion. Because the mont I discovered it, Frederick’s power would no longer be untouchable.
"What are you looking for?" Frederick asked suddenly. Though shock jolted that he had caught staring, I masked it with calm and slowly turned back to him. "I was checking if there’s any decaying body around," I replied smoothly, forcing a faint smirk. "Who knows... I might be the next victim."
His pen stilled in his hand. Then, with deliberate slowness, he lifted his head. His eyes locked onto mine, sharp and probing. For a long mont, he said nothing. Then his lips curved into a faint smirk.
"Hailee lived here for eleven years," he said softly, almost taunting. "Did we kill her?"
My wolf stiffened inside , her hackles raised. Frederick leaned back in his chair, his fingers now lazily drumming against the desk again. "What makes you think we would kill you, Olivia? If she survived here under our roof, so will you."
My jaw clenched, but I forced my expression to remain blank. He went on, his tone calm, almost bored, as though we were discussing sothing ordinary. "And besides... I do not drink recklessly. Not anymore. I have what I need—blood from the hospitals. Fresh, clean. No need to waste."
The way he said it made my stomach twist, but I didn’t let him see my unease. I sat back in my chair, crossing my arms. Frederick sighed, closing the file. "I should take you to Mother... she is dying to et you." He said while standing to his feet.
I froze for a second, my brows furrowing. "Your... mother?"
He arched a brow, tilting his head as if I’d asked sothing foolish. "Yes. Did you imagine I was born from stone?" His lips curved again with that annoying smirk of his. "Even monsters have mothers, Olivia."
My frown deepened. Just earlier I’d discovered he had a sister, and now a mother? My stomach twisted. I had thought his parents would have been long gone—buried centuries ago. "She is here?" I asked while also rising to my feet.
"Yes." Frederick responded while already going for the door. "This is her ho. I rely ca for a visit." He opened it and stepped aside like a gentleman, gesturing for to pass. I narrowed my eyes, and he rewarded with his signature irritating smirk.
The hallways were long and quiet as Frederick walked ahead of . His steps were slow and steady, like he knew every corner of this place. I followed, my chest tight and my wolf restless inside . We stopped at a tall wooden door with strange carvings on it. Frederick pushed it open, and I stepped inside behind him.
The room was dark, lit by a few small candles. The air slled of herbs... and sickness. My eyes went to the bed in the middle of the room. A woman lay there. Her skin was so pale it looked almost white. Her hair, silver like the moon, spread across the pillow. She looked weak—too weak—each breath coming slowly, as if it took all her strength just to stay alive.
My wolf went quiet, uneasy. Frederick walked straight to her. And for the first ti, his smirk faded. His face softened. He reached for her hand and touched it gently, like she was made of glass.
"Mother," he whispered, his voice softer than I had ever heard it. "Wake up." Her eyes opened slowly. Red eyes, but dull with age, looked at him. For a mont, I saw sothing different in him—fear, or maybe sadness.
"Mother," Frederick said again, his voice low. Then he looked at . "Olivia is here." His lips curved into that annoying smirk again, but softer this ti. "As I promised," he said.
My frown deepened. As promised? What does he an by that?
"She is here?" the aged woman asked weakly. Though she looked like a frail woman in her eighties, I knew she had to be hundreds of years old. "Yes, Mother... look." Frederick gestured toward where I stood by the door.
The pale woman turned her head slowly in my direction, and when her eyes t mine, her face lit with a genuine smile. "Moon... she carries Hailee’s energy." Her voice was fragile but warm. I swallowed hard, at a loss for words. Her smile deepened. "Finally Felix will have a mother," she whispered.
My brow furrowed. Felix? Who is Felix? And who is becoming his mother? I turned sharply toward Frederick, my arms folding across my chest. "Felix? Who is Felix?" I asked, my wolf growling with unease inside .
Frederick stayed calm. He let his fingers trail lazily over his mother’s frail hand before straightening and turning toward .
"My son," he said simply, like it was the most normal thing in the world. "He is three years old."
The air seed to drain out of the room. My chest tightened, my wolf stiffening inside .
"Your... son?" I echoed, my voice dropping low.
Frederick’s smirk widened, his eyes locked on mine, watching every flicker of shock on my face. "Yes. I had a one-night stand with his mother, a human, and she conceived. Unfortunately, she died giving birth to him. He has never known a mother. But soon..." His smirk sharpened. "...he will know you as his."
Reviews
All reviews (0)