Chapter 223
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Finished
Zara’s hands trembled as she pushed against the cold floor, legs weak and trembling. She crawled forward in agonizing. staggering steps toward Riley, barely able to move.
Tears spilled freely from her eyes, streaming down her cheeks in silent sobs.
“Riley… Mom was wrong. I’ll never stand with Scarlett again. Please forgive me. Your brother… he’s in prison because of that scum, Alpha Alaric. Now, all I have left is you.”
Luna Zara’s voice cracked with despair, raw and broken. As a mother, she knelt before Riley, pouring out her regret in desperate tears–her pitiful figure embodying utter hopelessness.
But Riley’s expression remained icy and indifferent, just as before.
She lifted her gaze coolly toward Luna but quickly averted her eyes, refusing to engage.
That cold dismissal stabbed info Luna’s heart like a sharpened fang.
In that moment, Luna Zara felt the true meaning of “there is no greater sorrow than a broken heart.” Riley had given up on her completely–no hope for forgiveness.
The realization tore Luna Zara apart.
Her voice shook as she cried out, “Riley, are you really so merciless? You don’t want your own mother anymore?”
But Riley’s gaze was elsewhere, oblivious to Luna Zara’s words.
It was exactly this cold silence–the refusal to acknowledge–that deepened Luna’s anguish.
Standing nearby, Mia’s face darkened like storm clouds, fury flashing in her eyes as she confronted Luna.
“Luna, you have no right to call Riley heartless. During those three years Riley lived in the Ebonclaw Pack’s shadows, you never once cared for her.”
“You knew she suffered fifteen brutal years in the Rogue settlement. When Riley finally returned to the pack, you ignored her completely.”
“You funneled riches to Scarlett–millions every month–yet not a single coin reached Riley.”
“Scarlett paraded around like a queen every day, while Riley’s only outfit was the worn Mooncrest Academy uniform she wore year–round. You saw it all but turned a blind eye. Not once did you buy her a new dress in those three years.”
“Scarlett and Riley were born on the same day, yet every birthday party and gift was only for Scarlett.”
“Riley would leave early and return late from Mooncrest Academy, often going the whole day without a warm meal, while you all sat together, feasting and laughing. When I offered to bring Riley food, you forbade me–saying she wasn’t hungry because she refused to eat at home.”
Mia sneered bitterly, eyes filled with contempt.
“A high school girl, in the prime of her growth, overwhelmed with study–starving herself to the point of gauntness, hair dry and lifeless–and you have the heart to say such lies?”
“You never struck Riley like Alpha Alaric, nor framed her like Scarlett did, but your cold indifference is far worse.”
“I remember every cruel thing you’ve done, Luna. How dare you accuse Riley of heartlessness ? How dare you say she doesn’t want you as her mother? Ask your own conscience–have you ever fulfilled even the smallest duty of a mother?”
Those words had been suffocating Mia’s soul for years.
In truth, during the five years Riley spent wrongfully imprisoned, Mia had often thought of abandoning the Ebonclaw Pack
But Carman, her youngest, was still in high school and needed support.
Even after Carman entered university, expenses grew heavier.
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3:33 PM
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Despite the Ebonclaw Pack’s cruelty, the pay was decent.
Finished
More than that, Mia feared that if she left, Riley would have no one left to truly
care
for and protect her upon release.
So, though resentful, she endured.
Events later proved her decision was right.
When Luna Zara, desperate to protect Scarlett, injected Riley with a wolf inhibitor–breaking her skull–Mia had risked everything to smuggle Riley away.
By chance, they encountered Lucien Duskgrave, the Stormridge Pack’s Alpha Prince, whose protection likely saved Riley’s life.
All these memories–each bitter wound–were etched deep into Mia’s
Now, with the chance to finally speak her truth, Mia felt a strange relief wash over her.
Matriarch Duskgrave and Mrs. Beck, who had only known of Riley’s hardships in the Ebonclaw Pack, stared at Luna Zara with undisguised disgust .
Ronan and his parents, hearing this, were stunned beyond belief.
As parents themselves, with a daughter to protect, they could not fathom how Luna Zara could behave so heartlessly.
Send Gifts
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