Chapter 13
When Diana’s Aunt finished recounting what she had overheard, Diana recoiled a few steps, unable to believe her ears. Her mother instinctively reached out to steady her.
“This can’t be… it simply can’t be,” Diana murmured, shaking her head as if trying to fling those words out of her ears.
“Kieran has already told me about his family.
He even showed me a picture of his mom. The she-wolf I met today-it’s definitely her.”
“And besides, if they weren’t family, they wouldn’t be hugging so tightly right in front of me, right? Right?”
Her voice was filled with hope, desperately clinging to the possibility that this was just a terrible misunderstanding.
“Aunt Maya,” she asked softly, “are you sure you heard correctly?”
But Maya’s eyes held a reluctant sympathy, and
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Chapter 13
she firmly repeated herself.
“I heard it, Diana. I’m not saying Kieran isn’t her son. But from what I overheard, his birth mother-Alice-was the one who disrupted. another mate’s relationship. The she-wolf that. raised him-his father’s true mate-was forced to stay and keep up appearances. She has never been able to leave that household.”
Maya paused and then softly added, “Think about it, this is the environment he grew up in. If his father treated a she-wolf that way, what makes you think Kieran wouldn’t do the same? When Kieran spoke about the she-wolf who raised him-remember, she raised him, there was not a shred of respect in his words. He referred to her as a ‘senior nanny,’ and said she was nothing more than a cleaner. But that she-wolf sacrificed nearly her entire life to raise him, treating him as her own pup. Yet, he discarded her the moment he had the chance.”
Maya looked directly into Diana’s eyes, finishing calmly but firmly. “This isn’t just about family dynamics, dear. It’s about his character. Are you sure you want to continue?” Then she stepped back, her tone gentler. “That’s all I have to say.
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The decision is yours.”
Diana stood there, her mind a chaotic whirlwind. She recalled how, in the months leading up to the mating ceremony, Kieran would evade certain topics, his subtle
comments, and his relentless hints about her reconsidering her work.
“Perhaps you can work fewer hours after we
mate.”
“When we have pups, it would be good to have someone take care of them.”
“You don’t need to work so hard anymore.”
That was never how her pack had raised her. Both her parents worked, and her mother had always emphasized the importance of independence and a career. So no, she had never considered becoming a full-time
housewife.
But now… now she felt something shattering.
Despite everything, she still didn’t want to jump to conclusions-not just yet. She and
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Kieran had been through too much together to abandon it without a conversation.
So she sent him a message.
[Kieran, is there something you’re not telling me?]
She told herself that if he came clean now, if he confessed and apologized like an adult, maybe she could give him a chance to explain.
What Diana didn’t know was that this one small message would convince Kieran that she was back under his control.
This message set off a chain of events neither of them could have anticipated.
When Kieran saw the text message light up his phone, the first thing he did was check the time. Less than thirty minutes. Exactly as Alice
said it would be.
He let out a self-satisfied chuckle. “Mom, look,” he said proudly, “Diana just messaged me.”
Alice glanced at the message from over his
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shoulder and smiled with satisfaction.
“She’s probing,” she said smoothly. “Respond casually, make her wait a bit longer.”
“I know you want her to compromise on some things. Let her stew in her thoughts, and then you can start setting some boundaries.”
Kieran nodded, fully engrossed in Alice’s plan. He was convinced Diana would come around.
What he didn’t realize was that just a few steps away, Jameson had been eavesdropping on everything. And his wolf inside… quivered
fiercely.
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