papapter 56 The Weight of

Chapter 56: The Weight of a Mate Bond

Chapter 56: The Weight of a Mate Bond

(Elena’s POV)

I hesitated, my hand frozen halfway to my phone. Adrian Whitmore waited patiently, his gentle amber eyes showing no pressure.

The truth was, I would be leaving the Northern Territory soon. How could I promise to help with his mother’s condition when I wouldn’t be here?

Adrian noticed my difficulty and stepped back slightly. “It was presumptuous of me.”

I shook my head quickly. “No, it’s just that my time in the Northern Territory won’t be too long. I can assist for a short time, but for a long time….

Relief flickered across bhis /brefined features. “A short time would also be fine.”

I pulled out my phone and added bhis /bcontact information. “How should I address you?”

“Adrian Whitmore,” he replied simply.

My fingers froze over the screen. Whitmore? As in the powerful Whitmore Pack from Riverside City? The same family thatmanded respect throughout the werewolf territories?

He noticed my stunned expression and asked gently, “And your name?”

“I am Elena ckwood,” I managed to say.

His eyes widened slightly at the mention of the ckwood name, but he maintained hisposure.

After exchanging contact information, I said goodbye and left. As I walked away, I could feel Adrian’s thoughtful gaze following my retreating figure.

Back at Moonhaven Estate, I parked my car and nced in the rearview mirror. My heart sank when I saw Marcus’s familiar vehicle pulling up behind me.

Marcus’s Personal Driver opened the rear bdoor/b. Sophia stepped out first, holding Oliver in her arms. The boy’s leg was wrapped in healing bandages.

Marcus emerged from the car, hismanding presence filling the parking area. Sophia said something to him, and he reached out to take Oliver from her arms

The boy wrapped his small arms around Marcus’s neck, his face radiating pure happiness. This scene, no matter how many times I witnessed it, still caused me immense difort.

I had originally intended to wait for them to go upstairs before getting out. But then I thought – why should I hide when I bhad /bdone nothing wrong?

I unfastened my seatbelt and got out of the car. As I closed the door, my hand slipped, and it mmed shut loudly.

Marcus turned to look at me, but his expression remained indifferent. Sophia deliberately bmoved /bcloser to him, as if they were a mated couple.

“Healer Elena, what a coincidence!” Sophia’s bvoice /bwas sickeningly sweet. “Marcus apanied me and Que!

Chapter 56 The Weight of

to the Northern Territory Central Healing Institute for a leg healing scan. We just got back and ran into you

Iughed coldly. “I’m not interested in what you do. There’s no need to notify me, right? It makes me seem like your elder. Should I call you Luna?”

Sophia’s smile froze Instantly. Marcus’s gaze on me was meaningful, but I was too tired to care

I turned to enter the Residential Tower, but Sophia stepped forward to stop me.

“Healer Elena, I apologize for what happened that day. I shouldn’t have dragged you into the Moonstone Reflecting Pool and let Marcus misunderstand you. As long as you forgive me, I’ll do anything!”

Fearing she would repeat her trick, I retreated quickly. “Don’te near me, or you’ll fall and say I pushed you again.”

Sophia’s face turned ugly. Marcus put Oliver on the healing cart and straightened up.

“Elena, is there any need to be so sarcastic?” His voice was calm but cutting.

“Alpha Marcus is joking. I just don’t want to bear false usations. Besides, I don’t have masochistic tendencies.”

Sophia’s eyes reddened with crocodile tears. “Healer Elena, I’m serious! I really didn’t want to hurt you!” “You’ve already hurt me. What’s the use of saying these words?” I smiled coldly. “Oh, right, Sophia Rivers should be careful about David ckthorne’s matter. Don’t let me catch you doing anything wrong.”

Sophia’s heart skipped a beat. She subconsciously tried to hide the panic in her eyes.

Marcus frowned. “Elena.

I smiled brightly, my voice dripping with false cheer, “Alpha Marcus is so protective of Sophia Rivers. Why don’t you mark her? Don’t let the mother and son wait half a year without getting a title. That would show Alpha Marcus’s deep love for his white moonlight.”

Without caring what Marcus’s expression was, I swaggered into the Residential Tower.

Late that night, I vaguely felt a hot hand roaming over my body in my sleep. I fluttered my eyshes and groaned softly.

The other party became even more presumptuous. I suddenly opened my eyes and, seeing the man’s outline, pushed him baway/bb. /b

“Marcus, what are you doing!” I thought he wouldn’t be back tonight, so I hadn’t locked the Master Suite door

“What do you think?” Marcus’s hand slipped into my nightgown, using his teeth to unhook the silken straps. The fabric slipped off my shoulders, and my soft ck hair cascaded down like a waterfall, spreading across the pillow. His face, hidden in the darkness, grew deeper with desire.

This extreme intimacy was not a dream. I was in a daze, then suddenly woke up, turning my face away.

“I don’t want to! Go find Sophia!”

Marcus turned my face back and kissed me roughly, biting my lips, Images of him and bSophia /bbeing Intimate like this shed through my mind.

Just thinking about them together made me feel nauseous. I pushed Marcus away with all my strength and

Chapter 56: The Weight at

leaned over the bed, gagging.

Seeing my reaction, Marcus’s bface /bdarkened. He pulled me bback /broughly.

“Elena, what do you mean?”

I trembled in his grasp, my lips pale. “I don’t feel well.”

He stared at me, seeing through my excuse. His eyes grew colder.

“Is it that you don’t feel well, or that you don’t want to?”

From some point on, I had resisted him touching me. He thought I was just being temperamental, but now it wasn’t that simple.

I looked at him like an empty puppet. “Marcus, I’m a person! I have flesh and blood and emotions! I’m not your

tool!”

“You don’t love me, and now that Sophia is back, you don’t have to force yourself to touch me you?”

anymore, do

Marcus vaguely understood what I was saying but avoided my question. He cupped the back of my head and pulled me closer.

“You don’t want to?”

I took

a deep breath and turned my head away. “I don’t want to.”

“Heh, you will.” Marcus grabbed his coat from the end of the bed and left.

The moment the Master Suite door closed, there was only silence and my muteness.

The next morning, I was awakened by a phone call. As soon as I answered, Richard’s furious voice came from the other end.

“Elena, what have you done! Why won’t Marcus let us see Davidb!/bb” /b

I suddenly woke up and sat up. “What did you say?”

“We went to the Shadowmere Private Healing Sanctuary to see Davidb, /bbut the pack security wouldn’t let us in, saying it was Marcus’s order!”

Richard was furious. “Marcus allowed David to be treated in his private sanctuary, but now he suddenly won’t let us bvisit/b. What did you do to make him unhappy?”

“You also know David’s current situation. Can’t you be patient for David’s sake!”

“He ended up like this because of you. Are byou /bgoing to watch David spend the rest of his life lying in the

Intensive Healing Ward!”

His words pierced my heart. Without waiting for me to exin, bhe /bhung up the phone.

I sat on the Master Suite bed, feeling powerless.

(Marcus’s POV)

Meanwhile, Amber Stone drove to the ckwood Consortium Tower. She nced in the rearview mirror at

me sitting in the back seat.

“The bpeople /bDavid ckthorne contacted privately are quite misceneous, but the day before the incident,

Chapter 56. The Weight of

someone went to the Territorial Enforcement Station to look for him.”

I responded faintly. “Find out who that person was?”

Amber Stone nodded. “I found out. It was Heidi Cross’s driver, and…”

She paused for a few seconds, unsure whether to speak.

I frowned. “Speak.”

“Heidi Cross and Sophia Rivers have been very close recently… Amber Stone nced at me intentionally.

David ckthorne was beaten at the Territorial Enforcement Station, but none of the pack officers on duty noticed. The surveince cameras happened to be under repair that day.

Such a big w was clearly being deliberately concealed. William bCross/b, as the person in charge of monitoring David ckthorne, could not escape being held ountable for dereliction of duty.

Adding the charges of incitement and deliberate condoning of harm, if Heidi Cross was really behind it, then Sophia could not escape responsibility.

Amber Stone just didn’t know what I would do if it was found to be rted to Sophia.

I was silent for a long time, my eyes growing deeper. I gazed out the car window

“What did Chief Morrison say?”

“Chief Morrison said he wouldn’t interfere. Besides, Director Harold Thornfield’s wife’s younger brother was being investigated for bribery and was still in detention. He bhad /bsome stains on his record and dared not interfere.

I closed my eyes to rest, not speaking. Amber Stone knew I was avoiding the matter of Sophia and wouldn’t ask any more questions.

(Elena’s POV)

I parked my car under the ckwood Consortium Tower. Lowering the car window, I looked at the Shadow

Gate Foyer.

It wasn’t my first timeing to the ckwood Consortium Tower. But every time I came to deliver venison stew, I was turned away, I had never been able to see Marcus ckwood, and those venison stews never

reached him.

–Later, I stoppeding

I got out of the car, entered the Grand Atrium, and went straight to the front desk.

“Is your Alpha Marcus in?”

Perhaps because it had been too long, the front desk staff had all changed. The female staff member asked,

“Do you have an appointment?”

“No.” I thought for a moment. “You can tell Amber Stone that Elena ckwood is here to see him. She will

know.”

As the staff member was about to say something, Jennifer Walsh, a heavily madeb–/bup female manager,

walked over with a mind–link device.

“Who are you looking for?”

Chapter 56 The Weight of

“Manager Walsh, thisdy wants to see Alpha Marcus, but she doesn’t have an appointment…

Jennifer Walsh sized me up and down with a look of disdain. Alpha Marcus bdidn’t /bhave Luna, and there were shameless she wolves trying to get his attention.

“Does everyone want to see Alpha Marcus now? The ckwood Consortium isn’t amon pack meeting. Not everyone is receivedb.” /b

I didn’t insist and turned to leave.

However, behind me came Jennifer Walsh’s sarcasm. “Did you see that? Now, any she–wolf with a bit of looks wants toe to a powerful pack’s headquarters to sell herself. You be smart, or if Alpha Marcus finds out, you won’t be able to keep this job!”

I stopped. I didn’t want to argue, but her words were too harsh.

I turned back and mmed my satchel on the desk. “Say that again?”

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