Chapter 167

Chapter 167

(Rose: Eden’s Mom Pov)

I sat with Eden and Eros, the weight of years pressing down on me as I continued to share everything I had kept buried for so long.

The truth spilled out of me like water breaking through a dam, the memories raw and vivid, almost as if I were reliving

them.

My mind drifted back to that night–cold, and drenched, as I stood beneath a large tree, trying to shield my three–year–old Eden from the relentless rain.

She clung to me, shivering, her small face pressed against my chest, and I whispered to her, promising everything would be okay even though I knew we had nowhere to go. I could still feel the weight of her in my arms, her tiny breaths against my neck.

I was pregnant again, my swollen belly making it harder to keep her steady in my arms, yet I held on as tightly as I could, feeling utterly alone and afraid.

I had thought about returning to my old pack, Crescent Moon. Maybe they would have taken me back, but the shame was too much to bear.

Besides, I couldn’t bring myself to leave Griffin, to give up on him. Despite everything, I believed he was my true love, the only one the Moon Goddess had ordained for me. I thought that maybe if I waited–just waited a little longer—he would come around and see me, really see me, as I saw him.

“I was foolish,” I whispered, glancing at Eden, who looked at me with a mixture of sorrow and shock. “I clung to the idea of Alpha Griffin, believing he’d realize he needed me.”

“I thought… I thought there’d never be anyone else for me.” I let out a bitter smile, shaking my head.

Years passed like that. Somehow, I managed to scrape together enough to get a small place–a house, somewhere for my girls and me to call home. It wasn’t much, and Silvermoon Pack wasn’t kind to us.

But still, I couldn’t bring myself to leave. And so often, in the darkness of night, Alpha Griffin would appear at my door, not because he wanted to make things right. But only to sate his lustful desires.

Eden’s face twisted with anger, as I continued “He would come to me, spend the night, and then leave as if it meant nothing, like I was nothing to him.” My voice faltered, remembering those painful nights. “He’d remind me, constantly, that I was the one who’d ruined things, who’d kept him from his ‘perfect‘ mate bond.”

Eden’s grip tightened around Eros’s hand. She looked down, lost in thought, and I could see the pain in her eyes–pain from a truth I had hidden from her all these years.

I took a shaky breath, feeling the memories pull me back. “It was a cycle I couldn’t break free from. Every time he came to me, I told myself maybe, just maybe, he was softening. Maybe he’d finally forgive me, or even… love me. But after every night he spent with me, it was always the same hateful words he would spew at me.”

Eros’s jaw tightened, and I could see his frustration, the anger burning in his eyes. But this was my story, my burden to share. I had to finish it.

“You and Olivia–never knew about his secret visits… I kept it all hidden, thinking it was better that way, that you didn’t need to see the pain I carried. I thought I could protect you both from that.”

I forced a small, bitter smile. “I was wrong. I see that now. Maybe if I’d been more open, if I’d told you both the truth sooner, you would’ve understood. Maybe things would have been different.”

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Eden looked at me, her gaze softening, and I could feel her understanding, her forgiveness, even if I didn’t deserve it.

“Eden….” I hesitated, my heart pounding as I found the strength to continue. “As you know, you and Olivia are from different fathers. You… you’re a hybrid, part werewolf, part vampire. But Olivia… she was Alpha Griffin’s daughter,” I chuckled bitterly, the irony heavy on my tongue.

“Things took another turn when Lyra, the child he had with Belle, escaped with your friend, Alice. That was when he… he decided he needed Olivia. She was his chance to feel like a father again, to have someone he could control, someone who would carry his legacy.”

I swallowed, feeling the bitterness of it all. “So Alpha Griffin came back for Olivia. He started weaving lies, and planting seeds of doubt in her mind about me.”

“What lies, mom?” Eden asked, her voice trembling with anger and hurt.

I took a deep breath, feeling the ache “He told her… he told Olivia that I was the reason she hadn’t known him sooner. That I kept her from him because I wanted to hurt him. That I’d poisoned her against him, just out of spite. And she believed him, Eden. She believed every word.”

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Eden’s eyes were filled with tears, and Eros wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. I could see the pain that Griffin’s betrayal had caused, not just to me, but now to her, too.

“With his influence, Olivia began to change,” I continued, my voice barely steady. “She grew colder toward me, distant. She started spending more time with him, listening to his false lies. I watched my daughter slip away from me, bit by bit, every lie created a bridge between us.”

My voice broke, and the silence that filled the room felt heavy and raw. “Finally, she took her things and left. She chose him over me. She believed his lies.”

The room fell silent. I looked at Eden, seeing her sorrow, “That was… today?” she whispered

I nodded, my throat tight “Yes, Eden. That was the moment you and Eros arrived.”