All Chapters of A Stolen Fate: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

RHEA'S POVThe pack house is quiet in the early morning hours. The energy from last night's games has faded, leaving behind a stillness that feels heavy. I had drifted off to a dream-filled sleep once my head touched the pillow.I make my way to the kitchen, needing the simple comfort of a cup of tea. The air is already filled with the smell of baking bread and brewing coffee. Rose, the head servant, is standing at the large central island, kneading dough. Her silver hair is neatly tied in a bun, and she hums a soft tune.She looks up from the dough she is kneading as I enter, flour dusting her forearms like winter frost."Luna Rhea! You are up early. Good morning." She wipes her hands on her apron and moves to the stove. "Sit, sit. I will make you some tea."I slide onto a stool at the island counter, grateful for the solid surface under my elbows as another wave of queasiness washes over me. For a few days now, I have woken up with this sick feeling. A few days of carrying a secret

LOLITA'S POVThe gammas leave with formal bows and hollow reassurances. I close the door behind them, my fingers trembling against the polished wood. Their words echo in my ears — a coincidence, just a coincidence that Marcus and I were in Moonfall when the rogues attacked. No connection to our visit to Morena. No reason for suspicion. Lies. All of it. My broken arm throbs beneath its cast, like a reminder of the price we have paid. The price Marcus paid with his life.I lock the door and turn away, wincing as my weight shifts to my injured leg. The wheelchair is gone now; I insisted on that much dignity at least, but each step is still agony. I grit my teeth and shuffle toward the bedroom.The world feels too empty without Marcus. Too quiet. His scent still lingers in my nose and in the corners from when he visited me, and in the fabric of the armchair where he used to read. I catch myself listening for his footsteps, for the rumble of his voice calling my name.My bedroom is dark w

RHEA'S POVThe words hang in the air between us, so heavy it seems to suck all the oxygen from the room. "I am pregnant," I repeat slowly.Miles stands frozen. I watch as the shock on his face morphs, hardening into something cold and ugly. The concern that was there moments ago vanishes, replaced by a familiar, cutting contempt. Then, he lets out a short, sharp laugh, devoid of any humor. "Of course, you are," he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I am sure you are satisfied, standing there, and according to you, pregnant with what I presume you are going to claim is my child."His words hit me with the force of a physical slap. I actually recoil, stumbling back a step. "What I am going to claim?" My voice trembles with a mixture of disbelief and white-hot anger. "Miles, you are the only man I have ever been with. The only one."He laughs again, and it is humorless. "Of course, you would say that. Pulling out every trick in the book, are you not?" he mutters, loud enough for me

RHEA'S POVThe car stops with a gentle lurch, and Holmes is there, opening my door before I can reach for the handle. I step out on wobbly legs as the world tilts slightly beneath me.The conversation with the woman on the phone; my aunt, my mother's sister, plays on a loop in my head. Every word was a key, unlocking a lifetime of questions."Your real mother was my sister, and she died the day you were born."The revelation sits in my chest like a stone."Thank you, Holmes," I manage.I turn toward the mansion, walking with steps that require conscious effort. My mind keeps replaying everything I have just learned about myself today.When the phone call came two days ago, I had dismissed it as nothing more than a trap or some kind of fraud. But for those two days, I could not get my curiosity fed."My name is Eliza Marston," she had said when I called again. "Your mother... your real mother was my sister, Mildred."I had laughed at first, thinking it was some cruel joke. But as she s

RHEA'S POV"Rhea," Lolita gasps. "Oh, goddess. Are you alright? I just heard—""What are you doing here?" I ask coldly.Lolita stops, her hand hovering in the air between us. Confusion flickers across her perfectly composed features. "What do you mean, what am I doing here?" she asks, her voice filled with a motherly concern that makes my stomach turn. "I am your mother. Why would I not be here?"Hearing her say 'mother' sounds like a joke. I feel a hysterical laugh bubbling up my throat, but I swallow it down."You are not my mother," I say. "My real mother died a long time ago, and I promise you, she would have loved me better."Shock ripples across her face, genuine for once. Her eyes dart around the hospital entrance, checking for witnesses to this unwelcome scene."Rhea, darling," she says, her voice honey-sweet. "You are upset. Of course you are. You have been through something terrible." She reaches for me again, and this time her fingers brush my sleeve. "Let us not do this he