Too Late, Alpha. My Silence Was Goodbye Chapter 09

Too Late, Alpha. My Silence Was Goodbye Chapter 09

A week later, Mara returned to the Blackthorn territory.

Theo was originally buried in the Blackwood family cemetery. Freya accompanied her personally to open the tomb, but inside they found only an empty burial urn. Before being stripped of his title, Lucian had already taken Theo’s ashes away.

When Mara found him at the old estate, he was sitting next to the swing that used to be Theo’s favorite. He had lost a significant amount of weight after losing his Alpha position, and heavy, dark circles shadowed his eyes. Only when he saw her did his eyes suddenly light

“I knew you would come,” he said.

Mara didn’t step any closer. “Give Theo back to me,” she demanded.

“Stay for 30 days,” Lucian pleaded. “Just 30 days. Let me take care of you and do all the things I never did for you before. After 30 days, whether you forgive me or not, I’ll tell you

where Theo is.”

Mara looked at him as if she were seeing this man for the very first time. “You’re threatening me with your own son’s ashes.”

“I don’t have any other choice,” he said with a bitter smile. “You refuse to see me, and you refuse to listen to me. If this is the only thing that can make you stay, then I have to do it.”

It was at this moment that Mara finally knew for certain that Lucian had never truly felt remorse. He simply couldn’t accept losing her. In the past, he had used the mating bond and her Luna status to trap her. Now that those things were gone, he had dug up Theo’s ashes to forge a brand new chain.

“Okay,” Mara agreed.

Lucian’s face lit with wild joy, as he foolishly believed this was a new beginning.

For the next 30 days, he cooked every single meal himself. The laurel bone broth finally grew closer and closer to the taste in his memory, yet Mara didn’t take a single sip. He planted white roses all around the outside of the estate because he remembered her saying during her teenage years that white roses looked like moonlight. Mara ordered the staff to pull them all up by the roots. He drew up contracts listing his lost territories, family properties, and all his personal assets, wanting to transfer everything into her name. Mara tossed them straight into the fireplace without even glancing at them.

Lucian repeatedly told himself that if she was willing to get angry, it meant she still cared. But no matter how hard he tried, the way she looked at him never changed. It wasn’t hatred, but rather complete and utter indifference.

On the night of the twenty-ninth day, a heavy rainstorm enveloped the old estate. In the past, on every night like this, Lucian would go comfort Selena because she was afraid of thunder, leaving Mara all alone in the master bedroom. Now that Selena was dead, he finally spent the entire night standing guard outside Mara’s door. But it was too late. There was no one waiting for him on the other side of that door anymore.

On the thirtieth day, Lucian brought the final pot of soup to Mara, his voice bordering on a desperate plea. “What else do I have to do for you to forgive me?”

Mara put down her book and asked, “Are you really willing to do anything?”

“I am,” he replied.

“Then accept the Lunar Judgment.” She opened a wooden box on the table, revealing a silver revolver and a single pure silver bullet engraved with a crescent moon. “Six chambers in the cylinder, and one silver bullet. Spin it once, and pull the trigger three times in a row. If you’re still alive after the third time, I’ll forgive you and accept your mark again.”

Lucian stared at the gun, the last trace of color draining from his face.

Mara looked at him calmly. “You can refuse,” she offered. “Just tell me where Theo is right now, and everything between us will be completely over.”

It was the final choice she was giving him.

Lucian remained silent for a long time before reaching out to pick up the silver bullet.

“If I survive, you won’t go back on your word?” he asked.

“I won’t,” she promised.

He loaded the bullet into the cylinder and gave it a forceful spin.