Ex-Mate Wants Me Back (Seraphina and Mortimer) novel Chapter 263

Chapter 263

Third Person’s POV

Caldwell stopped in front of them. His gaze lingered on Edwin’s face for a fraction of a second, offering a curt, respectful nod before shifting his attention to Seraphina. “Has your team submitted your research proposal yet?”

“I was planning to turn it in this afternoon,” Seraphina replied.

“Good. I’ll walk over with you.”

Caldwell didn’t linger. It was as if he had truly only stopped by to ask a mundane question. He turned to leave.

“W-Wait…” Edwin’s voice finally broke through. His hand shook violently as he reached out, gripping Caldwell’s forearm with desperate strength.

The old man’s palm trembled. The faint, ancestral pull vibrating deep within his bloodline made the wolf inside him want to howl. “What… what is your name, boy?”

“Caldwell Craig.”

“Craig… so your last name is Craig…”

Edwin’s eyes grew hollow and unfocused, but then he locked onto Caldwell’s face again, searching the young man’s features for the ghost of someone else. “Your… your mother. Is her name Abigail?”

Caldwell’s expression didn’t flinch. It was as if he had anticipated this exact question all along.

He held Edwin’s desperate gaze for a beat, then gave a slow nod. “Yes. Grandfather.”

The word “Grandfather” struck the two onlookers like a physical blow.

So Caldwell wasn’t a long-lost uncle-he was a cousin?

Neither Seraphina nor Velda had any idea Edwin had a daughter living in exile.

Edwin’s eyes welled with tears the second he heard the word “Grandfather.” The mourning of his wolf within choked his voice, reducing it to a raspy whisper. “Your mother… is she… Is she well?”

Caldwell remained silent. He pursed his lips, letting the quiet stretch between them before he finally spoke, “Do you want her to return to the Blade pack?”

Edwin choked on his words, his lips trembling. “Would she… would she want to?”

Caldwell let out a dry, bitter laugh. “When you banished her all those years ago, didn’t you forbid her from ever coming back? Why would she return now? Besides… she’s been dead for years.”

Slowly but firmly, Caldwell pulled his arm from Edwin’s grip, severing the last physical connection between them.

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“Caldwell… please…”

But Caldwell didn’t look back. He just turned on his heel and walked away.

Overwhelmed by the sheer force of his emotions, Edwin’s entire body began to shake violently.

“Edwin…” Seraphina stepped forward, her voice laced with concern. But before she could ask anything, Edwin’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.

“Edwin!” Seraphina caught him, immediately dropping to the floor to administer first aid. She barked at Velda, who stood frozen in sheer panic, “Call an ambulance! Now!”

At the Iceblade Healing Center, Edwin had already been moved into a private ward by the time the members of the Blade pack arrived.

Thanks to Seraphina’s swift emergency care, Edwin’s wolf remained unharmed, and his vitals had

stabilized.

Mortimer arrived in a rush, finding Seraphina and Velda standing in the corridor outside the room. “What happened to Grandpa?”

“A sudden blackout brought on by emotional distress,” Seraphina explained calmly. “He’s out of danger

now.”

“Mortimer, Grandpa was set off by our cousin,” Velda whispered, her voice barely audible.

“Cousin? What cousin?” Mortimer frowned.

Velda glanced toward the door. Inside, Elias and Prunella were keeping vigil by the bedside.

“Grandpa had a daughter outside the pack. That daughter had a son,” Velda summarized, piecing together her own theories.

Mortimer looked skeptical. “How could Grandpa have another daughter?”

“Why would I lie to you? Her name was Abigail. I heard it with my own ears.”

“Abigail?” Mortimer’s expression shifted instantly. His instincts screamed that this was a massive storm brewing. “Are you sure you didn’t mishear?”

“Of course I didn’t. Seraphina was right there. She heard it too.”

Velda nudged Seraphina. “Right, Seraphina?”

Seraphina nodded quietly.

“I’m going in to see Grandpa.” Mortimer stepped past them and pushed the door open.

Seraphina and Velda didn’t follow. Seraphina knew this was a closely guarded family secret of the Blade pack. Even though her mate bond with Mortimer hadn’t been formally severed yet, the fact that even

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Velda had been kept in the dark meant Edwin wanted this buried. It simply wasn’t her place to stay.

Turning to Velda, she said, “Since Edwin is stable, I’m going to head out.”

“Seraphina, you’re leaving just like that? Aren’t you going to wait for my brother?”

Seraphina offered a small wave instead of an answer, turned around, and walked away.

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