From Betrayed Luna to Wolf Queen (Lillian) novel Chapter 23

Chapter 23 The Vanishing Act

Chapter 23 The Vanishing Act

Julian’s POV:

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I was at the Graves Pack headquarters, having just finished tearing into my team over the media firestorm engulfing Iris. I’d ordered every possible resource deployed to contain the negative press.

But before we could even begin to gain traction, a new document arrived–delivered by Lillian’s representatives–formally petitioning to dissolve our mate bond.

It felt like being plunged into an ice bath. A shock of cold, profound and unsettling, shot down my spine. I kept dialing Lillian’s number, but it never connected.

The woman I could still see and hold yesterday had seemingly vanished from the face of the earth. Not at the hospital, not at her apartment, not even at her best friend Chloe’s–no trace of her anywhere.

My anger, with no outlet, festered and grew. Her complete radio silence made it worse, morphing into a restless, corrosive energy that made the veins at my temples pulse. The Alpha pressure radiating from me was so dense it felt like the air in my office was freezing solid.

“Thomas!” I growled, the single word vibrating with barely–contained fury.

“Alpha.” Thomas stepped forward immediately, his expression one of utmost caution.

I tried to clamp down on my temper, but it was a futile struggle. My voice emerged rough, strained. “Call her. Use your phone.”

Her, of course, being Lillian.

My number had clearly been blocked–banished to her blacklist. And right on the heels of the public announcement regarding Ethan’s posthumous heirs, Lillian dropped the proof of our mating bond and followed it with dissolution papers.

One calculated move after another. And now, at this critical juncture, she went completely dark. Severed the line.

This absolute, deliberate defiance left me grappling with a sensation I’d never experienced–a volatile cocktail of utter helplessness and searing, white–hot rage.

Thomas dialed Lillian’s number. A moment later, he looked back at me, his face tense. “Alpha… The Luna has blocked my number as well.”

The room descended into a suffocating silence, broken only by the sound of my own harsh, uneven breathing.

What the hell was her game? Blocking my number, blocking Thomas!… Did that mean she’d blacklisted every core member of the Graves Pack?

So she was striking from the shadows, taking shot after shot at Iris, while rendering herself untouchable? And we couldn’t even find

her?

A tremor of pure anger ran through me. “She still hasn’t returned to the apartment on Galaxy Road?” The only time I’d reached her today was on Chloe’s phone, and what happened? She’d hung up after barely two sentences. I didn’t even get to demand her

location.

Just the memory of Lillian’s dismissive tone made my head pound.

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Chapter 23 The Vanishing Act

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Thomas nodded, his posture rigid. “That’s correct, Alpha. There has been no sign of her at Ms. Bennett’s residence either.”

“Then find her! Mobilize every asset, every contact!” The command erupted from me, fueled by frustration.

Releasing the bond documentation, sending the severance papers… This was no longer a tantrum. This was her flipping the board, ready to smash the entire game to pieces.

And now she’d hidden herself away completely… What was that supposed to mean? Not even granting me the courtesy of a face–to- face confrontation?

This feeling of total, catastrophic loss of control was intolerable. Lillian… you’ve truly outdone yourself.

Third–Person POV:

The gossip in Gilneas City was metastasizing, spiraling beyond anyone’s grip. Reporters swarmed the hospital where Iris was recovering, and a few determined ones–including wolves skilled at masking their scent–had even tried to infiltrate the floor for photos.

Eleanor reacted with swift efficiency, dispatching a team of pack enforcers to form a secure perimeter outside Iris‘ private ward.

ris scrolled through the torrent of vile insults flooding the web, her mind flashing back to six months ago when Ethan died. Then, it had been a downpour of sympathy and condolence cards. Now, it was nothing but ugly accusations and naked contempt.

Tears welled in Iris‘ eyes as her fingers clutched at Eleanor’s sleeve. “Eleanor, I need Ethan… I have to go to Ethan. Only he would protect me. I want him back…”

Eleanor’s headache intensified, a sharp throb behind her eyes. Seeing Iris teetering on the brink of another breakdown, terrified

he’d tear her stitches, Eleanor had no choice but to summon a doctor to administer a sedative.

Even under the influence of the medication, Iris continued to mutter Ethan’s name, the broken pleas twisting Eleanor’s heart with at resh wave of protective guilt.

Margaret called then, her voice a blade of sharp, demanding ice. “Eleanor, what in the Moon’s name is happening with the Graves Pack? Is that little upstart Lillian trying to bury my daughter?”

Eleanor’s face darkened. “It’s an unfortunate public relations situation. We are managing it.”

Margaret’s retort was immediate and scathing. “Are you managing it well, Eleanor? Why did you ever consent to Julian bonding vith a female like that in the first place?” Her voice dripped with undisguised scorn at the mention of Lillian’s origins.

Bleanor felt a surge of defensive frustration. Would her refusal have mattered? She had never been able to control the will of her Alpha son.

Margaret wasn’t finished. “Iris just delivered twins for your family… for Ethan! What has Lillian ever contributed to your pack? You need to rein her in, and decisively! An Omega from an orphanage, with no lineage or backing–how dare she presume to stand where my daughter should? With Ethan gone, it was always my intention for Iris and Julian to be together Lillian is just a stubborn obstacle refusing to step aside. I haven’t even settled on how to remove her from the Graves Pack entirely, and she has the audacity to attack my Iris first! Who does she think she is?”

Eleanor replied, her tone weary, “She is in the process of severing the mate bond with Julian. This is her parting retaliation”

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