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Chapter 8 The Woman with the Mask

Lucas's Perspective:

I looked at the tall, handsome Alpha in front of me and couldn't help but be amazed.

How could there be such a good-looking werewolf in this world? He looked like a king straight out of a fairy tale.

Silas was a bit surprised when he saw me staring at him, but then he crouched down and gently patted my head.

He asked, "What's up? Don't you recognize me?"

For some reason, he had this really nice scent that I just liked and wanted to get closer to.

"I think Alex must be scared," Cecilia suddenly chimed in, picking me up into her arms. "After all, he's just a kid. Even if he's used to running away from home, it's natural he'd get frightened outside."

"Alex, are you worried your dad will scold you?" Cecilia asked me, stroking my head with eyes full of love and affection. "Don't worry, he won't be mad at you, but you have to promise us not to sneak out again, okay?"

"You have no idea how worried and anxious we were. Did you forget our agreement? If there's something you can't tell your dad, you can always tell me. We agreed on that, didn't we?"

As she spoke, Cecilia wiggled her finger in front of my eyes.

Maybe it was because of the strong perfume she was wearing, but I pulled away from her touch and frowned, hiding behind Silas.

I didn't know what her relationship with Alex was like, but something about her seemed off to me.

"What's wrong?" Silas asked, glancing at Cecilia with a scrutinizing look. "Do you not like Cecilia?"

Before I could respond, Cecilia seemed to panic.

"How could Alex not like me? I think he's just scared, Silas. Don't ask him anymore; he just got home," Cecilia explained weakly, her voice tinged with guilt and panic, failing to convince Silas.

He continued to stare at Cecilia with the intensity of an interrogator.

Cecilia couldn't withstand the Alpha King's scrutiny. Cold sweat covered her forehead, and her eyes began to dart around. Her hands twisted together nervously.

"I've always wondered why Alex keeps running away from home. When Madison Jones, the nanny, was taking care of him, he was always well-behaved, waiting for me to come home from work," Silas said slowly, his tone calm but carrying the powerful pressure of an Alpha King.

Not only was Cecilia, who was being questioned, almost fainting from fear, but even I, hiding behind him, was shocked.

Was this the formidable Alpha Mom warned me about? I had imagined they would be loud and frightening when angry, but it turned out they could be quietly terrifying, too—way scarier than when Mom got mad.

"But ever since you began looking after Alex, he started pulling away from me and eventually ran away!" Silas's calm demeanor gave way to a chilling intensity. "I need to understand why."

Cecilia was now completely at a loss, her body trembling as if a switch had been flipped. After a long time, she finally opened her trembling lips to defend herself, "Alex's autism showed no signs of improvement when Madison was taking care of him. He didn't even have his own thoughts, so how could he possibly think of running away?"

"Since I started taking care of Alex, I've been working with doctors to treat his autism. Even the doctors said his symptoms have improved. Maybe his distancing from you and running away are signs that his condition is getting better, and he's developing his thoughts."

Cecilia's confidence grew as she spoke, and she eventually started crying, "Silas, I know you don't believe I can be a good stepmother, but I love you more than you can imagine, and naturally, I love your son, too! Whether you believe it or not, I've always treated Alex as my child!"

Even though she spoke with tears streaming down her face, Silas didn't immediately believe her.

Instead, he turned to me and asked, "Is that true, Alex?"

I didn't expect him to ask me. I hesitated and looked at Cecilia's face, seeing her eyes filled with tears and pleading.

I really didn't know what to do. What she said was so moving, and I didn't know if it was true or not. I didn't know what her relationship with Alex was like.

What if I said the wrong thing?

After thinking for a long time, I decided not to answer.

"Silas, please don't push him anymore. If he doesn't want to talk, don't make him," Cecilia said, pulling me into her arms protectively. "Alex just got home; let's not frighten him."

Cecilia's words touched me.

Maybe we all misunderstood her. She wasn't a bad person.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my waist.

Cecilia was pinching me hard!

Without thinking, I pushed her away and shouted, "Ouch! Why are you pinching me?"

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