Free Web NovelChapter 91: Chapter 91 Chaotic Family
Sylvia’s POV
The next morning arrived with unwelcome clarity. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
When I headed downstairs to leave for work, I found Helena already seated at the breakfast table, helping herself to what appeared to be a feast.
I merely arched an eyebrow and kept walking, but Helena couldn’t stand being ignored.
She practically leaped from her chair to intercept me.
"Sylvia!" Her voice dripped with false sweetness.
"Caesar made breakfast. Don’t you want some?" She gestured toward the table with a flourish. "I’ve already taste-tested everything for you. It’s all quite delicious."
Taste-tested?
My eyes slowly scanned the table, taking in the multiple plates with obvious bites taken out of them.
Helena had clearly been sampling everything—marking her territory through food like some juvenile wolf cub.
My stomach churned at the thought of eating after her.
But Helena seemed oblivious to my disgust, continuing her one-woman show with dramatic enthusiasm.
"It’s been ages since I’ve had Caesar’s cooking," she sighed dreamily, shoveling another forkful into her mouth. "I’m going to eat my fill while I’m here in Howling Peaks."
"You’re acting like you’ve been starving," Caesar’s deep voice cut through the room as he emerged from the kitchen, his expression unimpressed. "Settle down."
I stared at the chaotic table—food half-eaten, Helena’s lipstick marks on multiple glasses, crumbs scattered everywhere—and felt my appetite completely disappear.
There was no way I could sit at this table and pretend everything was normal.
I grabbed my bag and headed for the door. "I’ll grab something on the way. I’m running late anyway."
Caesar moved to block my path, his broad shoulders filling the doorway.
"I spent all morning cooking," he said, his voice lower now, almost intimate. "Won’t you at least try something?"
His eyes held mine. "Besides, restaurant food isn’t as safe as what I make for you."
I firmly removed his hand from my arm.
"No thanks. Food from outside might not be as ’safe,’ but at least I can eat it without having to witness... this." I gestured vaguely toward the disaster Helena had made of breakfast.
Even someone as oblivious as Helena couldn’t miss my meaning.
Her fork paused halfway to her mouth, her cheeks flushing.
Caesar tried to insist, but I was already stepping around him.
He finally relented, calling after me to make sure I ate something.
I nodded absently and shut the door behind me, eager to escape the territorial drama unfolding in what was supposed to be my home.
—
I had barely settled at my desk when my phone buzzed with a message from Noah.
"Sylvia, I can’t thank you enough for yesterday.
That was literally the first time Melody has spoken to someone outside our family."
Another message followed quickly: "I told my parents, and they’re overjoyed. They want to thank you in person sometime."
Reading his messages, I could perfectly picture Noah’s expression—his golden hair catching the sunlight, those warm eyes bright with emotion as he hugged his sister. Just imagining this scene brought unexpected warmth to my chest.
I typed back: "Don’t mention it. Feel free to bring Melody along next time. I really enjoyed her company."
"And please tell your parents no thanks necessary. I didn’t do anything special—Melody is making progress on her own."
I could almost see Noah’s knowing smile as he read my response.
His reply came moments later: "Fine, refuse my parents’ thanks if you must. But I’ll definitely find a way to properly thank you myself someday."
I smiled but didn’t respond further.
I knew Noah well enough by now—he was persistent in his own gentle way. Arguing would only lead to a pointless back-and-forth.
I’d worry about his "proper thanks" later.
For now, I had work to finish.
—
The day passed in a blur of meetings and project reviews.
By the time I pulled into our private underground parking lot, darkness had fallen, and my shoulders ached with tension.
All I wanted was a hot bath, some quiet time to clear my head, and maybe a glass of wine—alone.
I’d just cut the engine when my phone chimed with a new message.
Helena’s name flashed on the screen, and my finger hovered over the delete button before curiosity got the better of me.
I opened it to find a photo—Helena and Caesar, their heads bent close together over what looked like documents.
His expression was intense, focused, while she gazed up at him with undisguised adoration.
Her hand rested on his forearm in a gesture that was unmistakably intimate.
I knew that Caesar was the Blood Moon Alpha, the Wolf King who controlled territories spanning across multiple states.
His business required constant attention, meetings with pack representatives, and strategic alliances.
But seeing him with Helena—the woman who’d made it clear she wanted him—sparked something primal and painful in my chest.
My wolf whined inside me, confused and hurt.
For all his talk of mates and forever, here he was, just like every other man I’d ever known—saying one thing to my face while doing another behind my back.
"Damn it," I muttered, shoving the phone into my purse. "Damn him."
I leaned forward, pressing my forehead against the steering wheel.
The leather was cool against my skin, grounding me just enough to stop the tremble in my hands.
I stayed like that for a long moment, breathing in the dark.
Then I straightened, grabbed my bag, and got out of the car.
By the time I stepped into the elevator and scanned my fingerprint to access the house, my decision had crystallized into something cold and immovable.
I didn’t care how late it was.
I didn’t care if he was home.
I walked through the front door without hesitation, past the marble foyer, past the open living room where the city lights spilled in through floor-to-ceiling windows. Past our bedroom.
Straight to the guest suite at the far end of the hall.
And I shut the door behind me like I was sealing off a battlefield.
