The Substitute Bride Is Reborn and Loves Her Husband No more - Chapter 135

Chapter 135: Secrets revealed
Mrs. Stella lay in the arms of her lover, her lips painted a deep, blood-red shade of lipstick.

The man whose arms she was nestled in was a handsome young fellow. Her eyes shifted to the moon, and suddenly, she felt a surge of energy radiating from it.

A smile bloomed on her face.

“My daughter is finally ripe,” she whispered.

The man holding her looked at her with confused eyes. Of course, he didn’t understand what she meant—he was just an ordinary human. A toy the wolf lass had taken as her lover.

“All my years of hard work… all the suffering I made her endure… it’s finally going to pay off,” Mrs. Stella said, still smiling.

If her precious daughter Jenifer knew her mother was happy about such things, she would have exploded in rage.

But her mother wouldn’t let her harm Rose anymore. Not now. She couldn’t hurt Rose again—not the way she wanted to. Rose would soon be out of her reach, far beyond her power to bully.

“Pretty boy, why are you looking at me like that?” she teased, her eyes gleaming. “Are you wondering what nonsense I’m muttering to myself? You probably think I’m crazy, don’t you?”

The man gazed at Mrs. Stella’s face. Despite her true age, she looked no older than thirty.

“I’m curious,” the man raised a brow, speaking without fear. After all, he had received Mrs. Stella’s favor several times.

“Well, since you’re curious, I’ll tell you a short tale.”

The man nodded, showing his interest.

“Twenty-three years ago, I had two daughters. One was born with a wolf, the other without. At first, I was quite satisfied with the one who had no wolf… but the other one—she was also my daughter. I couldn’t just leave her like that. So, I took her to the pack doctor to find out what was wrong.”

Mrs. Stella’s eyes darkened as she spoke.

“And then he told me… my daughter is a rare species of Wolfling. Her bloodline is suppressed. It means she has a wolf in her, but it’s dormant. The kind of wolf said to descend from the ancient Alphas—beings who once protected all wolves from outside predators. They were guides, guardians… and my daughter was born with one of those ancient souls inside her.”

She paused for effect, then continued.

“The pack doctor said she was too weak. That her wolf would never awaken unless she was stimulated—triggered by pain, fear, survival. Something that would make her stronger as she grew. One day, he said, the great wolf within her would awaken.”

At this, Mrs. Stella chuckled, glancing at the man beside her.

“For this… what did you do?” the man asked.

Mrs. Stella chuckled again, softer this time.

“Of course, I did what I had to do. I didn’t treat her kindly. I had to hurt her—emotionally and physically—to toughen her up. The pack doctor said both kinds of pain could work. Push her to the brink of death, and her wolf would awaken to protect her.”

She leaned in, her smile unreadable.

“What I did… was necessary.”

“I couldn’t hurt my daughter physically. I just couldn’t. So… I hurt her emotionally instead. I favored her twin sister over her. I didn’t treat her nicely.”

“That’s mean,” the man interrupted, shaking his head.

“Yeah, I know,” Mrs. Stella nodded, surprisingly honest.

“Hahaha! But now… it’s finally time. I’ll be the mother of an ancient wolf. My daughter is awakening—she’s finally stepping into her true form.”

The ancient wolf had two stages of awakening. First, it would rise as a normal wolf with no extra powers. Then, after a certain period, it would evolve—transform into something far greater, far more powerful.

“I can’t wait to brag to everyone,” Mrs. Stella said with a low chuckle.

The man looked at her, brows furrowed.

“You don’t care if she forgives you for what you’ve done to her?”

“Who cares about that?” she scoffed. “All I did was scold her a few times and withhold attention. I’m not begging forgiveness from a child I carried for nine months.”

The man sighed, irony thick in his chest. Her reasons… they weren’t just cruel. They were delusional.

She was a narcissistic woman, overflowing with pride.

—

Meanwhile, back at Mount Everest…

A woman in a white gown, her long white hair flowing in the wind, stood tall with her staff, gazing up at the sky.

“I have always been the greatest wolf to ever exist—the one all wolves rely on. Who is this new existence that dares to challenge my power?” the woman spoke, her eyes staring deep into the sky as if she could pierce a hole through it.

“Before my enemy grows stronger… I must stop them from rising to reach any real threat,” she said again, her voice calm but cold.

This scene took place a week ago—when the Great Priestess of all werewolves sensed the awakening of the ancient wolf.

By that time, she had already dispatched people to track Rose. One of them was Sam, who went to the Masked Assassin—a hunter who shot a green arrow at Rose, intending to take her life.

But the woman who had ordered the hit through the assassin was her timid daughter, Gloria.

Gloria was so weak, she couldn’t even stand up to her own assassin. She went silent the moment the assassin raised their voice at her.

Author’s Note: Go back to Chapter 133 to catch this detail I planted.

“No matter how much the world has changed, I’m still the most trusted priestess among the shifters. Soon, I’ll rise to power.”

She struck her staff against the soil beneath her—and purple thunder crashed down from the sky.

For a moment, she almost felt like a god.

—

Back at swizerland —

“Why do I feel like someone’s coming after me?” Rose said in a joking voice—but her eye twitched. She believed bad things were always near when that happened. Anytime her eye twitched, something awful usually followed.

“You’re overreacting,” Yuna replied sarcastically. For the past day, they hadn’t encountered any danger. Rolan had kept the place secured.

But Rose clenched her fists, especially when she thought about her legs. She couldn’t believe this was her reality.

She had more than one enemy… more than one person who wanted to see her fall.

After Rolan told her she needed to see a therapist—

Flashback—

“You can walk,” Rolan said, staring at Rose skeptically.

“Yeah… I can walk,” Rose nodded, her voice small, unsettled by how strange his tone was.

“I’ll take you to see someone,” he suddenly said, catching her off guard.

“To see someone? To see who?”

Rolan didn’t answer at first. Then, calmly, he said, “It concerns your condition.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you!” Rose snapped, raising her shoulders as she hurried away—her legs, which now seemed miraculously healed, carrying her fast.

“You’re not going anywhere. This is for your own good.”

“Catch me if you can.”

Rose turned around with a playful smile.

Rolan sighed, running a hand through his hair and licking his lips.

“You’re ridiculous, you know that, right?”

Rose just smirked, watching the frustration flicker across his face. She thought she had the upper hand.

She continued walking into the distance, certain she had outsmarted him.

What she didn’t see… was the way Rolan’s eyes darkened.

She didn’t hear his steps.

She only felt a rush of air brush past her ear—then suddenly, her body moved on its own, reacting instinctively to the pressure, dragged in the direction of his action.

Rose gasped, blinking hard. She found herself staring at Rolan up close.

She frowned, reaching up to pinch his nose—his sharp, pointed nose. The move caught him completely off guard.

“Ow—”

He reflexively covered his nose, but that was exactly what Rose wanted. The moment he was distracted, she turned and bolted.

Rolan stood there stunned, and from a distance, he could hear her laughter echoing behind her.

Her petite figure was now behind him, running away.

Rolan took a deep breath before increasing his speed, chasing after Rose.

With his speed morph, he got ahead of her.

Rose’s toes skidded to a stop when his hand wrapped around her waist, stopping her grin before she could make another move.

She let out a yelp, kicking her legs in the air.

Rolan looked at her reaction with a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Where are you running to? Come on, we need to see the person,” Rolan said, not giving Rose time to react before hoisting her over his shoulder like a sack. His hand settled over her butt, holding her firmly.

Rose didn’t fight anymore. She knew she couldn’t escape—she was trapped in Rolan’s arms. There was no getting out of this one.

Who was this person Rolan wanted her to meet…?

—

“Damn it, Rolan!” Rose finally exclaimed, rushing out of the car like she was trying to escape him all over again.

But he easily caught her wrist, stopping her from going anywhere.

“Control yourself,” Rolan said with a smile on his lips, clearly enjoying the vibe as Rose puffed up in frustration.

Then his smile faded. His mood turned serious as he glanced at Rose.

“Let’s go in. The person is here.”

Rose pressed her lips together, pausing. She couldn’t help but wonder—how well did Rolan know Switzerland? There were so many places he seemed to know better than she did herself.

“How do you even know about this place? What brought you here?” she asked, thinking out loud.

“For the pack. I handle some supernatural dealings that happen within my territory,” he replied simply.

Rose nodded, understanding where he was coming from.

She went quiet after that and didn’t ask any more questions.

Rolan smiled, pleased with the silence.

He pressed a button on the door—one that looked totally normal, almost too simple.

But the house itself was heavily secured. Rose furrowed her brows, wondering why someone would put so much protection on a place that looked so plain from the outside.