When a Well-Raised Son Grows Up - Chapter 52

Chapter 52

According to the pack’s tradition, only full-blooded females could lead the pack to thrive. If no more pure-blooded female wolves were born, it signaled the pack’s extinction.

This was an ancient tale, passed down through generations, its origins lost to time. Every member of their kind knew this story.

The pure-blooded females were descendants of the old chiefs, tracing their lineage back to the first chief, the god Wulk. Both Carlisle and Leo were pure-blooded, carrying the blood of their chiefs.

The oath sworn by pure blood to Wulk came with a deadly consequence. Purebloods would never dare swear an oath invoking Wulk’s name.

“But you just swore an oath, and you’re still alive and well…?”

If Leo’s words had contained even a hint of falsehood, he should have paid with his life. Yet here he stood, alive and unharmed, his eyes wide open.

Carlisle bit his lip in shock.

“Please, Carl…….”

Leo’s voice reached him, slightly muffled, and Carlisle cursed under his breath.

“Damn it…….”

Anxiously, he pushed Leo away and began to walk. He knew exactly where he was headed.

* * *

As Carlisle pushed open the door to the rundown shack, he immediately spotted a familiar figure. Enoch was seen overpowering a struggling woman. Without hesitation, Carlisle swiftly intervened.

With a quick movement, Carlisle punched Enoch, knocking him down and causing him to stumble and hold his bruised cheek in pain.

“Oh, damn it…”

“What the heck?”

Carlisle raised an eyebrow sarcastically, then grabbed Enoch by the collar and lifted him.

“How did Abella end up with someone like you, Enoch?”

Carlisle firmly grabbed Enoch and began to choke him. Enoch’s face turned pale, realizing the severity of Carlisle’s intent.

Enoch was surprised by Carlisle’s sudden arrival at Esha’s house so late at night. Carlisle’s hold tightened, and Enoch’s face turned pale with fear.

Enoch was being dominated by Carlisle when Esha fixed her disheveled clothes and stared blankly at Carlisle. Carlisle had just saved Esha’s life, and their eyes met. Esha appeared afraid, but Carlisle responded with a mischievous smile.

“Long time, no see, huh?”

The hut was dimly lit by moonlight, and Carlisle’s voice filled the house. His smile widened as he looked at Enoch with contempt, causing Esha to shudder at his behavior.

“How have you been?”

Esha was speechless. Her mouth hung open in shock.

“Well, now you owe a favor to the man who treated you so poorly, and it’s a pretty significant one.”

Carlisle laughed lightly and waved Enoch in front of Esha like a toy. Esha swallowed nervously, still unable to find her voice.

The atmosphere in the room was uncomfortable. Enoch struggled and protested, while Esha remained visibly shaken. Carlisle, on the other hand, seemed unmoved and at ease in the tense situation.

Humming a leisurely tune, Carlisle walked out the door with Enoch in his arms.

He’d rather deal with this outside.

As Carlisle prepared to leave, a soft voice called out from behind him.

“Um, thank you.”

He paused and turned to face Esha. She nervously played with her skirt as she spoke.

“Thank you for helping me.”

“Do not allow this unpleasant as$hole to bother you.”

Carlisle understood. He knew this decision would not benefit him. However, he still chose to make this decision.

“It’s complicated.”

He struggled with the idea that his knowledge might not be the correct solution.

Eliminating Enoch would be easy. Carlisle could silence him and dump his body deep in the woods for the creatures to eat. However, Carlisle cannot bring himself to do it.

He was aware that it would not be well accepted by Abella.

“Ugh! Ugh!”

Carlisle disregarded Enoch’s screams and forcefully held him down on the ground while stuffing pieces of ripped cloth into his mouth and twisting one of his arms.

Enoch screamed in pain for a long time, echoing through the silent forest.

* * *

“Enoch,” Abella started, unaware of the previous night’s events. “He didn’t come down here for a vacation; he was fired.”

Abella spoke calmly while eating her salad.

“There’s already gossip spreading around town. It seems like he caused quite a bit of trouble.”

“Oh…”

“There are rumors that he has many grudges and was involved in a fight with someone.”

The subject of the rumors, Carlisle, coughed awkwardly and forced a laugh.

“I see.”

“Yeah, I didn’t see it coming, and I considered him a good friend.”

Abella blamed herself for trusting him, and her voice trailed off. Carlisle sensed her discomfort and gently tousled her hair while speaking reassuringly.

“At first, I also believed he was a good person, so don’t blame yourself. Anyone could have been fooled.”

Abella smiled awkwardly.

“Thank you, dear.”

“For what?”

“Truly, Carlisle, I owe you so much gratitude.”

There was a short pause between them. Carlisle considered his words, then spoke softly.

“Is that everything?”

“What do you mean?”

“Is there nothing else you want to thank me for?”

His tone became unexpectedly serious when he asked the question. Carlisle wasn’t sure why he had asked, but it was sudden.

He had not expected her response to provide the clarity he sought.

Abella looked slightly embarrassed. Carlisle sensed her discomfort and swiftly changed the topic.

“Just kidding.”

Abella didn’t scold him for teasing. She remained silent and played with her fork, looking subdued. Carlisle quickly interjected, worried he might have made her uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry, did I make you feel uncomfortable?”

“No, not at all.”

Abella’s speech sounded somewhat slurred, indicating that something was wrong with her. Carlisle quickly sensed this and excused himself, claiming that he had to get ready to go to the store.

He left abruptly without saying anything else to Abella. She sat at the kitchen table, eating her salad and watching Carlisle walk away. Her cheeks turned red as she sighed.

“It’s strange,” she muttered to herself.

As he grew older, she noticed this particular trait more and more.

-“Hey, Carlisle. It’s nice to meet you,” she imagined saying.

-“Abella, were you feeling hungry earlier?” the fictional conversation continued.

Every time his name was mentioned, Abella felt a strange sensation. She kept rolling his name around in her mind, feeling an unexplained discomfort.

‘You shouldn’t feel this way. You shouldn’t have these emotions towards the child you’ve raised,’ Abella scolded herself.

She paused to reflect on Carlisle’s infancy, recalling fondly how small and adorable he had been.

‘I loved his soft fur,’ she fondly remembered.

However, she couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt for having such thoughts about him at this moment.

It’s unacceptable to feel this way towards a child I raised,’ she scolded herself, attempting to regain her composure.

“It’s just the loneliness getting to me,” Abella said.

She acknowledged feeling lonely and mentioned that she didn’t have a family until she met Carlisle.

Running her fingers over the scars on the wall from Carlisle’s childhood, she muttered softly,

“You were supposed to be my son.”

She wondered where things had gone wrong. She felt regretful and confused.

Did she pretend to be his lover in front of Enoch and kiss him to ease his anxiety during the imprinting act they shared?

Perhaps it was because she still shared her daily life with Carlisle, who had grown up and become an adult.

-”Ah, Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma!”

She still saw Carlisle as a child in her mind’s eye: his tiny hands clenching into hands, his arms reaching out to her. She loved the way his red eyes looked at her, as if she were the only one in the world.

But now, when he looked at her in that way, it was difficult to maintain the same expression. He seemed to see her as a woman now.

She didn’t want him to know that her cheeks were blushing. She felt like a teenage girl just by making eye contact with him.

‘If Carlisle brought his true love, could I smile and wish him happiness?’

She wasn’t sure, but she knew the answer deep down. She just had to avoid facing it, ignore it, and look the other way.