The Crippled Wife They Tried to Erase - Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Zephyr's mother found me at one point, her expression soft and welcoming. She took my hands in hers, her smile warm and genuine. "Thank you for being here," she said. "Lilith talks about you constantly. She's so lucky to have you in her life."
Her kindness caught me off guard, and I had to blink back the sudden sting of tears. This—being treated with tenderness, with respect—was unfamiliar. Zephyr's mother was nothing like my former mother-in-law, who had never hesitated to remind me of every flaw, every failure.
The rest of the party passed in a haze of laughter and joy.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Lilith climbed into my lap and wrapped her tiny arms around my neck. "Thank you for coming, Mommy," she whispered, her voice bubbling with pure, unfiltered happiness.
I held her tight, my chest swelling with emotions too big for words. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world."
In that moment, surrounded by love and light, I realized something profound—I wasn't just healing. I was starting over.
Weeks had passed since Lilith's birthday, and my new life had settled into a quiet rhythm. Days at the library, shelving books, losing myself in the peaceful hum of routine. Zephyr and Lilith visited often, and with each visit, the knots in my chest loosened a little more.
But peace, it seemed, was never meant to last. Not for me.
It started with the letters—neatly penned, drenched in that sickeningly familiar cologne. They appeared on my doorstep every morning without fail, Xavier's handwriting glaring up at me. I didn't need to open them to know what they said. The same empty pleas, the same hollow promises.
"Lyra, come back to me."
"You belong with me."
"We're still bonded. You can't run from fate."
I burned every single one without reading past the first line. I knew his game. He didn't want me—he wanted my power, my ability to heal, to strengthen his pack, his ambitions.
Then came the flowers. Extravagant bouquets that choked my small home with their cloying sweetness. Roses, lilies, even rare orchids—each one a gilded cage disguised as a gift. But I wasn't fooled. They weren't for me. They were a bribe, a reminder of the mate bond he thought would always chain me to him.
And when the flowers failed, he escalated.
I was sorting through a new shipment of books one afternoon, humming absently, when I felt it—the shift in the air, the prickle of danger. I turned, expecting a patron, but instead, two hulking men in black loomed over me. Their eyes gleamed with something feral, something cruel.
"Lyra," one growled, voice low and threatening. "You're coming with us."
Panic shot through me. I tried to back away, but they moved faster. One seized my arm, his grip like iron, while the other blocked the exit.
"Let me go!" I shouted, twisting against his hold. My pulse roared in my ears as the truth hit me—Xavier. Of course it was him. He couldn't stand to let me go.
"Don't make this harder than it needs to be," the man snarled, dragging me toward the door.
I kicked, screamed, but they didn't flinch. The other library patrons watched, frozen in shock, too afraid to intervene. Just as despair clawed at my throat, a voice cut through the chaos like a blade.
"Let. Her. Go."
I turned—and there he was. Zephyr. His eyes burned with fury, his body coiled like a predator ready to strike.
The men stiffened, sensing the shift in power. "This isn't your business, Alpha," one muttered, though his voice wavered.
Zephyr's smile was ice. "It becomes my business when you touch what's mine."
Before I could process his words, he moved—faster than I'd ever seen. He slammed into the man holding me, sending him crashing into a bookshelf with a force that rattled the walls. The other lunged, but Zephyr was ready, sidestepping and driving a brutal punch into his jaw.
I stumbled back, breathless, as Zephyr dismantled them both with terrifying ease. Within seconds, they were on the ground, groaning.
He turned to me, his gaze softening as he closed the distance. "Are you okay?"
I nodded, though my hands trembled. "I—I think so. Thank you."
His hand settled on my shoulder, steadying me. "You don't have to thank me, Lyra. I'll always protect you."
The words hit me like a tidal wave, and for the first time in years, I felt safe. But as I stared at the broken men on the floor, reality crashed back in.
Xavier wasn't going to stop. He wasn't obsessed with me—just my power. And if I wasn't careful, he'd tear apart this fragile new life I'd built just to reclaim it.
Zephyr must have seen the fear in my eyes because he squeezed my shoulder gently. "You're not alone, Lyra. Not anymore."