Chapter 5: The Wolf Becomes Queen

I looked toward the door. A man appeared, badge on his belt, scars on his face. It was Scar.

“My son who died? How is he alive?” Dad gripped Scar’s hand, crazed, a final burst of strength. He pricked his finger, mixing their blood in a cup.

“It’s blending!”

Then he calmed. “You had a birthmark on your waist. Come, let me see.”

I froze. But I couldn’t say anything, just clenched my fists until my nails dug in.

Scar stood still. “I have no birthmark, sir. You must be mistaken.”

The air was tense, like a century had passed. Dad laughed. “Yes, I was mistaken.”

He was testing us!

I let out a heavy sigh. Maybe Dad didn’t really believe Scar was that child. But with Ben betraying him and his days numbered, he needed something to hold on to—someone to inherit the estate.

“I’ll change my will. From now on, your name is Henry Ashford. Someone, bring paper and pen.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were cutting me out, Dad?” Ben strode in.

Dad was calm. “How dare you come here, traitor.”

He had an aura that made Ben shrink back. “Why not? You’re dying.”

He drew out the word, mocking, and waved his hand. Men in black appeared—the estate security.

“Did you poison me?”

“Yes.”

“You weren’t poisoned as a child. The case against Mom was your doing.”

“Only now do you realize? Framing my aunt was Savannah’s idea. Mrs. Harris brought you the medicine, but I pretended to be poisoned to push her over the edge.”

He sighed. “You!” Dad was furious. “Monster!”

“What did my aunt do wrong? She just wanted to run the house. I wanted the estate. Her only fault was standing in our way.”

He turned to me. “Sis, I wanted to take it slow, but Dad discovered the poison early. I had no choice—”

“Is that the will? Captain Whitaker, bring it to me.”

I watched Jackson approach, avoiding my gaze.

“Captain Whitaker, once I inherit, I’ll divorce your sister and have you marry Savannah!”

Jackson moved, raising his cane to destroy the will.

“Jackson, are you rebelling?” I asked calmly.

His cane was already at Dad’s side. In that instant, Ben’s confident smile faltered.

Suddenly, Jackson crouched, picked up the cane, and stood in front of Dad—protecting him.

Ben was shocked, staring at Jackson.

“The Whitaker family has always served the mayor, never involving themselves in succession struggles. Why would they betray that for a woman—”

I answered for him.

Besides, Jackson had recently learned that the person who saved him wasn’t Savannah, but me.

Jackson, unlike Marcus, was sentimental. It was a headache.

That day, I sighed deeply and told him the truth.

“Sorry, Jackson—no, Lucky.”

“Lucky” was a nickname I gave him because I loved money.

“What did you call me?” Ben’s eyes twitched.

“You once asked how I knew about you and Savannah. This is why. When you were hurt and couldn’t see, I carried you down the hill—you were so heavy.”

I grumbled.

“You, you, you…”

“Jackson, when I asked for three conditions for a divorce, the third was that you’d help me. Will you?”

“Of course.”

He was teary-eyed.

I was satisfied. “Thank you, Captain.”

“Clap, clap, clap!”

“Sis, you really are a strategist. But do you really think, with Captain Whitaker, you can win? Is that guard your plant? How clever.”

“That’s your brother—the future mayor. Show some respect!”

“Brother? Where’d you find him? Who believes he’s the real son? Captain Whitaker can switch sides, but the rest of you, attack! You’ll be rewarded!” he ordered the security guards.

“They know,” I said calmly.

“Who? Why are you all here?” Ben saw the top lawyers and city officials watching, faces grim.

Of course—I’d arranged it.

Scar—Henry Ashford—stepped from the shadows and knocked Ben out with a single punch. It was over.

Dad coughed up blood.

“Dad!” I cried, rushing to him.

“My time is short… someone, bring paper. I’ll write my will.”

Staff rushed forward with paper and pen. My heart pounded. Finally?

The lawyers watched in silence, grief-stricken.

“I’m seventy, ran this town sixty-one years, thanks to God, not my own virtue… Betrayed by traitors, my time is short… Ben, exiled three thousand miles, Linda, thrown out, Savannah, disinherited…”

Those who wronged my mother finally got their due. Savannah devised the plot, Linda (the mayor’s wife) led Dad there. And Dad—he knew Mom could never have done it, but still… He kept saying “good,” as if the world had changed before his eyes. Ha. You killed Mom, my… Dad.

“I hereby…”

Finally…

“Autumn…”

I glanced at Henry Ashford. He touched his scar lightly. He was the son of the guard accused of being with my mom. He’d scarred his face, plotted with me for years, all for revenge. We staged a scene for Savannah to see. She always liked to take what was mine—Jackson, and now Scar. So I sent him to her. Drugged Savannah, sent away her staff. This was the final move in my game. With Ben out, Dad had only one choice. Even if Henry Ashford was fake, it didn’t matter. A little work would quiet the rumors. Once he took over, he’d die mysteriously, and I’d inherit everything. I would be the unprecedented matriarch. No matter how hard the road, I’d walk it.

“I hereby name Autumn…”

In that instant, so many memories flashed by. Pretending to love Marcus to lower Ben’s guard, hoarding money and earning the nickname “Queen of Silver and Gold.” Before age eight, I was carefree. I wanted everyone to love me, wanted so much money that no one would suffer. I dreamed of standing atop city hall, dumping boxes of cash for the people. If everyone had money, no one would die!

After eight, I learned love came at a price. Some people didn’t deserve to live. I cursed at Mom’s coffin for hours, then vomited until my stomach was empty. I wanted someone to love me for who I was, but every gift from fate had a price tag. From then on, I was no longer a princess. I lost my heart somewhere along the way.

But Dad didn’t finish. Had something gone wrong?

I stared at him, unable to hide my urgency. Say it, say it!

“Autumn, you’re too impatient. That’s not good.” Dad sighed.

I was startled. “What do you mean, Dad? What am I rushing for?”

His next words left me stunned.

“I hereby name Autumn Ashford as my heir. After I die, all will be entrusted to her.”

“What!”

Did he really say that? I stared at him in disbelief.

“Autumn,” he said weakly, “come closer. Let me look at you.”

“You really do look like your mother,” he murmured. “Just as fearless, fierce, and determined. Once you set your mind, nothing stops you. I admit it, I’m afraid. No man wants to be outdone by a woman, let alone a mayor.”

“You tampered with the blood test. Mrs. Harris’s son died long ago. I know all this. You wanted me to pass the estate to him, then to you, right?”

“You were so innocent as a child. You wanted to make everyone equal, so no one would suffer. So naïve.”

“But kindness is a leader’s greatest virtue.”

Everything was laid bare.

“You killed Mom because she was better than you. When they framed her, you went along.”

I was overwhelmed with hatred.

“You made me suffer for ten years, but I wasn’t supposed to be like this! I’m your daughter! I just wanted someone to love me, but now I don’t even know how to love!”

I was so aggrieved.

“I’m just… a woman.”

I shouted myself hoarse, venting all my years of pain. I wanted to throw all my secrets into the sun, let them rot in the open and hurt everyone. It shouldn’t have been like this.

“Good!” He actually laughed. “That’s what I want—hatred!”

“Autumn.” He placed his hand on my head, gentle like a real father.

“I’m mediocre. If not for being born into this family, I couldn’t have married your mother.”

“Jealous, petty, useless, bullied by rivals, lost my nerve after a single accident.”

“But maybe my greatest achievement is raising a wolf like you.”

“I…” I opened my mouth, but my throat was blocked.

“Autumn, look at me. Let me ask you.”

I stared at him.

“First, do you still want to help the people?”

“Yes. My first step is to use my savings to buy family land and give it over for people to farm.”

“Good. Second, do you still hate me?” There was hope in his eyes.

I blinked—there were no tears. “Dad, you killed Mom.” I said bitterly.

He turned away in shame. “You know? Of course you do. You were always smart.”

He coughed blood, his life clearly at its end. “Autumn, are you ready?”

“Ready to walk this thorny path? You’ll meet men like me—jealous, dismissive of women, who watched your mother be framed and did nothing, all to protect their pride. You’ll be scolded by lawyers, humiliated, never live as you please…”

“The road ahead has no precedent. Wild beasts lurk everywhere. Are you afraid, Autumn?”

“I’m not afraid.”

“Even if you were, it’s too late.” He laughed, his breath rattling.

“I wish I could teach you more, but I can’t.”

He murmured, “Sorry, Autumn, for leaving you all alone.”

He closed his eyes with a smile, the hand on my head falling limp.

“Let other people’s doubts be ghost lights. Walk your night road boldly.”

“Autumn… don’t cry.”

Those were his last words.

I instinctively grabbed his hand and called for the doctors. Then I realized—I had a hand in his poisoning too.

I stood up, my knees aching. Henry came to help me out.

“Ms. Ashford, look at your staff.”

I glanced at their mournful faces and blinked. A light rain began to fall. I reached up to touch my cheek and felt dampness. Was I crying?

No, I didn’t feel any tears. I smiled and said to Jackson, “Captain Whitaker, this rain is so odd—it keeps hitting my face.”

A staffer whispered, “Ma’am, you’re crying.”

“Impossible. What do I have to cry about? This rain is just weird.”

Henry gripped my shoulders, pulling me into his arms. I caught a faint scent of Irish Spring. For some reason, I stubbornly insisted, “I—I’m really not crying.”

“I know. It’s just the rain.”

He replied gently.

“Right. Exactly.”

I sobbed as I spoke.

“Okay.”

He answered softly, again and again, patiently.

“Henry, are you leaving?”

The scarred man nodded.

“Our plan was for me to die after inheriting, passing the estate to you. But since the late mayor named you directly, I have no reason to stay.”

“But, but I—”

“What?”

“I, I… you… don’t you know…”

“That’s just dependence, Autumn.”

“I, I…” I spun in circles, not knowing how to keep him.

“I just need to shed this identity. I’ll come back.”

“When?”

“When you choose your partner.” He patted my hair.

“Maybe then, Ms. Ashford will see her feelings clearly.”

“…Fine.”

Jackson pestered me for a long time. I sent him divorce papers, but he wouldn’t sign. Later, he agreed, but wanted to see me first.

I allowed it.

“You’ve seen me. Now sign, Captain.”

“No.”

“You’ve met my three conditions. Why not? I once asked what if you changed your mind, and you scoffed. Now—”

“No.” Suddenly, he remembered something. “No one dares buy family land, so I can’t fulfill your first condition.”

He sounded regretful, but there was a spark in his eyes.

“No, others don’t dare, but I can.”

I produced a check. “This is everything I’ve saved—rewards, inheritance, my mother’s jewelry… all together, exactly one million dollars. My savings, my reputation for greed—it’s all yours.”

“So that’s what you meant by ‘the time wasn’t right.’”

His voice was hoarse, like rough sandpaper.

“Why did you let Savannah mislead me? Make me think…”

“Oh? If I’d admitted it from the start, would you have loved me?”

“Yes!”

“Even if the accident that hurt you at the border was set up by me?”

“What?”

“You heard me. I did it to marry you. I was interested in Marcus, but he chased Savannah, so I had no choice but to have you injured, then marry you under the guise of ‘bringing good luck.’”

“Savannah didn’t want to marry a cripple, and Marcus wouldn’t let her, so—”

“I stepped in, married you, and that was that. Not even Ben could stop it.”

“Is this the woman you want?”

“I want you.”

I stared at him in shock—such devotion is dangerous.

“Even if I orchestrated the marriage alliance? I bribed someone to tell the boss how beautiful the younger Ashford daughter was.”

“The younger Ashford means nothing to me.”

“Oh?”

“What if I told you everything was part of my plan?”

“If I married, I wouldn’t be sent away, leaving only Savannah. She’d try to sleep with Marcus, but I’d already turned him. I staged a scene with Henry, sent him to her—she always took what was mine, but this time, it backfired.”

“After all this, do you still dare love me?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

He smiled.

“Ms. Ashford, after years on the front lines, I’ve seen all sorts of ugliness. This is nothing. The Whitaker family protects this town—it’s our legacy.”

“I’ve wondered, without my uniform, what am I? Was the person I chased just a fantasy?”

“You saved me. I’ll devote my life to you.”

“You’re clever, resourceful, more resilient than I imagined…”

I looked at him quietly, unsure how I felt.

“Even more captivating than I thought.”

His sharp eyes locked onto mine, full of unyielding fire. He gently touched his forehead to mine—like a cautious wolf, clear-eyed, passionate, sincere, loyal.

“Love me, Autumn. Please.”