Chapter 137: Paternal Revelation
Chapter 137: Paternal Revelation
(Connor’s POV)
The black hood was ripped from my head, leaving me blinking in the harsh light of an
unfamiliar room. My wrists burned against the restraints binding me to a metal chair.
“What the hell is this?” I growled, struggling against the ropes.
Two burly security guards stood silently by the door, their expressions impassive. The room
was sparsely furnished–concrete walls, a single table, and the chair I was tied to. It reeked of
power and money.
D
The door swung open, and my blood ran cold as Olivia Winters walked in, followed by a tall man with piercing gray eyes. Lucas Blackwood. The Alpha of Moonstone Pack.
“What do you want to do to me? Olivia Winters, murder is against the law!” I shouted defensively, renewing my struggle against the restraints.
Olivia’s emerald eyes regarded me coldly. “If I wanted you dead, Connor, you wouldn’t be sitting
here having this conversation.”
Fear clawed at my throat. Two years in prison had taught me to recognize danger, and these
two radiated it. I was a dead man walking.
“Is this about the brakes?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. “Because I served my time
for that.”
Victoria’s face flashed in my mind–her beautiful features twisted with tears as she begged
me to protect her and Emma from Olivia Winters. “She’s trying to destroy us,” Victoria had
sobbed. “She wants to take Emma away from me.”
I’d believed her completely. Loved her completely.
“She redirected Lily’s kidney donor,” Victoria had confessed one night, her voice barely a whisper. “Not for Emma’s sake, but to eliminate Olivia as a threat.”
Even then, I’d known Victoria was lying about her motives. The kidney had been for Emma–l’d seen the medical records myself. But I didn’t care. I loved Victoria. I loved Emma. I would have
done anything for them.
So I’d sabotaged Olivia’s brakes. Not enough to kill her–just enough to scare her, to keep her
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away from Victoria and Emma.
But now Olivia was back from near death, and the look in her eyes told me she hadn’t
forgotten.
“This isn’t about the brakes,” Olivia said quietly. “This is about Emma.”
My heart stuttered. “Emma? What about her? If you’ve hurt her, I swear to God-‘
+25 Puntos >
Lucas Blackwood stepped forward, his gray eyes flashing with dominance. “You’re not in a
position to make threats.”
I spat at his feet. “Go to hell.”
His boot connected with my chest, sending me and the chair crashing to the floor. Pain exploded through my ribs as I gasped for breath.
“Pick him up,” Lucas ordered his men.
Rough hands hauled me upright, the chair scraping against concrete. Blood trickled from my
split lip.
Olivia approached, pulling something from a folder. “Do you recognize these?”
She laid several photographs on the table before me. My breath caught in my throat.
They were pictures of me watching Emma at Crescent Moon Training Den. Emma at the mall with Dorothy. Emma playing in the yard at Rosewood Haven.
“Been stalking me, have you?” I sneered, trying to mask my panic. How had they known I was watching Emma?
“Emma is your daughter,” Olivia stated flatly.
The words hit me like another kick to the chest. I forced a laugh, though it sounded hollow
even to my own ears.
“That’s ridiculous,” I scoffed. “Emma is Ethan Stone’s daughter. Everyone knows that.”
“Is she?” Olivia raised an eyebrow, pulling out another document. “This Blood Heritage
Confirmation Report says otherwise.”
My eyes darted to the paper, heart hammering against my ribs. I’d suspected for years, of course. The timing of Victoria’s pregnancy, the way Emma’s eyes mirrored my own. I’d even managed to get a DNA test done secretly during one of my visits to Rosewood Haven.
I knew the truth. But I’d never admitted it aloud–not even to myself.
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“This is bullshit,” I muttered, but my voice lacked conviction.
Lucas leaned in, his face inches from mine. “Your scent changes when you lie. It’s quite
telling.”
+25 Puntos
I glared at him, then at Olivia. “Even if she is mine–which I’m not saying–what’s your point?
Why drag me here to tell me something I can’t do anything about from prison?”
“You’re not in prison anymore,” Olivia reminded me. “Thanks to me.”
That was the part I still couldn’t figure out. Why had Olivia Winters, the woman I’d tried to kill,
advocated for my release?
“If you hurt Emma,” I growled, parental instinct surging through me despite years of separation, “I will make you pay with my dying breath.”
9
Olivia’s expression softened slightly. “I would never harm a child, Connor. Unlike some people
we know.”
I frowned, confusion replacing fear. “What are you talking about?”
“The real threat to Emma isn’t me,” Olivia said quietly. “It’s Victoria.”
I laughed outright at that. “Victoria? She loves Emma more than anything in this world.”
“Does she?” Olivia nodded to someone behind me.
The door opened again, and Dorothy Lawson walked in. The housekeeper from Rosewood
Haven looked nervous, wringing her hands as she avoided my gaze.
“Tell him what you told me, Dorothy,” Olivia instructed.
Dorothy cleared her throat. “Miss Victoria… she’s not kind to Emma when no one’s watching.”
“That’s a lie,” I snapped. “Victoria adores Emma.”
“I’ve seen Emma come out of her mother’s room with red eyes and slap marks,” Dorothy
continued, her voice gaining strength. “I’ve heard the crying, the begging.”
I shook my head vehemently. “No. Victoria would never hurt Emma. Never.”
“How much did Olivia pay you to say this?” I demanded, glaring at Dorothy. “What did she offer
you?”
Dorothy pulled out her phone. “I didn’t need p*****t to do what’s right for that child.”
She tapped the screen a few times, then turned it toward me. “I took this video last winter
when I came back early from an errand.”
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+25 Puntos >
The footage showed Emma standing barefoot in the snow, wearing only a thin nightgown. Her small body shivered violently as she hugged herself, tears freezing on her cheeks.
“Victoria made her stand out there for thirty minutes because she spilled juice on the carpet,” Dorothy explained, her voice breaking. “It was fifteen degrees that day.”
My stomach churned. “This could be fake. Edited.”
“And these?” Dorothy pulled up her sleeve, revealing finger–shaped bruises on her wrist.
“Emma has fresh ones just like these. And needle marks on her arms.”
“Needle marks?” I repeated, horror creeping into my voice.
Dorothy nodded grimly. “Victoria’s been injecting her with something. I don’t know what, but
Emma’s been lethargic afterward. Confused.”
D
The room seemed to tilt around me. I thought of Victoria’s medical background, her access to
various drugs through her connections at the Silvercrest Pack Medical Den.
“No,” I whispered, but doubt had taken root. “No, she wouldn’t.”
Olivia signaled to the guards, who untied my restraints. “You’re free to go, Connor. Investigate
for yourself if you don’t believe us.”
I rubbed my wrists, eyeing her suspiciously. “Just like that? You’re letting me walk out of
here?”
“I trust a father’s instincts,” Olivia replied simply. “You’ll do what needs to be done.”
That evening, I stood outside Rosewood Haven, my heart pounding in my chest. The security code Victoria had given me still worked, allowing me to slip past the guards and into the
house undetected.
I moved silently through the familiar halls, pausing outside Emma’s bedroom. The door was ajar, and I could see her small form curled up under the covers, her breathing steady in sleep.
My daughter. My blood.
I approached cautiously, careful not to wake her. In the soft glow of her nightlight, I could see
the resemblance clearly–my eyes, my nose, the shape of her face.
Gently, I lifted the sleeve of her pajama top. My breath caught at the sight of small bruises dotting her arm, some fresh, others fading to yellow. And there, in the crook of her elbow, tiny puncture marks–just as Dorothy had described.
Rage boiled inside me, hot and violent. I pulled the covers back over Emma and pressed a
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gentle kiss to her forehead before slipping out of the room.
Victoria was in her bedroom, applying cream to her face in front of her vanity mirror. She jumped when she saw my reflection behind her.
“Connor!” she gasped, spinning around. “What are you doing here? I told you not to come without calling first.”
Her eyes narrowed as she noticed my expression. “What’s wrong? And why were you in Emma’s room for so long?”
+25 3 +25 Puntos)
I crossed the room in three strides and slapped her hard across the face. The sound cracked
through the air like a gunshot.
D
Victoria’s hand flew to her cheek, her eyes wide with shock. “Have you lost your mind?”
“What have you been doing to our daughter?” I demanded, my voice shaking with fury.
Victoria’s expression shifted, calculation replacing surprise. “Our daughter? I don’t know what
you’re talking about. Emma is Ethan’s-”
“Stop lying!” I roared, grabbing her wrist. “I know she’s mine. I’ve always known.”
Fear flickered in Victoria’s eyes. “Connor, you’re hurting me.”
I stared at her, seeing the woman I loved for what she truly was for the first time. “How could
you abuse our child?”