Chapter 141: Emma’s Truth
Chapter 141: Emma’s Truth
(Connor’s POV)
Blood trickled from my mouth as I lay on the floor of Victoria’s living room at Rosewood
Haven. Every shallow breath sent sharp pain through my ribs. The security guard’s heavy boot pressed harder against my chest, making each breath a struggle.
Seven years ago, I had been framed as the rogue wolf who attacked Victoria Frost. She
claimed I caused her seven years of torment and nightmares.
Now, seven years later, she was accusing me of attempted assault again.
I knew the bitter truth. This was all a carefully orchestrated setup.
Victoria stood behind Ethan, clutching his coat around her shoulders with trembling fingers.
Her eyes, which had gazed at me with false passion just minutes ago, now held nothing but
cold calculation and triumph.
“If
you want evidence, Ethan will present it at the pack tribunal,” Victoria insisted, her eyes
gleaming with malice as she played the victim perfectly.
Hearing Ethan Stone’s name, my stomach twisted with dread. My thoughts immediately went to the trial two years ago when I was sentenced for tampering with Olivia’s vehicle.
I remembered standing in the pack courtroom, watching helplessly as the Alpha King’s
influence secured my conviction without question. No one dared challenge his word.
⚫ I knew what awaited me. The Alpha King’s reach extended throughout every corner of the Northern Territory. His word was absolute law. If he wanted me imprisoned in Shadowfall
Detention Center, I would be thrown into Cell Block C before nightfall.
“Please,” I pleaded, my voice breaking with desperation. Blood bubbled between my lips as I spoke. “Think about what will happen to Emma if I’m imprisoned. Victoria will continue to abuse our daughter!”
The words tore from my throat, raw with a father’s anguish. Despite the years of separation, the protective instinct for my pup surged through me like wildfire.
“She hurts Emma,” I continued, spitting blood onto the polished floor of Rosewood Haven. “Ask Dorothy Lawson, the housekeeper. She’s seen the bruises, the needle marks where Victoria
injects her with who knows what!”
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Victoria’s face paled slightly at the mention of Dorothy’s name. Her fingers tightened on
Ethan’s arm.
“Emma is my daughter,” I said, looking directly into Ethan’s cold amber eyes. “I just want to
protect her from that monster you’ve been protecting all these years.”
(Victoria’s POV)
My thoughts raced wildly as I calculated Ethan’s potential reaction to Connor’s accusations. If Ethan believed I abused Emma, he might question why I redirected Lily’s kidney donor to my
daughter.
That couldn’t happen. Everything would unravel in an instant.
I forced tears to my eyes, letting them spill down my cheeks in perfect rivulets. “He’s lying!” I cried, my voice trembling with practiced indignation. “Olivia Winters has clearly bribed Dorothy
to make these horrible claims against me!”
I turned to Ethan, clutching his muscular arm with both hands. “She’s trying to destroy us, can’t you see? First she claims Lily died, now this cruel accusation! She won’t stop until she’s
ruined everything we’ve built!”
Olivia’s emerald eyes flashed with cold fury across the room. Without a word, she pulled out her phone and played a recording that made my blood freeze.
Dorothy Lawson’s unmistakable voice filled the room: “I’ve seen the bruises on Emma’s arms, the needle marks that appear after she’s been alone with her mother. Victoria locks her in the Rosewood Haven Servants‘ Quarters for hours when she misbehaves. Once, she made Emma stand barefoot in the snow as punishment until the poor child’s feet were blue.”
My heart pounded against my ribs like a trapped animal. How had Olivia gotten this
recording? Dorothy had seemed so loyal!
Before I could speak, Olivia played a video that made my stomach drop. The footage clearly showed me dragging Emma outside to the Rosewood Haven Recreation Area during last
winter’s heaviest snowfall.
Snow covered the ground in thick white blankets. The video captured me forcing Emma to
remove her shoes and stand barefoot in the freezing snow while I berated her for spilling juice
on my favorite dress.
Emma’s small face was contorted with pain and fear as she begged me to let her come inside.
The video captured my cold refusal, my threat to leave her there all night if she didn’t stop her
pathetic crying.
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I felt Ethan stiffen beside me. His amber eyes darkened dangerously as he watched the video, shock and rage building in his expression like a gathering storm.
“That’s–that’s not what it looks like,” I stammered, my mind racing for an explanation. “Emma was being difficult. I was just teaching her discipline. You know how spoiled she can be-”
The front door opened with perfect timing, interrupting my desperate explanation. Emma walked in from her day at the Crescent Moon Training Den, her backpack slung over one
shoulder.
“Daddy!” she called out happily, spotting Ethan among the adults.
She ran straight into his arms, not noticing the tension crackling in the room. Ethan caught
her automatically, his expression softening slightly as he looked down at her innocent face.
Connor watched from the floor, his eyes filled with unbearable sorrow. This was his biological
daughter, his flesh and blood, yet she ran to another man, calling him “Daddy” with such love.
The bond he’d never been allowed to form with Emma was evident in the pain that crossed his
bloodied face. Seven years of fatherhood stolen from him by my lies.
Emma finally noticed Olivia standing nearby. Her small face hardened slightly, and she deliberately snuggled closer to Ethan, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.
It was a small act of defiance that revealed her complicated feelings toward the true Luna. I’d made sure to poison Emma against Olivia from the beginning.
(Ethan’s POV)
I held Emma close against my chest, my mind reeling from what I’d just witnessed on Olivia’s video. The sweet child in my arms couldn’t possibly be the same one I’d seen standing
barefoot in the snow, begging Victoria to let her come inside.
I needed to know the truth once and for all.
Gently, I set Emma down on her feet and knelt to her level on the plush carpet. I took her small hands in mine, noticing how she avoided looking at Connor on the floor, though her eyes
darted to him with confusion.
“Emma, sweetheart,” I said softly, deliberately keeping my voice gentle to avoid frightening her. “I need you to tell me the truth about how your mother treats you when I’m not around.”
Victoria stepped forward quickly, panic flashing across her face. “Ethan, she’s just a child. She doesn’t understand what’s happening here-”
“Be quiet,” I commanded, not bothering to look at her. My Alpha voice made the windows rattle
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< Chapter 141: Emma’s Truth
slightly.
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From the corner of my eye, I saw Victoria’s panicked expression crumble. She couldn’t coach Emma with me watching so closely.
Still, she attempted to use her eyes to threaten Emma into silence, shooting the child a
warning glare that promised punishment later.
I caught the look and silenced Victoria with a warning growl. “Leave the room,” I ordered my
security team with a sharp gesture. “Take him to the car,” I added, nodding toward Connor.
“But don’t harm him further until I’ve sorted this out.”
The guards hesitated, looking between me and Victoria, then complied, dragging Connor to his
feet. He winced in pain but kept his eyes fixed on Emma, a mixture of love and regret in his
gaze.
“Be brave, Emma,” he whispered as they pulled him toward the door.
Once they were gone, I turned back to Emma, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “It’s just
us now,” I assured her, my voice gentle. “You can tell me anything, and no one will be angry with you.”
Emma looked up at me with complete trust in her eyes. She nodded solemnly, her small
shoulders straightening. “I promise to tell the truth, Daddy,” she said, her voice small but
determined.
Victoria stood frozen by the window, her face pale as moonlight. I could almost see the cold dread spreading through her body as she realized Emma might reveal everything.
Her carefully constructed world was balancing on the words of a child.
I looked directly into Emma’s eyes and asked the question Victoria had been dreading since
the moment Olivia played that damning video.
“Emma, has Victoria ever hurt you when I wasn’t there?”
