Chapter 149: Victoria’s Scheme
Chapter 149: Victoria’s Scheme
(Emma’s POV)
I ran across the beach, my heart pounding in my chest. The sand stuck to my wet feet as I searched frantically for Mom. Finally, I spotted her sitting under a large umbrella, pretending
to read a magazine.
“Mom, he sank,” I announced breathlessly, my voice quivering with excitement and fear.
A
I stood there, waiting for her reaction. My hands were still trembling from what I’d done, but I’d followed her instructions perfectly. Just like she taught me.
Mom looked up slowly, her beautiful face breaking into a smile that made me feel warm inside. She set aside her magazine and opened her arms to me.
“Come here, my clever girl,” she said softly.
I rushed into her embrace, craving her approval. She smelled like expensive perfume and safety. Her arms wrapped around me tightly as she pressed a kiss to my cheek.
“You did so well,” she whispered against my ear. “I’m so proud of you.”
Pride swelled in my chest. I’d made Mom happy, and that was all that mattered. She always said we had to protect each other because no one else would.
Mom pulled back slightly, her face suddenly serious. She brushed a strand of wet hair from my face, her touch gentle but firm.
“Remember, Emma,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. “No one else can know about this. If anyone asks, just say you don’t know.”
I nodded eagerly, wanting to show her I understood.
“If they keep asking, cry out of fear,” she continued, her eyes locked with mine. “Can you do
that for me?”
I nodded again, already practicing the frightened expression in my mind. Mom had taught me how to cry on command last year. It was easy once you knew the trick.
“If you can’t do this,” Mom’s voice hardened slightly, “you’ll lose not just your dad, but me too.”
Fear gripped my heart at her words. Losing Mom was the worst thing I could imagine. I trembled and hugged her tightly, burying my face in her embrace.
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<Chapter 149 Victoria’s Sche
“Mom, I don’t know anything,” I whispered, practicing my line.
+25 Points)
She stroked my head gently, her fingers combing through my wet hair. “That’s my good girl.”
I peeked up to see her staring out at the blue water of the lake. Her eyes looked different–cold
and hard like ice. It scared me a little, but I knew that look wasn’t meant for me.
“Let’s get you dried off,” she said, her voice returning to normal. “Then we can get ice cream on
the way home.”
As she wrapped a fluffy towel around my shoulders, I thought about the man who had sunk
beneath the water. Connor. My real dad, Mom had said. But he wasn’t like Alpha Stone. Alpha
Stone bought me presents and took me to special places. Connor just looked at me with hungry eyes that made me uncomfortable.
Mom said he was a bad man who wanted to take me away from her. I couldn’t let that
happen. Mom needed me, and I needed her.
Besides, now that Connor was gone, maybe Alpha Stone would spend even more time with us.
Maybe he’d finally become my real dad instead.
(Ethan’s POV)
I stared out the window of my Alpha’s Private Office, watching the pack members go about
their daily business below. Dr. Harrison Fletcher’s words echoed in my mind despite my
dismissal of them.
“You’ve changed heart regarding Mrs. Winters.”
The accusation–because that’s what it felt like–had struck a nerve. I hadn’t changed heart.
My heart belonged to Victoria. It always had.
I turned back to my desk, focusing on the stack of reports that required my attention. Pack
business was a welcome distraction from the confusion that had plagued me since seeing
Olivia at the hospital with her mother.
Maxwell Chen entered after a brief knock, carrying more documents for my review.
“The quarterly reports from the Northern mines, Alpha,” he said, placing them neatly on my
desk. “And the security assessment for next month’s territory negotiations.”
I nodded, grateful for his efficiency. “Thank you, Maxwell.”
He hesitated, clearly wanting to say something more.
“What is it?” I asked, signing the last of the previous batch of documents.
<Chapter 149: Victoria’s Sche…..
+25 Points >
“The Beta from Ravenwood Pack called again about their proposal,” Maxwell said carefully. “They’re growing impatient for an answer.”
I waved a dismissive hand. “Tell them I’ll review it by the end of the week.”
“Yes, Alpha.” Maxwell collected the signed documents and turned to leave.
The silence after his departure was almost oppressive. I hadn’t visited Olivia at the Silvercrest Pack Medical Den since our encounter in her mother’s room. The memory of her eyes–those emerald green eyes that had once looked at me with such love–now filled with pain and
accusation was too much to bear.
Work was safer. Work made sense. The pack needed a strong Alpha, not one distracted by personal matters.
My phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. Olivia’s name flashed on the screen.
My heart rate quickened as I stared at it. Why was she calling? Had something happened to
her mother?
I answered immediately, unable to mask the hint of anticipation in my voice. “What’s the
matter?”
“I want to see you tonight,” Olivia said, her voice calm and direct.
The request caught me off guard. After everything that had happened between us, after all the
pain and anger, she wanted to see me?
“Where?” I asked, already standing from my desk.
“My address at Maple Grove,” she replied before ending the call abruptly.
I stood there for a moment, phone still in hand, processing what had just happened. Olivia wanted to see me. At her home. Tonight.
Without hesitation, I gathered my keys and jacket. Whatever she wanted to discuss, it must be important. And despite everything, I couldn’t deny the pull I felt toward her.
Maxwell returned as I was preparing to leave.
“Alpha Stone, you have an appointment with the Northern Territory Press Corps in an hour,” he reminded me.
I shook my head, already heading for the door. “Handle it for me. Reschedule if necessary.”
Maxwell’s surprise was evident, but he nodded respectfully. “Of course, Alpha.”
3/5
< Chapter 149: Victoria’s Sche (Victoria’s POV)
+25 Points >
The gentle rocking of the taxi lulled me into a deep sleep. The events at Whispering Pines
Lake had left me exhausted but satisfied. Connor Blackthorn was no longer a threat to my
plans.
When I finally awoke, disorientation hit me immediately. This wasn’t the familiar interior of the taxi. I wasn’t on my way back to Rosewood Haven.
I blinked, trying to clear my vision as I took in my surroundings. Plain walls. Sparse furniture.
A single window with heavy curtains drawn shut.
The Forsaken Room. That’s what my mind labeled it–a place unknown and unwelcoming.
Fear crept up my spine as I sat up, my designer dress wrinkled from sleep. How had I gotten
here? The last thing I remembered was closing my eyes in the back of the taxi, satisfied that
Connor was dealt with.
I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stood, smoothing down my dress with trembling
hands. I needed to leave, to get back to Emma. She would be waiting for me, perhaps frightened by my absence.
As I moved toward what appeared to be the door, a voice froze me in place.
“Where are you going?”
The voice–familiar, impossible–sent ice through my veins. Slowly, I turned to face the source.
Connor Blackthorn stood in the shadows of the room, very much alive. His clothes were
different, dry, but his eyes held the same intensity they had beneath the water of Whispering
Pines Lake.
“You…” I whispered, shock rendering me momentarily speechless.
He was supposed to be dead. Emma had removed his breathing apparatus. I’d watched from
shore as he sank beneath the surface, not resurfacing.
A surge of anger toward Emma flashed through me. She had failed. After all my careful
planning, all my precise instructions, she had failed to complete the one task that mattered
most.
Connor’s hand shot out, grabbing my jaw with enough force to make me wince. His fingers dug into my skin as he pulled my face close to his.
“Surprised I’m not dead?” he repeated, his voice a dangerous whisper.
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