Chapter 161: Memories and Schemes
Chapter 161: Memories and Schemes
(Olivia’s POV)*
couldn’t stop trembling. Even with Ethan gone, my wolf remained agitated beneath my skin, pacing and whimpering with distress. The confrontation had left me raw, exposed in a way I
hadn’t felt since Lily’s funeral.
James gently covered my hand with his, the warmth of his touch steadying me. His familiar
scent–earthy with hints of pine and leather–helped calm my frayed nerves. It reminded me of
our childhood, of hiding together in the abandoned shed behind the orphanage when the
caretakers were in particularly cruel moods.
“Drink,” he urged, pressing the glass of water into my hands.
I took a small sip, then another, feeling my composure gradually return. My emerald eyes
cleared as my wolf settled, no longer thrashing beneath my skin.
“James,” I said softly, my voice carrying a vulnerability I rarely allowed myself to show. “Would
you watch Lily’s videos with me?”
James nodded without hesitation, his hazel eyes warm with understanding. He moved to set
up The Memory Projector in my living room, handling the device with familiar ease. He’d been
here for many such nights, holding me together when grief threatened to tear me apart.
“Which one?” he asked, though he already knew the answer.
“All of them,” I whispered, curling into the corner of my couch.
Soon, images of Lily filled the screen–my beautiful daughter, from newborn pup to toddler. Her emerald eyes, so like mine, sparkled with innocence and joy. The videos captured precious
moments: her first steps, her first shift into her silver–white wolf form, her delighted giggles as
she played in the moonlight.
“Look at her,” I murmured, a bittersweet smile touching my lips as Lily’s fourth birthday
appeared on screen. “Remember how she insisted on having a wolf–shaped cake?”
James chuckled softly. “And then cried because she didn’t want to cut it.”
“So you ate the whole tail portion yourself to make her feel better,” I recalled, the memory warming me from within.
1/4
<Chapter 161. Memonies and S.
+25 Points >
Initially after Lily’s death, I couldn’t bear to watch these videos. The pain was too raw, too
consuming. But now they provided a different kind of solace–a reminder that Lily had existed,
had been loved, had lived.
My wolf, usually restless with grief and rage, seemed to calm as I watched, mesmerized by
the memories of my daughter. Her laughter echoed through the cottage, a ghost of happiness
that both wounded and healed.
“She was so much like you,” James observed quietly. “That same stubborn tilt to her chin
when she made up her mind about something.”
I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat. Eventually, exhaustion overcame me,
and I drifted off to sleep on the couch, Lily’s smile the last thing I saw before darkness
claimed me.
(Third person’s POV)
James watched Olivia’s breathing even out, her features softening in sleep. The fierce Luna
who stood against an Alpha King was, in these unguarded moments, simply a grieving
mother. His wolf rose protectively beneath his skin, urging him to stay, to guard.
Deeply concerned about her fragile emotional state, James decided to remain for the night.
He made a makeshift bed on the floor with the Midnight Comfort Blanket he kept in his
vehicle, positioning himself between the door and Olivia–a sentinel against any threats, physical or emotional.
His phone buzzed repeatedly with messages from Ethan Stone, each more insistent than the
last.
“How is she?” read the first.
“Is she still upset?” came minutes later.
“Has she calmed down?” followed shortly after.
James replied curtly to the barrage: “She’s asleep.”
Another message appeared immediately: “Thank you for staying with her.”
James’s jaw tightened as he typed his response: “Don’t thank me for doing what you should have been doing all along. You lost that right when you chose Victoria over your own daughter
and mate.”
He set his phone to silent, unwilling to engage further with the Alpha who had caused Olivia so much pain. His hazel eyes drifted back to her sleeping form, his wolf settling into
2/4
Chapter 161: Memories and S…
protective vigilance.
+25 Points)
At the Silvercrest Pack Medical Den, Victoria Frost’s phone rang, the screen lighting up with Emma’s name. She answered immediately, her voice softening from its usual sharp edge.
“Emma, darling? What’s wrong?”
“Mommy,” Emma whimpered through the phone, her voice weak and frightened. “It hurts so much. My side is burning, and I’ve been throwing up. Please call Alpha Ethan.”
Victoria’s face paled, her grip tightening on her Raven–Trimmed Wheelchair. Her wolf bristled with anxiety beneath her skin, sensing the danger in this development.
“No!” she hissed urgently, her scent spiking with fear. “Don’t call him, Emma. Just wait for me. I’ll be there soon.”
She ended the call, her mind racing. If Ethan discovered Emma’s kidney transplant was causing complications, it would inevitably lead him to question the origin of the donor kidney. The trail would lead straight back to Connor Blackthorn’s wife, Patricia Warner, and the organ that had been redirected from Lily Winters to Emma.
Victoria’s wolf paced anxiously beneath her skin. Everything she had built could crumble if Ethan learned the truth. She needed to get to Emma before anyone else did, especially before any medical staff could examine her and document the issue.
She dialed Ethan’s number, forcing her voice to sound calm and collected. “Ethan, I need to return to Rosewood Haven. Could you pick me up?”
The next morning dawned clear and crisp. Olivia emerged from her cottage with James Knight beside her, his protective presence a buffer against the world. They headed toward James’s Midnight Rider Motorcycle parked outside, their breath forming small clouds in the cool. morning air.
A sleek black Maybach pulled up nearby, its engine purring softly. Ethan Stone stepped out, his amber eyes widening slightly at the sight of Olivia. His wolf became instantly alert,
attentive beneath his skin.
He abruptly spoke into his Alpha Phone, “Victoria, something’s come up. I’ll send Maxwell Chen instead.” He hung up without waiting for a response.
Approaching Olivia, Ethan kept his tone carefully neutral. “I can give you a ride.”
Olivia’s emerald eyes remained cold as she deliberately turned away, her wolf rejecting his presence entirely. The warmth and vulnerability she had shown with James was nowhere to
374
<Chapter 161: Memories and S…
be seen, replaced by the icy Luna who had learned to survive without her mate.
+25 Points >
James stepped between them, his protective instincts flaring. “I’m escorting her today,” he
stated firmly, meeting the Alpha’s gaze without flinching.
Ethan observed Olivia’s frigid demeanor, so different from her vulnerability the previous night. His wolf retreated with a low whine of disappointment, but he didn’t pursue further. With a curt
nod, he returned to his vehicle, his scent tinged with regret.
Maxwell Chen arrived at the Silvercrest Pack Medical Den within twenty minutes of Ethan’s
call. His manner as he helped Victoria into the passenger seat was noticeably less deferential than before–efficient but lacking the usual respect.
Victoria’s wolf bristled at the subtle change, sensing it reflected Ethan’s shifting attitude toward her. As they drove in silence toward Rosewood Haven, she fumed inwardly, consumed
by jealousy.
“Where is Alpha Stone?” she finally asked, her voice tight with controlled anger.
“He had urgent business to attend to,” Maxwell replied, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
Victoria’s claws threatened to emerge as she imagined Ethan with Olivia, her wolf snarling with possessive rage. After everything she had done to secure her position, after all the sacrifices and manipulations, Olivia still threatened to take it all away.
By the time they reached Rosewood Haven, Victoria had channeled her jealousy into calculated planning. If she couldn’t attack Olivia directly–not with Ethan watching her so closely after the Connor Blackthorn incident–she would find another way to hurt her.
A cruel smile curved her lips as she thought of Olivia’s newly reunited mother, Evelyn Winters. The woman was scheduled for surgery next week–a procedure that could easily go wrong
with the right interference.
Her wolf’s eyes gleamed with malicious intent as Maxwell helped her from the car. She had
found the perfect vulnerability to exploit.
