Chapter 168: Recovery and Revelations
Chapter 168: Recovery and Revelations
(Olivia’s POV)*
“The surgery was successful.” Those four words from Dr. Harrison Fletcher’s lips were the
sweetest I’d ever heard.
My knees buckled as relief flooded through me. Tears streamed down my face, my wolf finally relaxing after hours of tense vigilance. The crushing weight of potential loss lifted from my
shoulders, leaving me light–headed.
9
“Thank you,” I whispered, my voice breaking with emotion. “Thank you so much.”
Dr. Fletcher’s exhausted face softened with a small smile. The dark circles under his eyes
testified to the grueling hours he’d spent fighting for my mother’s life.
“Your mother is strong,” he said, his voice hoarse from the long surgery. “She fought hard in
there.”
I nodded, unable to speak through the lump in my throat. My wolf whined with relief, the sound echoing through my mind though no one else could hear it.
“We’ll bring her out in about ten minutes,” Dr. Fletcher continued, running a hand through his
disheveled hair. “Don’t worry, the worst is behind us now.”
His wolf’s energy was depleted but satisfied with the successful operation. He gave me one
more reassuring nod before turning back toward the Surgical Den to change out of his
bloodstained scrubs.
I stood there, trembling with relief, my emerald eyes still wet with tears. The emotional
whiplash of the past hours left me disoriented.
In my dazed state, I sensed someone behind me. Assuming it was James, I turned and threw
my arms around him in a spontaneous embrace of joy.
The familiar scent hit me immediately not James’s russet–brown wolf, but the unmistakable
Alpha musk of Ethan Stone. My wolf recognized him instantly, before my conscious mind
could process it.
I gasped and pushed away, stumbling backward. “I’m sorry, I thought—”
The words died in my throat as I took in Ethan’s appearance. His normally imposing figure
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+25 Points >
looked uncharacteristically fragile. His face was deathly pale, his amber eyes lacking their usual intensity.
His wolf’s energy, typically overwhelming in its Alpha power, seemed diminished. That’s when I realized he had given blood for my mother. A lot of it, judging by his weakened state.
–
A conflicted pang of gratitude twisted in my chest. I couldn’t bring myself to thank him
verbally, the resentment still too deep, but my wolf acknowledged his sacrifice with reluctant
respect.
Ethan noticed my realization and quickly looked away. “It was nothing,” he said, his voice
lacking its usual commanding tone. “Just doing what I should as Alpha.”
Before I could respond, the doors to the Surgical Den opened again. My attention immediately
shifted as they wheeled my mother out.
Tears welled up in my eyes at the sight of her unconscious form. My wolf whimpered with
concern beneath my skin.
I rushed to her side, taking her cold hand in mine. The steady pulse beneath my fingers was
the most reassuring sensation I’d felt in hours.
“Mom,” I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. “You’re going to be okay.”
The medical staff transferred her to a private ward, hooking her up to monitors that beeped
steadily with her vital signs. I hovered anxiously nearby, unwilling to let her out of my sight.
Ethan, after confirming my mother’s stable condition, retreated to a nearby room arranged by Dr. Fletcher. Though he left physically, I could sense his Alpha presence lingering, his wolf
keeping vigil over both me and my mother.
Once my mother was settled, I turned to James, who had been a silent, supportive presence throughout the ordeal.
“You should go rest,” I told him, my voice soft with gratitude. “You’ve been here all night.”
James’s hazel eyes were tired but warm with concern. “I can stay at the Howling Moon Grand
Hotel nearby if you need me.”
I shook my head. “Use my place at Maple Grove. You’ll be more comfortable there.”
He hesitated, his wolf reluctant to leave me alone in my vulnerable state.
“I’ll be fine,” I insisted, managing a small smile. “My mother needs me here.”
Sarah Jenkins approached, her scrubs rustling softly. “I can take over for a while if you want to
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rest, Ms. Winters.”
I declined with a firm shake of my head. “I’m staying with her.”
+25 Points)
My protective instincts were too strong to allow me to leave, my wolf refusing to abandon our
remaining family member. I settled into the chair beside my mother’s bed, prepared for a long
night.
Across the medical den, I knew Ethan was also keeping watch, his wolf periodically checking
our scents to ensure we remained stable. The thought brought a confusing mix of comfort
and resentment.
The night passed slowly, the steady beeping of monitors and the soft footsteps of night staff the only sounds breaking the silence. I dozed fitfully, jerking awake at every change in my
mother’s breathing.
Morning light eventually filtered through the blinds, casting soft stripes across the sterile floor. James returned, looking refreshed and carrying coffee.
“Your turn,” he said firmly, his hazel eyes brooking no argument. “Get some rest in the recovery
room next door. I’ll watch over her.”
His wolf rose protectively beneath his skin, treating me with the care one would show a pack sister. Reluctantly, I agreed, my body finally acknowledging its exhaustion.
I couldn’t sleep deeply in the adjacent recovery room, my wolf too alert to allow proper rest. Every sound from the hallway had me tensing, ready to rush back to my mother’s side.
Around noon, a commotion from my mother’s room jolted me fully awake. I heard James’s voice calling for the doctor, his quick reflexes testament to his rogue wolf training.
My heart pounding, I rushed out of the rest room. My mother’s eyes were open, her gaze
confused but alert.
“Mom!” I cried, rushing to her side and taking her hand.
Dr. Fletcher arrived moments later, his face showing the professional calm of a seasoned healer. He examined my mother thoroughly while I anxiously waited, my emerald eyes never leaving her face.
“She’s stable and out of danger,” he finally announced, unable to completely hide his satisfaction at the successful outcome. “The surgery went better than expected.”
Relief washed over me again, fresh tears springing to my eyes. My wolf howled with joy inside me, celebrating our mother’s survival.
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(Victoria’s POV)
“What do you mean the surgery was successful?” I hissed into the phone, my fingers
tightening around it until my knuckles turned white.
Sarah’s voice came through quietly, careful not to be overheard by the werewolves in the room. “Mrs. Winters is awake and stable. Dr. Fletcher says she’s out of danger.”
My wolf snarled with frustration beneath my skin. This was not the news I had been hoping
for.
I ended the call and threw the phone onto my bed, my chest tight with panic. Evelyn Winters
was supposed to die in that operating room. That had been the plan.
A
My identity amulet was missing – lost during our confrontation in the hospital stairwell. And
worse, Evelyn had recognized it. She knew exactly who I was.
I wheeled myself anxiously around my bedroom at Rosewood Haven, my paralyzed legs
useless but my mind racing with dangerous possibilities. If Evelyn told Olivia or Ethan what
she knew about me…
I tried calling Ethan again, but his phone was still off. This was the tenth time I’d tried to reach
him since last night.
Where was he? Why wasn’t he answering? He never ignored my calls, not even when he was
with Olivia.
Fear clawed at my throat. Everything I had built over the years
daughter’s future, my revenge against Olivia
woman who refused to die.
–
–
my position with Ethan, my
all of it was in jeopardy because of one old
My wolf paced restlessly beneath my skin, agitated by the threat Evelyn posed. I needed to act quickly before she could expose me.
But how? The medical den would be watching her closely after such a major surgery. And
Olivia would be glued to her side.
I needed to find another way to silence Evelyn Winters before she could destroy everything.
(Evelyn’s POV)
The pain was distant, dulled by medication, but consciousness brought clarity to my thoughts.
I remembered everything – the stairwell, Victoria Frost, the jade pendant that confirmed her true identity.
I held Olivia’s hand with surprising strength for someone who had just undergone major
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surgery. My daughter’s face was drawn with exhaustion, dark circles under her beautiful
emerald eyes.
“We need to talk,” I said, my voice raspy from the breathing tube.
+25 Points)
Olivia shook her head, her wolf concerned about overtaxing my limited energy. “Later, Mom.
You need to rest.”
“Now,” I insisted with the stubborn determination that had helped me survive years of
searching for my daughter. Some things couldn’t wait.
Olivia sighed, recognizing my resolve. She turned to Sarah, who was hovering nearby. “Could you get us some breakfast, please?”
D
It was a transparent dismissal, but the care aide nodded and left the room. Now alone with
Olivia and James, I could speak freely.
“Victoria Frost,” I began, watching my daughter’s face carefully. “Ethan treats her specially
because she’s his childhood sweetheart, isn’t she?”
Olivia’s expression tightened with pain. “Yes. He searched for her for years after she
disappeared. When he finally found her again, he trusted her completely.”
Her voice was bitter with the pain of years of rejection. “He’s always favored her over me. Over
Lily.”
My suspicions confirmed, anger burned through me despite my weakened state. Victoria’s
deception was even more sinister than I had imagined.
My eyes flashed with lupine intensity as I gathered my strength. “I need to see Ethan. Immediately.”
“Mom, you just had surgery-”
“This can’t wait, I interrupted, my tone brooking no argument. “Please, Olivia. It’s important.”
James, sensing the urgency in my voice, stood up. “I’ll get him. He’s resting in the ward across
the hall.”
