Chapter 169: Victoria Frost Is Not Ethan’s Childhood Sweetheart
Chapter 169: Victoria Frost Is Not Ethan’s Childhood Sweetheart
(Ethan’s POV)*
The darkness of exhausted sleep enveloped me completely. My wolf had finally surrendered after the blood donation, our shared energy depleted to dangerous levels.
I hadn’t felt this weak since my first full moon transformation as a pup. Every muscle in my body felt heavy, my wolf curled up deep inside me.
A
A sharp knock jolted me awake. Before I could fully register consciousness, the door swung open with urgency.
James Knight stood in the doorway, his normally playful expression replaced with unusual seriousness. His hazel eyes were alert, his russet–brown wolf clearly visible beneath his skin.
“Alpha Stone,” he said, his voice low but urgent. “Evelyn Winters is asking for you.”
My amber eyes snapped open instantly. My wolf, despite its weakened state, surged forward with renewed alertness, pushing aside the exhaustion.
“Evelyn?” I questioned, already pushing myself upright. “What does she want?”
James shook his head, his stance tense. “She wouldn’t say. But she was insistent–said it couldn’t wait. Something about Victoria.”
At the mention of Victoria, my wolf growled with concern. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, ignoring the wave of dizziness that threatened to topple me.
“How is Evelyn’s condition?” I asked, reaching for my shirt, my fingers fumbling slightly with
the buttons.
“Stable. Better than expected after such major surgery, James replied, his eyes tracking my
unsteady movements. “But she seems… determined.”
I straightened my clothes, running a hand through my disheveled hair. Even in my weakened
state, I couldn’t appear before others looking anything less than the Alpha King.
“Lead the way,” I commanded, my voice regaining some of its natural authority.
The short walk to Evelyn’s ward felt like miles. My wolf strained beneath my skin, pushing
energy into my muscles despite our depleted state. Each step required concentration.
Outside Evelyn’s door, I paused to gather myself. I drew in a deep breath, forcing my spine
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< Chapter 169: Victoria Frost is
straight and my shoulders back. Whatever this was about, it was important enough for a
woman who had just undergone life–threatening surgery to demand my presence.
+25 Points >
I entered the room with as much of my Alpha presence as I could muster. Olivia sat beside her mother’s bed, her emerald eyes widening slightly at my appearance.
–
Her wolf’s scent carried notes of surprise – she hadn’t expected me to come so quickly. Or
perhaps she was surprised by my haggard appearance.
Evelyn Winters looked frail against the white hospital sheets, but her eyes were sharp and
alert. The moment she saw me, something shifted in her expression–the usual hostility giving
way to something more complex.
“Alpha Stone,” she greeted, her voice surprisingly strong for someone in her condition.
I nodded respectfully, moving closer to the bed. “Mrs. Winters. I’m glad to see you recovering
well.”
“Come closer,” she commanded, with an authority that belied her physical state. Her eyes
burned with an intensity that reminded me of Olivia when she was determined.
I approached the bed, aware of Olivia’s nervous gaze shifting between us. Her wolf’s scent
carried notes of anxiety and confusion.
“Mom, what’s this about?” Olivia asked, her emerald eyes searching her mother’s face. Her
hands fidgeted with the edge of the hospital blanket.
Evelyn reached for her daughter’s hand, squeezing it gently. “It’s about you and Ethan, dear.
About what really happened with Victoria Frost.”
Olivia’s breath caught, her wolf whining softly beneath her skin. The mention of Victoria’s
name caused her scent to sharpen with pain and anger.
“What about Victoria?” Olivia whispered, her voice barely audible. Her emerald eyes darted to
me, then back to her mother.
(Evelyn’s POV)
I looked up at Ethan Stone, the Alpha King of the Silvercrest Pack. Despite his obvious
exhaustion, his amber eyes burned with intensity.
The truth I was about to reveal would shatter everything he believed. But he needed to hear it—
for Olivia’s sake, for Lily’s memory, and for his own.
My surgical wound throbbed with each heartbeat, but the pain medication couldn’t dull my resolve. This truth had waited too long already.
< Chapter 169: Victoria Frost is.
“Alpha Stone, listen carefully,” I began, keeping my voice steady despite the medication
clouding my thoughts. “You’ve mistaken the person. Victoria Frost is not-”
+25 Points >
The door burst open with a bang that made everyone in the room jump. The sudden noise sent
a spike of pain through my surgical site.
Victoria Frost wheeled herself in frantically, her Raven–Trimmed Wheelchair skidding on the polished floor. Her hair was disheveled, her face contorted with distress.
“Ethan!” she cried, her face streaked with tears, her scent thick with distress. “Save Emma…
please, save Emma!”
The room instantly filled with the overwhelming scent of maternal panic. Victoria’s wolf
projected distress pheromones so potent that even I, with my limited werewolf senses, felt my
heart rate increase in response.
Her timing couldn’t have been more perfect – or more suspicious. My eyes narrowed as I
watched her performance unfold.
Ethan’s attention immediately shifted to Victoria, his wolf responding instinctively to her
distress call. His amber eyes widened with alarm, all thoughts of my revelation forgotten.
“What happened?” he demanded, already moving toward her, his exhaustion seemingly
forgotten in the face of this new crisis.
Victoria clutched at his arm when he reached her, her fingers digging into his sleeve so hard I
could see the fabric wrinkle. “It’s her kidney,” she sobbed, her voice breaking dramatically. “The
doctors say she’s rejecting the transplant. She’s asking for you, Ethan. She wants to see you.”
I watched Ethan’s face transform with concern. Despite my weakened state, I could see what
was happening–Victoria’s perfectly timed interruption, the convenient emergency just as I
was about to reveal her true identity.
“She keeps calling for you,” Victoria continued, her voice trembling as she looked up at him with wide, tear–filled eyes. “You promised to protect us both, remember? You promised you’d always be there for her.”
She was playing him perfectly, using his protective instincts against him. And it was working.
Ethan’s protective instincts visibly overrode everything else. His wolf rose to the surface, responding to the perceived threat to a pup he considered his own, despite the lack of blood
relation.
“Where is she?” he asked, his voice tight with worry, already half–turning toward the door.
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< Chapter 169 Victoria Frost Is.
+25 Points)
“The Bloodrush Chamber,” Victoria replied, already turning her wheelchair. “Dr. Simon Harper is with her now, but he says it’s critical. We need to hurry!”
Ethan turned to Olivia, conflict evident in his eyes. “I have to go.”
Olivia nodded stiffly, her emerald eyes carefully blank. I could see the pain she was hiding- once again, Victoria and Emma took precedence over everything else.
My daughter’s shoulders slumped slightly, a gesture so small only a mother would notice. How many times had she watched this scene play out? How many times had Victoria pulled Ethan away at crucial moments?
As Ethan moved toward the door with Victoria, I summoned every ounce of strength I had left. This charade had gone on long enough.
A
“Stone!” I called sharply, my voice carrying surprising authority for a non–Alpha wolf. The effort sent pain shooting through my abdomen.
Ethan froze at the doorway, turning back with obvious reluctance. His amber eyes darted between me and Victoria, torn between his concern for my health after critical surgery and Emma’s apparently life–threatening condition.
His wolf growled with frustration, the sound almost audible in the tense silence of the room.
Victoria’s scent shifted subtly. Beneath the manufactured distress, I detected notes of fear–a change only perceptible because I was specifically looking for it.
“This can’t wait, I insisted, struggling to sit up straighter despite the pain lancing through my abdomen. “Emma will be fine for five more minutes.”
“Mom, please,” Olivia whispered, gently pressing me back against the pillows. “You need to rest. Don’t strain yourself.”
I ignored her, keeping my gaze fixed on Ethan. My time might be limited, but this truth needed
to be heard.
“Victoria Frost is not your childhood sweetheart ‘Little Orange‘…”
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