Chapter 266
“What is it?” I asked, signing the last of the previous batch of documents.
“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.”
(Victoria’s POV)
The gentle rocking of the taxi lulled me into a deep sleep. The events at Whispering Pines Lake had left me exhausted but
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Chapter 266
satisfied. Connor Blackthorn was no longer a threat to my plans.
+20 Bonus
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.
