Chapter 345
Together, they prepared to return to the Silvercrest Pack Medical Den, prioritizing Evelyn’s fragile health over the personal grievances that still hung in the air between us.
I chose to remain behind. There were matters even more pressing that required my immediate attention. My wolf paced anxiously beneath my skin, urging me to act while I still had Victoria cornered.
I watched the vehicle depart, carrying away the three people who had every right to hate me. The weight of their justified anger pressed down on my shoulders like a physical burden.
When I turned back to Victoria, I found hope flickering in her tear–streaked eyes. The moment she realized she was alone with
me, her wolf cautiously rose to the surface again.
I crouched down beside her, and immediately she tried to throw herself into my arms–a desperate, last–ditch attempt to rekindle whatever she thought we had.
My hand shot out, grabbing her by the throat before she could touch me. My grip was like iron, my Alpha strength unmistakable
as I pinned her in place.
Panic and pain stretched her eyes wide as she gasped for breath. Her manicured nails clawed at my hands, leaving red scratches that healed almost instantly.
“Eth…an…” she choked out, her voice breaking. “Let go…I can’t…breathe…”
Her wolf thrashed in panic, desperately trying to project submission pheromones. The scent was sour with fear.
She went limp in my grasp, trying to show weakness, hoping I’d relent. But my expression remained unmoved, my grasp only tightening as I leaned closer.
“Victoria Frost,” I demanded, my voice deadly quiet, “tell me–were you the one who killed Lily and tried to kill Matriarch Evelyn on purpose?”
My wolf’s growl rumbled deep in my chest, the sound promising violence if her answer displeased me. The question had been
gnawing at me since the truth about Little Orange was revealed.
Stripped of the ‘Little Orange‘ illusion, doubt had crept in. Could all the warnings Olivia had given me be true? Was Victoria responsible for Lily’s death? For Matriarch Evelyn’s condition?
I waited, hoping her will might crack under the threat of death. My wolf’s senses heightened, ready to detect any deception in her
scent.
But Victoria, though her face was turning blue and her strength ebbing, refused to confess. Even at the edge of consciousness, her survival instinct remained strong.
She knew that admitting guilt meant certain death at the hands of an enraged Alpha. But as long as she denied it, I had no
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Chapter 345
definitive evidence and couldn’t destroy her without violating pack law.
+15 Bonus
She clung to this logic with all her might, enduring even as her vision blurred and her mind began to cloud from lack of oxygen.
Her wolf retreated deep within to preserve what little energy remained.
My rage intensified with each passing second. My amber eyes glowed with Alpha power, the wolf within me demanding
retribution for all she had taken from me.
But before I went too far–before I crossed a line I couldn’t return from–I released her. Victoria collapsed to the ground,
coughing and gulping air, inwardly relieved that she had survived this round.
I stood over her, my voice glacial as I delivered my final warning. “You’d better be telling the truth. If I find out you did it, you’ll
wish you’d never been born.”
My wolf bared its teeth in a silent promise of retribution. The weight of my threat would have crushed most wolves, sending them
into submissive displays of terror.
But Victoria, desperate to prove her innocence, met my gaze unflinchingly. Her wolf gathered what little courage remained to
stand her ground against my accusations.
Realizing no confession would come–at least not now–I picked up the ruined Blackthorn’s Damning Recording from the
ground and turned away. The evidence was destroyed, but my determination to uncover the truth remained intact.
“Ethan, wait!” Victoria tried to call after me, her voice still raw from my grip.
I didn’t look back. My wolf refused to acknowledge her existence any longer. She was nothing to me now–less than nothing.
Before leaving the parking lot, I made a call to the Northern Territory Enforcers. Though the evidence against Victoria was thin, I had enough influence as Alpha King to ensure she would be detained for at least 48 hours while I investigated further.
After the enforcers arrived and took Victoria away, I headed toward the Silvercrest Pack Medical Den. My wolf’s thoughts were consumed by the true mate I had wronged for so long–and the daughter whose death I had failed to prevent.
