"Child,â I said, reaching for her hand. "You mustn't blame yourself."
Her fingers trembled in mine. "I lost control, Grandmother. I could have killed her."
"Victoria Frost deserved worse than she received," I replied firmly. "What she did to Lily-"
"But I shouldn't have acted that way," Olivia interrupted, her voice breaking. "Not at Lily's grave.
It was disrespectful to her memory."
I squeezed her hand gently. "Lily would understand a mother's rage. Now go, get some rest. I'll
be fine."
3/6
He bowed reluctantly and departed, leaving me with only the Shadow Guard- wolves whose loyalty to me was absolute.
Against Margaret's advice, I rose from the bed, disconnecting the IV with steady hands. "Prepare the car," I instructed the Shadow Guard. "We're going to Rosewood Haven."
The drive to Victoria's residence was silent, my guards understanding the gravity of our
mission without needing explanation. As we approached the elegant property, I issued my
command.
"Bring that woman to me."
The Shadow Guard moved with military precision, surrounding the house before forcing their way inside. Dorothy Lawson's protests echoed from within, followed by Emma's frightened
cries.
Moments later, they emerged with Victoria, her face bandaged from her earlier injury. She struggled violently against their grip, her designer clothes contrasting sharply with the brutality of the situation.
"You can't do this!" she screamed, her blue eyes wide with genuine fear. "I'm under Alpha King
Ethan's protection!"
The Shadow Guard remained impassive, their faces masks of cold determination as they
dragged her toward the waiting vehicle. Emma clung desperately to her mother's legs until one of the guards gently but firmly separated them.
Dorothy reached for her phone, but a guard crushed it beneath his boot before she could
complete the call to Ethan.
Victoria's struggles intensified as they forced her into the car beside me. "You crazy old
woman! Ethan will destroy you for this!"
I regarded her coldly, seeing beyond her beautiful face to the darkness beneath. "You killed my great-granddaughter. Justice will be served."
(Olivia's POV)
I sat in my cottage at Maple Grove, staring at Lily's Memorial Portrait. Her sweet smile, frozen
in time, both comforted and tormented me.
"I'm sorry, baby," I whispered, tracing her face through the glass. "I lost control today. I
shouldn't have fought at your grave."
The confrontation at the cemetery replayed in my mind-Victoria's smug face, Ethan's defense
+15 Points >
of her, the satisfying thud as my foot connected with Victoria's chest. I shouldn't have taken pleasure in her pain, but I couldn't deny the momentary satisfaction it had brought.
My phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. Bernard Sheppard's name flashed on the screen.
"Mr. Sheppard," I answered, surprised by the late call.
His usually composed voice broke with emotion. "Luna Winters," he said, using
my formal title for perhaps the first time since my estrangement from Ethan. "I regret to inform you that Matriarch Evelyn Stone has passed away."