been crying since we got home. She needs her daddy."


    +8 Points >


    Something about her tone grated on my nerves. Or perhaps it was the word "daddy" that now carried such weight after what I had learned about Lily''s mug.


    "I can''te right now," I replied curtly. "Olivia is unwell."


    "But Emma-"


    "I said I can''te," I interrupted, my patience wearing thin. "Handle it, Victoria."


    I ended the call and turned off my phone, returning my attention to Olivia. Her breathing had evened out, the sedative taking effect. I brushed a strand of hair from her face, my touch gentle.


    "I''m sorry," I whispered, though I knew she couldn''t hear me. "For everything."


    (Victoria''s POV)


    I stared at my phone in disbelief as Ethan hung up on me. He had never spoken


    to me that way before, never dismissed me so coldly.


    "What did he say, Mommy?" Emma asked, her eyes still red from crying. "Is Daddying?"


    I forced a smile, though rage boiled inside me. "Daddy is busy right now, sweetheart. He''lle see us soon."


    I turned back to the surveince feed on my tablet, watching as Ethan tenderly


    cared for Olivia in their bedroom at Imperial Gardens. Aaron Mitchell''s


    sophisticated system provided a perfect view of their intimate moment.


    My perfectly manicured nails dug into my palms as I watched Ethan brush Olivia''s hair from


    her face, his expression softer than I had ever seen it.


    "This can''t be happening," I muttered, pacing the room anxiously.


    The illusion I had carefully maintained-that Ethan only truly cared for me and Emma-was


    crumbling before my eyes. The way he looked at her, touched her... it was destroying me.


    "Mommy, I''m hungry," Emma whined, tugging at my dress.


    I whirled around, my patience snapping. "Not now, Emma! Can''t you see I''m busy?"


    Emma''s lower lip trembled, her eyes filling with fresh tears. "But Mommy-"


    "I said not now!" I shouted, my hand connecting with her arm harder than I intended.


    Emma stumbled backward, shock and hurt written across her face. She ran from the room,


    sobbing loudly.


    +8 Points


    I turned back to the surveince feed, too consumed by jealousy to follow her. On the screen, Ethan was still sitting beside Olivia, watching over her as she slept.


    "This isn''t over," I hissed, my fingers already dialing another number. "Not by a long shot."


    (Ethan''s POV)


    After ensuring Olivia was sleeping peacefully, I left Imperial Gardens with a clear purpose in mind. The broken pieces of Lily''s mug haunted me, each shard representing a piece of my daughter''s heart that I had carelessly shattered.


    I drove back to Shadow Creek Artisan Street, parking outside the Howling y Pottery Studio. The lights were still on inside, and I found ra Wilkins cleaning up for the day.


    "Alpha Stone," she said, surprise evident in her voice. "I didn''t expect to see you again tonight."


    "The mug," I said without preamble. "I need to find all the pieces."


    Understanding dawned in her kind eyes. "Of course. The trash receptacle is


    across the street. Poor Lily worked so hard on that mug."


    The disappointment in her voice cut deeper than any usation could have. This elderly she-wolf had shown more care for my daughter than I ever had.


    "I need to fix it," I said, my voice rough with emotion I rarely disyed.


    ra nodded, disappearing into a back room. She returned with a pair of leather gloves.


    "You''ll need these," she said, handing them to me. "There''s broken ceramic in there."


    I took the gloves with a nod of thanks and headed across the street to the public trash receptacle. Without hesitation, I began digging through the garbage, searching for every fragment of Lily''s creation.


    My position as Alpha King was forgotten as I sorted through coffee cups, food wrappers, and other discarded items. My only focus was finding every piece of my daughter''s final gift to me.


    A few passersby recognized me, their shocked expressions registering as they saw the Alpha King of Silvercrest Pack digging through trash. I ignored them, my dignity secondary to my


    mission.


    After nearly an hour of searching, I believed I had recovered all the pieces. I carefully ced them in a box ra had provided, thanking her before returning to my car.


    Back at Imperial Gardens, I checked on Olivia, who was still sleeping soundly under the


    < Chapter 84 Shattered Pieces


    +8 Points


    influence of Dr. Bet''s sedative. Satisfied that she was restingfortably, I took the box


    to my study.


    I emptied the fragments onto my desk, carefully washing each piece to remove any dirt or


    residue.