"Child,” I said, reaching for her hand. "You mustn''t me 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."


    < Chapter 106 A Death and a D


    She hesitated, reluctant to leave my side. "Are you sure?"


    I nodded, feeling fatigue settle into my bones. "I need to sleep, child. We''ll


    continue this


    discussionter."


    +15 Points


    After Olivia departed, I closed my eyes, allowing my body to rx into the hospital bed. Sleep


    came quickly, pulling me into its depths.


    I don''t know how long I slept before a slight noise woke me. Through half-lidded eyes, I


    observed a figure in medical scrubs enter my room. The face was obscured, but the


    movements were purposeful as the figure approached my IV.


    My instincts, honed through decades as pack matriarch, screamed danger. I remained motionless, feigning sleep as the figure injected something into my IV drip. The clear liquid


    turned subtly darker.


    The intruder departed as silently as they hade, leaving me alone with the contaminated


    medication flowing into my veins.


    Margaret Shepherd entered momentster, her kind face creased with concern as she


    checked my vital signs. Her nose twitched, catching an unfamiliar scent.


    "Is everything alright, Matriarch?" she asked, examining my IV with suspicion.


    I considered telling her about the intruder but decided against it. If Victoria was behind this, as


    I suspected, I needed to handle the situation carefully.


    "Everything is fine, Margaret,” I assured her. “Just an old woman''s restless sleep."


    She didn''t look convinced but nodded respectfully. "Call if you need anything."


    After she left, Iy awake, my mind consumed by thoughts of Victoria and Lily''s death. The


    evidence I''d gathered over the past months pointed clearly to Victoria''s involvement in


    redirecting Lily''s kidney donor to Emma.


    I needed to act quickly before Victoria could cause more harm to my family. With


    determination born of decades of leadership, I made my decision.


    When Bernard Sheppard arrived to check on me, I dismissed him with a firmmand. "I


    need some time alone, Bernard."


    His bushy eyebrows rose in surprise. "Matriarch, after this morning''s events, I don''t think-"


    "That was not a request," I interrupted, my voice carrying the authority that had led the Silvercrest Pack through countless challenges.


    +15 Points >


    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 exnation. As we approached the elegant property, I issued my


    "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.


    Momentster, 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


    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, bothforted and tormented me.


    "I''m sorry, baby," I whispered, tracing her face through the ss. "I lost control today. I


    shouldn''t have fought at your grave."


    The confrontation at the cemetery reyed 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 shed on the screen.


    "Mr. Sheppard," I answered, surprised by thete call.


    His usuallyposed 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."