(Connor''s POV)


    +30 Bonus


    Blood trickled from my mouth as Iy on the floor of Victoria''s living room at Rosewood Haven. Every shallow breath sent sharp


    pain through my ribs. The security guard''s heavy boot pressed harder against my chest, making each breath a struggle.


    Seven years ago, I had been framed as the rogue wolf who attacked Victoria Frost. She imed I caused her seven years of


    torment and nightmares.


    Now, seven yearster, she was using me of attempted assault again.


    I knew the bitter truth. This was all a carefully orchestrated setup.


    Victoria stood behind Ethan, clutching his coat around her shoulders with trembling fingers. Her eyes, which had gazed at me


    with false passion just minutes ago, now held nothing but cold calction and triumph.


    "If you want evidence, Ethan will present it at the pack tribunal," Victoria insisted, her eyes gleaming with malice as she yed


    the victim perfectly.


    Hearing Ethan Stone''s name, my stomach twisted with dread. My thoughts immediately went to the trial two years ago when I


    was sentenced for tampering with Olivia''s vehicle.


    I remembered standing in the pack courtroom, watching helplessly as the Alpha


    King''s influence secured my conviction without


    question. No one dared challenge his word.


    I knew what awaited me. The Alpha King''s reach extended throughout every corner of the Northern Territory. His word was


    absolutew. If he wanted me imprisoned in Shadowfall Detention Center, I would be thrown into Cell Block C before nightfall.


    "Please," I pleaded, my voice breaking with desperation. Blood bubbled between my lips as I spoke. "Think about what will happen to Emma if I''m imprisoned. Victoria will continue to abuse our daughter!"


    The words tore from my throat, raw with a father''s anguish. Despite the years of separation, the protective instinct for my pup surged through me like wildfire.


    "She hurts Emma," I continued, spitting blood onto the polished floor of Rosewood Haven. "Ask Dorothy Lawson, the housekeeper. She''s seen the bruises, the needle marks where Victoria injects her with who knows what!"


    Victoria''s face paled slightly at the mention of Dorothy''s name. Her fingers tightened on Ethan''s arm.


    "Emma is my daughter," I said, looking directly into Ethan''s cold amber eyes. "I just want to protect her from that monster


    you''ve been protecting all these years."


    (Victoria''s POV)


    My thoughts raced wildly as I calcted Ethan''s potential reaction to Connor''s usations. If Ethan believed I abused Emma, he


    might question why I redirected Lily''s kidney donor to my daughter.


    +30 Bonus


    That couldn''t happen. Everything would unravel in an instant.


    I forced tears to my eyes, letting them spill down my cheeks in perfect rivulets. "He''s lying!" I cried, my voice trembling with practiced indignation. "Olivia Winters has clearly bribed Dorothy to make these horrible ims against me!"


    I turned to Ethan, clutching his muscr arm with both hands. "She''s trying to destroy us, can''t you see? First she ims Lily died, now this cruel usation! She won''t stop until she''s ruined everything we''ve built!"


    Olivia''s emerald eyes shed with cold fury across the room. Without a word, she pulled out her phone and yed a recording that made my blood freeze.


    Dorothy Lawson''s unmistakable voice filled the room: "I''ve seen the bruises on Emma''s arms, the needle marks that appear after she''s been alone with her mother. Victoria locks her in the Rosewood Haven Servants'' Quarters for hours when she misbehaves. Once, she made Emma stand barefoot in the snow as punishment until the poor child''s feet were blue."


    My heart pounded against my ribs like a trapped animal. How had Olivia gotten this recording? Dorothy had seemed so loyal!


    Before I could speak, Olivia yed a video that made my stomach drop. The footage clearly showed me dragging Emma outside to the Rosewood Haven Recreation Area duringst winter''s heaviest snowfall.


    Snow covered the ground in thick white nkets. The video captured me forcing Emma to remove her shoes and stand barefoot in the freezing snow while I berated her for spilling juice on my favorite dress.


    Emma''s small face was contorted with pain and fear as she begged me to let here inside. The video captured my cold refusal, my threat to leave her there all night if she didn''t stop her pathetic crying.