His wolf rose protectively beneath his skin, treating me with the care one would show a pack sister, Reluctantly, I agreed, my body finally acknowledging its exhaustion.


    I couldn''t sleep deeply in the adjacent recovery room, my wolf too alert to allow proper rest. Every sound from the hallway had me tensing, ready to rush back to my mother''s side.


    Around noon, amotion from my mother''s room jolted me fully awake. I heard James''s voice calling for the doctor, his quick reflexes testament to his rogue wolf training.


    My heart pounding, I rushed out of the rest room. My mother''s eyes were open, her gaze confused but alert.


    "Mom!" I cried, rushing to her side and taking her hand.


    Dr. Fletcher arrived momentster, his face showing the professional calm of a seasoned healer. He examined my mother thoroughly while I anxiously waited, my emerald eyes never leaving her face.


    "She''s stable and out of danger," he finally announced, unable topletely hide his satisfaction at the sessful oue. "The surgery went better than expected."


    Relief washed over me again, fresh tears springing to my eyes. My wolf howled with joy inside me, celebrating our mother''s


    survival.


    (Victoria''s POV)


    "What do you mean the surgery was sessful?" I hissed into the phone, my fingers tightening around it until my knuckles


    turned white.


    Sarah''s voice came through quietly, careful not to be overheard by the werewolves in the room. "Mrs. Winters is awake


    stable. Dr. Fletcher says she''s out of danger."


    My wolf snarled with frustration beneath my skin. This was not the news I had been hoping for.


    I ended the call and threw the phone onto my bed, my chest tight with panic. Evelyn Winters was supposed to die in that


    operating room. That had been the n.


    and


    My identity amulet was missing lost during our confrontation in the hospital stairwell. And worse, Evelyn had recognized it.


    She knew exactly who I was.


    I wheeled myself anxiously around my bedroom at Rosewood Haven, my paralyzed legs useless but my mind racing with


    dangerous possibilities. If Evelyn told Olivia or Ethan what she knew about me....


    I tried calling Ethan again, but his phone was still off. This was the tenth time I''d tried to reach him sincest night.


    Where was he? Why wasn''t he answering? He never ignored my calls, not even when he was with Olivia.


    ? Jo Bonus


    Fear wed at my throat. Everything I had built over the years my position with Ethan, my daughter''s future, my revenge


    against Olivia - all of it was in jeopardy because of one old woman who refused to die.


    My wolf paced restlessly beneath my skin, agitated by the threat Evelyn posed. I needed to act quickly before she could expose me.


    But how? The medical den would be watching her closely after such a major surgery. And Olivia would be glued to her side.


    I needed to find another way to silence Evelyn Winters before she could destroy everything.


    (Evelyn''s POV)


    The pain was distant, dulled by medication, but consciousness brought rity to my thoughts. I remembered everything the


    stairwell, Victoria Frost, the jade pendant that confirmed her true identity.


    I held Olivia''s hand with surprising strength for someone who had just undergone major surgery. My daughter''s face was drawn with exhaustion, dark circles under her beautiful emerald eyes.


    "We need to talk," I said, my voice raspy from the breathing tube.


    Olivia shook her head, her wolf concerned about overtaxing my limited energy. "Later, Mom. You need to rest."


    "Now," I insisted with the stubborn determination that had helped me survive years of searching for my daughter. Some things


    couldn''t wait


    Olivia sighed, recognizing my resolve. She turned to Sarah, who was hovering nearby. "Could you get us some breakfast, please?"


    It was a transparent dismissal, but the care aide nodded and left the room. Now alone with Olivia and James, I could speak freely.


    "Victoria Frost," I began, watching my daughter''s face carefully. "Ethan treats her specially because she''s his childhood sweetheart, isn''t she?"


    Olivia''s expression tightened with pain. "Yes. He searched for her for years after she disappeared. When he finally found her


    again, he trusted herpletely."


    Her voice was bitter with the pain of years of rejection. "He''s always favored her over me. Over Lily."


    My suspicions confirmed, anger burned through me despite my weakened state. Victoria''s deception was even more sinister than


    I had imagined.


    My eyes shed with lupine intensity as I gathered my strength. "I need to see Ethan. Immediately."


    "Mom, you just had surgery-"


    "This can''t wait," I interrupted, my tone brooking no argument. "Please, Olivia. It''s important."


    James, sensing the urgency in my voice, stood up. "I''ll get him. He''s resting in the ward across the hall."