And then-I gasped.
The garden was full of people.
And inside…
Whose lifeless form were they lowering into the ground while crying over me?
“You can kill my parents like you planned. I won’t stop you. But I’ll expose everything. I’ll make sure your enemies know I’m not Rebecca. And Sofia? She’ll be dead within hours. So go ahead. We both lose.”
Because lying inside was a headless body-a body that looked exactly like mine.
One of my favorite songs. Hero by Mariah Carey (2)
My breath hitched.
I stepped in front of him and blocked the door. “No, Alpha Damien. I deserve to know,” I said, my voice trembling with anger. “You told me my mother killed Alpha Gabriel’s mother and refused to explain. Now everyone is down there mourning and laying to rest someone who’s not me-and you still won’t tell me who she is?”
I blinked.
My feet moved on their own.
My body swayed, my vision blurring.
Everything inside me stopped moving.
I froze.
Faint.
My heart shattered.
And louder still when I stepped outside the mansion.
I hated that.
Why… why was it playing?
I paced the floor, back and forth, my heart thundering in my chest. My mind kept returning to the conversation we had earlier.
“Easy, dear,” came the deep, calming voice of Alpha Damien.
There, inside the casket, lay a body.
So I raised my voice. “I want the truth!” h
“The person in that casket,” he whispered, “was the real Rebecca. The one who died in your place.”
And goodness-
He guided me away from the casket and back to the main mansion.
“You’re not going anywhere,” I said. “Not until you tell me who that girl in the casket is.”
The hair.
Loud.
The silence was sharp. Deadly.
I couldn’t speak.
And the question that haunted me most-whose body were they burying?
“Fine.”
A glass casket.
No. Not this time.
I didn’t want to see it.
It grew louder as I reached the hallway, then the stairs.
Then suddenly I heard it.
As I neared the casket, my gaze fell on the triplets.
Floating through the air.
How is this possible?
Who was this man? How could he manipulate reality so perfectly-down to the last detail?
For hours, I remained locked in my room while my so-called funeral rites were taking place outside. This time, I couldn’t bring myself to watch.
To them, I was dead.
I stumbled backward, dizzy, bile rising in my throat. t
Pack members moved slowly, each taking turns to bow, whisper farewells, or leave a single white rose on the stone steps leading up to the coffin.
I opened my mouth to respond, but he didn’t give me the chance.
“Being dead to them,” he continued bitterly, “is the only thing keeping you alive. You should be grateful, Olivia. You’re safe. You’re breathing. And you get to keep your heart beating because of me.”
Something tugged at my chest. I knew this girl. I’d laughed with her, danced with her, trusted her. She was my best friend.
“And what makes you think I killed her?” he asked coldly.
“Hi,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
He scoffed, the anger in him growing deeper. “You should be on your knees thanking me.”
As I reached the stairs, I slowed down, hearing voices.
I didn’t answer.
But Levi didn’t say anything more.
He just turned and walked off, his shoulders rigid.
Then he stepped back and reached for the door again.
He stepped closer, his voice sharp with anger now. “What do you take me for, Olivia? A monster? A heartless man who slaughters innocent girls for convenience? Is that how you see me?” (2
Loud sobs came out of her as she started to cry harder.
Anita nodded slowly, biting her lip. “I understand,” she whispered.
I sat across from her, unsure of how much I could ask without giving myself away. But my curiosity, my pain-it got the better of me.
Shocked, I went over to the bed and sat on the edge… What did he mean? Who else wanted me dead? Why? What the hell was going on?
The funeral must’ve ended hours ago.
Still half-asleep, I stood and padded toward the door, needing something-anything- to drink.
And facing her-was Levi.
“You okay?” I asked carefully.
There was no way I was letting him leave. Not until I had answers. I couldn’t keep living in the dark.
Alpha Damien’s eyes darkened. An irritated frown settled over his expression.
“Hey,” I said, standing a few feet away.
So I forced a smile and walked over to her.
Staring at her now, I could tell everything was taking its toll on her… the vibrant Anita I once knew seemed to be fading more and more each day.
My heart skipped a beat.
When Anita heard my footsteps, she looked up and stared at me blankly… she believed I was really Rebecca.
“I heard…” I began slowly, testing the waters. “I heard that Olivia-the one who died- was your best friend.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.