Levi finally spoke, softer now.
“But what if she really is gone?”
I froze.
The air seemed to thicken.
Levi’s voice cracked slightly.
“What if the Moon Goddess is trying to give us… someone to help us move on?”
I looked at both of them, my chest heaving.
“No one can replace her,” I said bitterly. “No one.”
Louis nodded in agreement. “And why would the Moon Goddess give us a second chance this early? It’s supposed to take months-years-before we’d even be offered a second chance mate if we were lucky. So why now?”
I shook my head again, stepping toward the window and staring out.
“I don’t know what she is… or why I felt that way, but hell no, she can’t be our second chance mate. Why would the Moon Goddess mate us with our uncle’s wife? Why would she do that?”
Neither of my brothers responded.
Instead, a tense silence filled the air.
I sucked in a deep breath and reached out to my wolf, who had clearly been awakened by that woman’s arrival.
“What do you think? What do you feel?” I asked.
My wolf was silent, like he didn’t want to respond-but he eventually did.
“I feel a strong connection with her… I can’t feel her wolf, but there is something about her…” he paused for a few seconds, then continued.
“I think Louis is right… she might be our second chance mate.” 4
Olivia POVD
Inside the room I would be sharing with Alpha Damien, I went over and sat on the couch. My heart hadn’t stopped racing since I saw them. Lennox. Levi. Louis.
It took everything in me not to run into their arms, to scream that it was me-that I wasn’t dead. That their Olivia was standing right in front of them. That I was here.
Alive.
But I didn’t.
Maybe I was a coward.
Maybe I was just… too scared.
They looked broken. Shattered. The weight of my supposed death was clearly taking a toll on them, and it crushed me.
Across the room, Alpha Damien walked in and sat on the bed directly in front of me. I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn’t look at him. I didn’t want to. I hated this man- hated him with every ounce of breath I had left. (5)
And God help me, if someone handed me a knife right now, I wouldn’t hesitate to drive it straight into his chest.
“Impressive,” he said casually. “What you did down there. Keep it up. We’ll be leaving soon.”
I finally looked up at him, my eyes cold, blank-but full of hate.
He frowned. “Why are you acting like I’m the devil?” he muttered, clearly annoyed. “I practically saved your life. If it weren’t for me, your head would’ve been rolling on the floor.”
I met his eyes without flinching. “You didn’t save my life, Damien,” I said, voice steady. “You just gave me another kind of death.”
His face darkened.
I expected him to lash out, but instead, he simply got to his feet and turned away, walking out without a single word.
The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me alone.
And finally-1 exhaled.
I clutched at my chest, the ache inside me growing deeper with each passing second. What was I doing? What was I still waiting for?
Tell them, my mind screamed.
They needed to know. I couldn’t keep this up.
I stood abruptly and stormed to the door. I have to tell them. I don’t care what happens. They have to know I’m alive.
I stepped into the hallway, my heart pounding, feet moving fast as I searched desperately for them.
But before I could go far, I heard footsteps.
Two figures appeared at the end of the hall.
Lady Fiona and an obviously pregnant Anita.
They both smiled as they approached, and I quickly lowered my head, trying to compose myself.
“There you are,” Lady Fiona said warmly. “We were actually coming to see you.”
I froze in place, forcing a smile that didn’t reach my eyes.
“This is my would-be daughter-in-law, Anita,” she cont?nued proudly, motioning to Anita beside her. “She’s pregnant-with the triplets’ children.”
My heart stopped.
Would-be daughter-in-law?
Lady Fiona kept smiling. “The men are still mourning Olivia right now, poor things. But once the funeral is done, they’ll need to move forward. They’ll make Anita their Luna… and their mate.”
I felt like the floor had just vanished under my feet. My vision swam.
+5
Anita gave me a small smile, rubbing her stomach gently, clearly pleased with herself. “Finally I will be officially theirs,” she said softly, brushing widely.
No.
This couldn’t be happening.
I opened my mouth to say something-anything-but another voice cut through the air.
A voice I now hated.
“Rebecca,” Damien called, suddenly appearing behind me. His expression was unreadable, but his voice left no room for argument. “Come with me. Now.”
I turned, helpless.
And without a choice, I followed him.
He led me back into the room and turned to face me, thrusting a phone into my hands. “Watch this,” he ordered.
I furrowed my brow as I took the phone from him. And immediately, when my eyes saw what was on the screen, I gasped. On the screen was Sofia. I knew it was she… She looked just like the photo-so much like me. But why was she tied to a chair, her lips sealed shut with tape? My stomach twisted painfully as I stared at her on the small screen.
Damien’s voice cut through my shock. “Two days ago, I received this,” he said, his tone surprisingly calm for the kind of situation. “It came from one of the men running the title race. I don’t know who exactly-yet. But they found Sofia. They kidnapped her.”
I tore my eyes away from the video, glaring at him. “How did they find her? You’ve been looking for her for years-“
“I know,” he snapped, pacing in front of me. “I searched everywhere and found nothing. But they found her-so easily. And now they’re using her to get to me. They told me to step down or they’ll kill her.”
My throat went dry. “Then step down, Damien!” I hissed. “For God’s sake, just step down and save her life!”
Damien shook his head, pacing slowly as he spoke. “Of course, I considered that. But
I’ve been in this game long enough to know men like that don’t stop. Even if I stepped down, they’d keep her. Use her. Maybe even kill her just to send a message.”
His jaw clenched as he continued. “I’ve searched for her for years, Olivia. Years. And I never found her. Now suddenly, they find her so easily? It’s too calculated. So I responded to them.”
I frowned. “What do you mean you responded?”
He sighed. “I told them I don’t care about Sofia. That I’m married now-that I love my wife.” His eyes locked onto mine, unblinking. “You.”
My mouth fell open. “You what?”
He stepped closer, voice low and urgent. “They’re watching, Olivia. Or Rebecca, or whatever the hell you want to be called now. They’re watching me-us. If they believe I don’t care about Sofia, that she’s of no importance to me anymore, they might let her go.”
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.