The seer didn’t raise her head.
The moment her gaze found me-she froze. Then, to my complete shock… she dropped to her knees. Her head bowed low to the ground.
I stared at him, my heart racing. How could I explain this? How could I tell him I had seen this woman without ever meeting her in real life?
The Seer turned to me, her voice tender. “Lie back, child. Close your eyes.”
Then I heard it. Alpha Calvin’s sharp gasp.
“My face… my voice…” I looked down at my hands. “They were changed.”
I looked into his eyes… and for some reason, I trusted him.
I blink at him in shock. “Alpha Gabriel’s pack?”
“This,” I whispered, “was placed on me by Alpha Damien.”
“This… is me,” I whispered. My voice-my real voice-echoed back at me.
I stared at her, my entire body going still. “What…?”
I slowly lifted my eyes to Alpha Calvin, who had been watching me with furrowed brows, clearly puzzled by my reaction.
He didn’t flinch. Just nodded. “Go on.”
I slowly sat up, legs shaky, and stepped toward the tall dressing mirror that stood by the wall. My breath caught the moment I saw her. Me. The real me. Long dark lashes, eyes. strong cheekbones, pale skin, and my familiar sea-blue
“Who is it?” he barked.
The Seer nodded solemnly.
“What… what is she talking about?” he demanded, voice trembling.
I wanted to lie. But I couldn’t. Not anymore. I hesitated… then slowly nodded. “Yes…” I couldn’t believe it. I kept staring at the familiar face in the photo, my fingers trembling as I held it. My eyes widened, my throat tightening. That face… I had seen it before. Too many times. In my dreams. On the rooftop. In the car when I was being taken by Alpha Damien. That same serene face that always brought a strange calm… and yet left me full of questions. The same woman I… resembled.
The Seer spoke, “Open your eyes.”
My breath caught. Alpha Calvin turned to her sharply. “What did you just say?” “But… but she’s human!” he argued, gesturing toward me. “She looks nothing like-“
I took a breath, my voice trembling as I continued. “He used it to suppress my wolf. And my appearance… it’s not mine. It was changed too.”
Olivia’s POV
Calvin’s eyes darted from me to the bracelet, disbelief written all over his face. “Changed? Your face-?”
“I have to tell you something,” I whispered.
“I said…” she repeated softly, reverently-“Welcome home.”
He blinked. “What do you mean?”
The Seer slowly lifted her head and stood up casily despite her old age. She took a step- closer and said gently, “Your parents… are not Mr. and Mrs. Parker.”
I did. And the moment I saw Calvin’s face-his tear-filled, stunned expression-I knew. I could feel it too. My face was different. My real face was back. D
I stood frozen for a second. Then slowly, I wrapped my arms around him. And for the first time in a long, long time… I felt like I wasn’t alone anymore.
He answered immediately. “The Forest Shadow Pack.”
I looked at Calvin again. His expression had turned unreadable-like his entire world had tilted on its axis. He was still in shock.
I swallowed hard. My lips parted, but no sound came. Then, I forced out a question.
“The pack you went to war with… the one that betrayed your mother. What was it called?”
But the door opened before he could say anything more. An old woman stepped inside, cloaked in a deep purple robe with silver hair braided down her back. Her eyes were milky but sharp as steel, glowing faintly with the power of vision.
I looked down at my wrist, at the bracelet, and then slowly, I held it up. Alpha Calvin glanced at me, his mouth slightly open, eyes wide with shock.
Memories rushed in. Alpha Gabriel telling me I was paying for the sins of my mother. Alpha Damien saying my mother had murdered Gabriel’s mother. Everything started clicking together, puzzle pieces that had never made sense now locking into place. He stared at me, completely thrown off. “Changed? By whom? Why-“
“Goddess…” he breathed, his voice cracking.
He blinked. “Then what-?”
“Yes,” I said quietly. “My wolf is still inside me. Trapped. Buried. I feel her sometimes… clawing to be free.”
Alpha Calvin’s breath hitched. “Wait,” he said, his voice rising slightly, “are you saying… she’s my sister?”
A heavy silence fell. My hands clenched at my sides, my anger rising.
With my heart racing, I stared at the body, wondering why Rebecca’s head was here. I knew nobody had opened this grave-it was scaled-so how? I exchanged bewildered glances with my brothers. They looked just as lost as I felt, but one thing was clear: this was not Olivia. But how did Rebecca’s head appear here?
She was Olivia.
The seer looked up, guilt written all over her face.
We all turned to him sharply. “What? What is it?” Louis asked.
“No… fucking way…” Dustin whispered, stumbling a step back.
Louis’s eyes widened slightly. Levi looked up, face pale. Silence.
“We need to watch him. Closely. Every step. Every move. If Olivia is alive-since she was never the one in that grave-then Damien’s the key to finding out where she is.”
“What does this even mean?” Louis asked quietly.
And then-
“I’m sure of it,” I said. “Too many things don’t add up. We never heard of Rebecca until he brought her here, claiming she was his wife. Did you notice how unbothered he’s been about her missing?”
I took a good look at the body again, and now, just staring at it, I realized my wolf was silent. He wasn’t mourning like he did.
“Explain?” Levi snapped. “You said that body was Olivia’s! You confirmed it yourself. You made us believe she was dead.”
Both my brothers nodded, and we all went silent.
“No,” I cut in. “We don’t trust you anymore.”
“But my son-” she pleaded.
One last glance at the decaying body, then I turned to the guards. “Take the body back
C to the mortuary.” With that, I walked away, my brothers at my sides.
Confused and growing uneasy, Levi, Louis, and I stepped forward. The guards lifted their flashlights, angling the beams downward. The light hit the inside of the coffin. And everything inside me froze.
I stood up slowly. “You better have something to explain,” I said coldly.
Louis stared at her in disbelief. “Who did this? Who forced you?”
“You what?”
“Go get the seer,” I ordered. Dustin nodded and left.
I exhaled shakily, gripping the edge of the table.
I stood from my chair, my jaw clenched.
“There’s only one person who might know,” I said firmly.
My brothers both nodded in agreement.
“We caught her trying to run away,” Dustin said. I narrowed my eyes. Louis folded his arms, his glare sharp. Levi stayed silent, his jaw tight.
“This doesn’t make sense… Rebecca was kidnapped, and now her head’s in the grave we buried Olivia in? The same head we thought belonged to Olivia? Even the blonde hair was gone-replaced with dark hair,” Levi said, confused.
Her knees gave way, and she dropped to the floor.
Back in our study, I turned to face them. They looked just as dumbfounded and confused as me.
We all froze as realization dawned. Our eyes locked on each other. The same thought hit us at once. The Rebecca we met… the one we kissed… the one we felt connected to…
“Gods…” I breathed, staring.
“I-I can explain!”
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.