My heart fluttered.
Could it be? Did the Moon Goddess bless me with a second chance mate?
I looked… different.
I looked away quickly.
But all I felt was chaos. Them? Again?
Mate? I echoed back in disbelief.
I shifted uncomfortably, glancing at Calvin. “Who is that?”
Whatever the night held-I would face it.
My wolf suddenly rose in full force.
A small blush crept to my cheeks. “Thank you.”
I nodded slowly, holding onto his words like an anchor.
I looked up at him, watching the pride in his expression. But as he continued speaking, something stirred inside me. A strange sensation tickled inside me, it was faint at first… then stronger.
Olivia’s POV
The door opened, and there stood Calvin-dressed in a tailored black suit with a red tie that matched my dress. He looked every bit the noble Alpha he was, confident and poised. But when his eyes landed on me, his expression shifted.
“Are you nervous?” he asked gently.
Suddenly, the grand doors creaked open again.
“You look so beautiful, my lady,” the maid standing beside me said with a warm smile.
I stiffened slightly.
Loud and clear inside me. Excited. Anxious. Thrilled.
He squeezed my hand. “Don’t be. You’re stronger than anyone in that room. All you have to do tonight… is be you.”
For a moment, he just stared.
My wolf growled low in my mind, her presence rising sharply.
I tried not to let it get to me, but it was overwhelming. My grip on Calvin’s arm tightened slightly.
My eyes widened slightly.
How was this possible?
They couldn’t be-again?
The second I laid eyes on them, my wolf howled louder.
“Mate.”
Stunning.
“Good evening, everyone,” Calvin began, his voice deep and commanding. “Tonight, you are not just attending another gathering of the supernatural elite. You are here to witness the return of someone precious-.”
I scanned the crowd, trying to pinpoint where the feeling was coming from. My heart thundered, and confusion rushed in. I wanted to be excited-truly, I did-but instead, I felt torn. Terrified. Angry. Pained.
And I froze.
He pulled out the chair for me, and I sat down slowly, smoothing the skirt of my red dress with trembling hands. Calvin stood beside me, raising a hand slightly to draw the attention of the crowd. A hush fell over the room.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
Pain hit my chest. I hadn’t seen them when I went back to the packhouse. Had they been reassigned?
There they were.
I hesitated for a second, then took his arm as I stood. He glanced down at me with a proud smile, but I could see the concern in his eyes too.
Mates!
And then I saw the hall ahead-the pack hall. Grand, tall, and lit up like royalty lived within.
The triplets walked in, dressed sharply, powerfully-heads high, eyes scanning the room.
I remembered what my parents said-how Olivia wasn’t actually Mr. and Mrs. Parker’s biological child. O
Without giving us a chance to respond, he began walking toward a hallway at the side of the ballroom. Olivia didn’t protest-she followed him silently, her head held high, her red dress flowing like fire behind her.
Or maybe… it had never really left.
But her eyes were no longer on us. She acted as if she didn’t know… like her wolf wasn’t screaming that we were her mates… she looked so calm.
She didn’t argue. She sank onto the chaise, crossing her legs and folding her hands in her lap. Her eyes still didn’t meet ours.
But it was.
For a heartbeat, it felt like a dream-some cruel illusion my mind had conjured up to torture me. But she was real. The girl seated on the platform was her.
Now it all made sense.
Levi stared ahead, frozen.
Music began to play, soft and melodic, drifting through the room like a lullaby. The guests began to move, slowly rising from their seats and making their way toward the platform-toward her.
The bond was gone. Broken. Severed. She’d made sure of it.
Like we were strangers. Ghosts.
Calvin stopped in front of a big black door. Two guards stood beside it. He opened the door without saying anything, and we walked into his office.
We exchanged a glance-me, Levi, Louis-and followed.
We’d been rejected.
Why was she here?
Confused, I stepped further into the hall. My brothers stayed close behind, just as lost. as I was. My wolf was howling, frantic, begging me to close the distance-so I did. I kept moving until I stood at the front, so close I could almost reach out and touch her.
Not because I didn’t want her. Goddess, I wanted her. Even after everything… she still owned every broken piece of me.
I opened my mouth to speak-but before I could get a word out, Calvin turned.
“I believe you have questions to ask,” he said coolly, his voice calm but firm. “Because I do too.”
Calvin walked over to the sitting area and looked at Olivia.
Calvin turned to us next, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable.
“It can’t be,” Levi muttered. “It shouldn’t be.”
I blinked, my heart pounding harder.
Really looked.
I felt it-stronger than before. Raw. Real.
Then he looked at us. “You three… follow.”
I blinked.
“No,” I whispered under my breath.
My heart thudded painfully in my chest as my wolf howled again, clawing to get out, to go to her. To fall at her feet. To beg. To make it right.
And we were.
I stumbled slightly, blinking hard.
Olivia?
It was warm and quiet. The walls were filled with books and glowing stones. A family symbol hung above the fireplace. There was a desk and some chairs near a table.
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.