This attention.
There was a quiet beat before he answered again.
This was her.
I’d seen it before.
Calvin pushed it open gently, and the scent of herbs and age washed over us as we stepped inside.
She nodded. “He’s waiting in the living room.”
“It’s alright,” I said politely. “Alphas are usually busy.”
Seeing her… our mother… had shifted something deep inside me. She was real. She was here. And now I understood why Calvin carried so much weight in his heart.
I nodded, giving him a small smile. “Okay.”
The room was quiet. Too quiet.
The door creaked open, and Calvin stepped in with a warm smile spreading across his face the moment his eyes met mine. I was starting to get used to that smile-the way it lit up like just seeing me made his whole day better.
All night, I’d tossed and turned, thoughts of the triplets haunting my mind. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake them off. Their faces, their voices, their touch… it was like a ghost that wouldn’t leave.
“You’re my only hope, Olivia,” he added. “But not now. Please. Finish your training first.”
The moment I stepped inside, I let out a tired sigh.
I sighed. Calvin had told me to get used to this.
My voice trembled through the mind link.
He chuckled. “Please-just Joel. No need for titles.”
I returned to my room, my thoughts heavy.
A tall man stood near the window, hands in his pockets. He turned when he heard me enter.
It was old, carved with strange symbols I couldn’t read.
He smiled politely and stepped forward.
“Lady Olivia,” she said with a small bow, “Alpha Joel of the Stone Pack is here to see you.”
These constant meetings with Alphas and strangers, all expecting something from me just because I was “special.”
I raised a brow slightly but kept my tone neutral. “I’ll think about it.”
Olivia’s POV
“She’s not dead,” he continued. “She’s in a spiritual coma. Has been like this for the past ten years.”
“Prepare a two-year trip for both of them,” I said flatly. “They leave tomorrow morning “I only hope that one day, the three of you find it in your hearts to forgive me…” 3 He didn’t wait for our response. With quiet dignity, he turned and left the room.
He still didn’t flinch: Not a word. Not a plea. It was obvious he was expecting this.
A knock echoed through the study, and I instantly knew it was Damien. He didn’t wait for us to let him in-he opened the door and stepped inside.
Levi and Louis rose beside me, and together, we exited the now chaotic hall.
She sat silently among the front rows, her head lowered, her shoulders trembling. Tears rolled freely down her cheeks. She wasn’t supposed to be here, but she had begged to stay for her father’s trial. ??/p>
Louis leaned forward. “What kind of plan?”
Louis leaned back, his arms crossed tightly. “I miss her,” he muttered, almost under his breath. “I wish she was here.”
I glared at him as he entered, but he didn’t seem bothered by it. Rather, he began speaking.
The guards nodded and bowed.
Back at the mansion, we entered the sitting room to find our parents waiting.
“To think,” Louis finished.
“These past three years I haven’t been myself… I made decisions I regret now, and I wish I could turn back the hands of time and undo them, but I can’t…”
His lips curled into a half-smirk.
When the questioning ended, all eyes turned to me.
I took a deep breath and glared at him.
“I have an idea,” he said.
I stood, my eyes darting around the room.
Before we could even process his words, a guard entered and bowed respectfully. “Alphas, the trial has begun.”
I turned to Dustin, who stood quietly behind us, waiting for instruction.
I nodded and exchanged glances with my brothers. Together, we rose to our feet and made our way to the pack hall.
“Make sure the verdict is carried out today.”
Anita’s father said nothing. He simply stared ahead, like the words meant nothing to him.
I missed her too.
“They’re to reflect,” Levi added.
Anita buried her face in her hands, her sobs breaking the silence.
The trial began immediately.
“Stop,” I cut her off.
It was time.
She swallowed hard, clearly trying to keep herself together.
I glanced at him, and the words hit me.
“I want the journey mapped. No contact with this pack, no contact with us.”
“I know being sorry won’t make up for all the terrible things I did to you three, but I just want you to know that I’m truly sorry…” He paused, inhaling deeply.
Dustin gave a sharp nod and turned to leave.
“No,” I said, finally looking her in the eyes. “You were. But mothers protect their children. They don’t destroy them from the inside.” 3
It didn’t erase what she meant to me.
We left the sitting room without another glance at our parents. None of us spoke as we made our way upstairs, each lost in our own thoughts.
The moment we stepped into the hall, every person present rose to their feet and bowed their heads respectfully.
She froze.
“Did you send the maids to Olivia?” he asked.
Then Levi sat up straighter, his eyes lighting up with something mischievous.
She flinched, like the words physically struck her.
Father stood stiffly near the fireplace, while Mother rose from one of the couches the moment she saw us.
Anita’s father was brought forward, shackled in chains and brought in by warriors. He looked older than I remembered. Just one day in the dungeon, and he looked like a shadow of himself.
“I was scared,” she whispered. “I thought I was doing what was best-“
Levi crossed his arms. “Do you have any idea what we’ve been through because of your lies?”
T
“After careful deliberation and overwhelming evidence, this council finds you guilty on all counts.”
Father still said nothing. He just stared at the floor.
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.