Chapter 229
Posted on July 09, 2025 ยท 0 mins read
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Still In Doubt

Louis's POV

Silence.

Heavy. Suffocating. Endless silence.

The kind that presses down on your chest and makes it nearly impossible to breathe.

I glanced around the room at my brothers. They were both hereโ€ฆ but barely.

Lennox sat slumped on the couch, eyes blank, staring into nothing. His hands rested uselessly in his lap, his expression hollow, as if life had been drained from him.

Levi was lying on the bed, his eyes locked on the ceiling. He hadnโ€™t spoken much todayโ€ฆ or yesterday.

And me?

I sat on the floor, my back against the wall, knees up, head resting on my arm. Justโ€ฆ blanking out.

It had been three days.

Three days since we found Oliviaโ€™s body.

Three days since our world shattered.

We had no clue who did it. We sent trackers everywhere, across all borders, hoping for somethingโ€”anythingโ€”that could lead us to the one responsible.

But everything came back empty.

Whoever did thisโ€ฆ was good. Smart. Careful.

Clean.

And no matter how much pain we were in, we were still struggling with one thingโ€”we didnโ€™t believe it.

That bodyโ€ฆ headless, lifelessโ€ฆ

Could that really be Olivia?

Especially Lennox.

One moment he would be mourning, crying like his world had endedโ€ฆ and the next, heโ€™d snap up, yelling, โ€œThatโ€™s not her! Thatโ€™s not Olivia!โ€

None of us wanted to accept it. And deep down, we couldnโ€™t.

Even with all the signs, all the proof.

Still, we needed more.

We decided to do a DNA test. Just to make sure.

We took a strand of hair from the headless body and another from Oliviaโ€™s old hairbrush and sent it to the best lab we knew.

The results came in.

A perfect match.

It was Olivia.

She was gone.

Another brutal confirmation that she really was gone.

I didnโ€™t even realize I was crying until I tasted the salt on my lips. Lennox stood up then, punched the wall, and then sank to his knees.

โ€œI still donโ€™t believe it,โ€ he muttered. โ€œI donโ€™t care what some test says. Thatโ€™s not her. It canโ€™t be.โ€

Levi didnโ€™t speak, but I could hear him sob quietly, a sound that tore me apart.

Maybe the Seer was right.

Maybe it was denial.

Our hearts just refused to let go of her.

Suddenly, Lennox looked at me, his voice low and rough. โ€œLouisโ€ฆ mind-link Oliviaโ€™s mother. Let her know the memorial is tomorrow night.โ€

I hesitated. โ€œAre you sure? I meanโ€ฆ.โ€

โ€œShe deserves to know,โ€ Lennox said, his eyes red. โ€œSheโ€™s her mother.โ€

I nodded slowly and reached out through the packโ€™s mind link.

Mrs. Parker?

There was silence for a momentโ€ฆ then her voice came through, angry and sharp.

What do you want, Alpha?

โ€œWeโ€™reโ€ฆ having Oliviaโ€™s memorial tomorrow night. We thought you should know.โ€

There was a long pause.

Then she repliedโ€”cold and flat.

Iโ€™m not coming.

My heart sank. โ€œWhy?โ€

Because thatโ€™s not my daughter. I donโ€™t care what you boys say or what proof you think you have. Thatโ€™s not Olivia. Sheโ€™s not dead. She canโ€™t be.

I blinked, fighting back another wave of tears. โ€œMrs. Parkerโ€ฆโ€

Donโ€™t call me again, unless itโ€™s to tell me my daughter is alive.

And then the link went dead.

I opened my eyes and looked at Lennox and Levi.

โ€œSheโ€™s not coming,โ€ I whispered. โ€œShe doesnโ€™t believe it either. She saidโ€ฆ thatโ€™s not her daughter.โ€

We all sat in silence again, each drowning in our sorrow.

My wolfโ€ฆ he had completely withdrawn. I hadnโ€™t felt him since the night we found her. He was mourning too. Our mate bond with Olivia might be broken, but not our feelings for her.

We loved herโ€”even before the Moon Goddess made it official.

A soft knock echoed against the door.

We didnโ€™t respond.

A few seconds later, it creaked open, and our mother stepped in quietly, holding a tray with food none of us had the strength to even look at.

She paused, her eyes scanning the room, lingering on each one of us.

Her face was pale, her lips trembling. โ€œPlease,โ€ she said gently, โ€œjust eat something. Anything.โ€

No one moved.

She stepped further in, placing the tray on the table. Her voice cracked. โ€œItโ€™s been three daysโ€ฆ You boys havenโ€™t touched a single meal sinceโ€”since Oliviaโ€ฆโ€

Her voice broke, and she cleared her throat, composing herself. โ€œI know youโ€™re hurting. I know how much you loved her. But you canโ€™t do this to yourselves. Youโ€™re leaders. Alphas.โ€

We still didnโ€™t speak.

She took a breath and continued, โ€œYou have a pack looking up to you. Hundreds of werewolves under your protection. They need you, your strength, your presence.โ€

Still silence.

Then she added softly, โ€œAnd donโ€™t forgetโ€ฆ youโ€™ll be fathers soon.โ€

That was the breaking point.

Lennoxโ€™s head snapped up, his eyes bloodshot, rage flashing across his face.

โ€œGet out.โ€

Her eyes widened in shock. โ€œLennox-โ€

โ€œI said get out!โ€ he roared, his voice echoing off the walls.

She flinched, stepping back instinctively.

โ€œYou think we care about being Alphas right now?โ€ he growled, rising to his feet. โ€œYou think we care about anything else when the one person we lived for might be gone?โ€

He pointed toward the door, breathing heavily. โ€œWe donโ€™t need your lecture. Get out, Mother.โ€

Tears welled in her eyes as she whispered, โ€œIโ€™m sorry,โ€ and turned to leave.

The door closed behind her, and the silence returned.

โ€œDamn itโ€ฆ I shouldnโ€™t have spoken to her like that,โ€ Lennox muttered, sinking back onto the couch, running a shaky hand through his hair.

We all knew he didnโ€™t mean it. We were justโ€ฆ broken. Grief had turned everything inside out, made us lash out at the people we still had left.

Before any of us could speak, the door opened again.

We frowned, thinking she had come back.

But it wasnโ€™t her.

It was our father.

He walked in slowly, hands behind his back, face unreadable. We waited, expecting another lectureโ€ฆ maybe another attempt to get us to eat.

But he didnโ€™t say anything like that.

He cleared his throat, his voice calm but firm. โ€œI came to inform you of something.โ€

We looked up slowly.

โ€œYour uncle, Alpha Damien, just sent word,โ€ he said. โ€œHeโ€™ll be coming here, staying in the pack house for a few weeksโ€ฆ with his new wife.โ€

The room went dead silent.

โ€œWhat?โ€ Lennoxโ€™s voice was sharp, full of rage.

โ€œHe says itโ€™s temporary,โ€ Dad added. โ€œJust for protection. His sources told him some candidates running against him in the Werewolf Council election are planning something dangerousโ€ฆ an attack, maybe even a bombing.โ€

He sighed. โ€œHe believes someoneโ€™s targeting him and wants to lie low for a whileโ€”here, where itโ€™s safe.โ€

โ€œNo,โ€ Levi said firmly, sitting up. โ€œNot after what he did.โ€

I clenched my fists. โ€œHe shows up three days after Oliviaโ€™s death, and weโ€™re supposed to just let him in like nothing happened?โ€

โ€œHeโ€™s not stepping foot in this house,โ€ Lennox snapped. โ€œNot after what he pulled. Not after everything.โ€

Dad sighed, but his expression remained steady. โ€œBoys, I understand how you feel. But you canโ€™t stop him.โ€

โ€œYes, we can,โ€ Lennox growled. โ€œWeโ€™re the Alphas-โ€

โ€œAnd heโ€™s a Luciano,โ€ Dad cut in gently but firmly. โ€œJust like you.โ€

That shut us up.

He stepped forward. โ€œThis pack house belongs to our bloodline. Damien is family. He has every right to stay here, especially if it concerns his safety, whether you like it or not.โ€

I clenched my jaw, my wolf growling softly in the back of my mind.

Lennox looked like he wanted to rip something apart.

Levi muttered under his breath, โ€œSo he gets to hide hereโ€ฆ under our roofโ€ฆ while we grieve the girl he probably helped kill? Because of his stupid revenge. Olivia rejected usโ€ฆ if she hadnโ€™t, she would never have left this pack. She would have never been killed.โ€

Dad didnโ€™t respond to that.

He only said, โ€œPlease stay calm. Heโ€™ll be arriving tonight.โ€ Then he turned and walked out.

The door clicked shut behind him.

We sat there again, stunned, furious.

Lennox turned to me. โ€œWhen did he suddenly get married?โ€

I sighed. โ€œI have no idea.โ€

A cold chill slid down my spine. Something about the timing didnโ€™t sit right.

Three days ago, Olivia was found dead.

Three days later, Damienโ€™s comingโ€ฆ with a wife weโ€™ve never heard of.

โ€œItโ€™s good heโ€™s coming,โ€ I finally said, my voice low. โ€œBecause I have questions, a lot of questions he has to answer.โ€

Lennox looked at me. โ€œYouโ€™re suspecting him?โ€

I nodded slowly. โ€œApart from the three of usโ€ฆ everyone else is a suspect.โ€


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