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 hereโฆ 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 hadnโt spoken much todayโฆ or yesterday.
And me?
I sat on the floor, my back against the wall, knees up, head resting on my arm. Justโฆ blanking out.
It had been three days.
Three days since we found Oliviaโs body.
Three days since our world shattered.
We had no clue who did it. We sent trackers everywhere, across all borders, hoping for somethingโanythingโthat could lead us to the one responsible.
But everything came back empty.
Whoever did thisโฆ was good. Smart. Careful.
Clean.
And no matter how much pain we were in, we were still struggling with one thingโwe didnโt believe it.
That bodyโฆ headless, lifelessโฆ
Could that really be Olivia?
Especially Lennox.
One moment he would be mourning, crying like his world had endedโฆ and the next, heโd snap up, yelling, โThatโs not her! Thatโs not Olivia!โ
None of us wanted to accept it. And deep down, we couldnโt.
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 Oliviaโs 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 didnโt 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.
โI still donโt believe it,โ he muttered. โI donโt care what some test says. Thatโs not her. It canโt be.โ
Levi didnโt 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. โLouisโฆ mind-link Oliviaโs mother. Let her know the memorial is tomorrow night.โ
I hesitated. โAre you sure? I meanโฆ.โ
โShe deserves to know,โ Lennox said, his eyes red. โSheโs her mother.โ
I nodded slowly and reached out through the packโs mind link.
Mrs. Parker?
There was silence for a momentโฆ then her voice came through, angry and sharp.
What do you want, Alpha?
โWeโreโฆ having Oliviaโs memorial tomorrow night. We thought you should know.โ
There was a long pause.
Then she repliedโcold and flat.
Iโm not coming.
My heart sank. โWhy?โ
Because thatโs not my daughter. I donโt care what you boys say or what proof you think you have. Thatโs not Olivia. Sheโs not dead. She canโt be.
I blinked, fighting back another wave of tears. โMrs. Parkerโฆโ
Donโt call me again, unless itโs to tell me my daughter is alive.
And then the link went dead.
I opened my eyes and looked at Lennox and Levi.
โSheโs not coming,โ I whispered. โShe doesnโt believe it either. She saidโฆ thatโs not her daughter.โ
We all sat in silence again, each drowning in our sorrow.
My wolfโฆ he had completely withdrawn. I hadnโt 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 herโeven before the Moon Goddess made it official.
A soft knock echoed against the door.
We didnโt 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. โPlease,โ she said gently, โjust eat something. Anything.โ
No one moved.
She stepped further in, placing the tray on the table. Her voice cracked. โItโs been three daysโฆ You boys havenโt touched a single meal sinceโsince Oliviaโฆโ
Her voice broke, and she cleared her throat, composing herself. โI know youโre hurting. I know how much you loved her. But you canโt do this to yourselves. Youโre leaders. Alphas.โ
We still didnโt speak.
She took a breath and continued, โYou 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, โAnd donโt forgetโฆ youโll be fathers soon.โ
That was the breaking point.
Lennoxโs head snapped up, his eyes bloodshot, rage flashing across his face.
โGet out.โ
Her eyes widened in shock. โLennox-โ
โI said get out!โ he roared, his voice echoing off the walls.
She flinched, stepping back instinctively.
โYou think we care about being Alphas right now?โ he growled, rising to his feet. โYou think we care about anything else when the one person we lived for might be gone?โ
He pointed toward the door, breathing heavily. โWe donโt need your lecture. Get out, Mother.โ
Tears welled in her eyes as she whispered, โIโm sorry,โ and turned to leave.
The door closed behind her, and the silence returned.
โDamn itโฆ I shouldnโt 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 didnโt mean it. We were justโฆ 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 wasnโt her.
It was our father.
He walked in slowly, hands behind his back, face unreadable. We waited, expecting another lectureโฆ maybe another attempt to get us to eat.
But he didnโt say anything like that.
He cleared his throat, his voice calm but firm. โI came to inform you of something.โ
We looked up slowly.
โYour uncle, Alpha Damien, just sent word,โ he said. โHeโll be coming here, staying in the pack house for a few weeksโฆ with his new wife.โ
The room went dead silent.
โWhat?โ Lennoxโs voice was sharp, full of rage.
โHe says itโs temporary,โ Dad added. โJust for protection. His sources told him some candidates running against him in the Werewolf Council election are planning something dangerousโฆ an attack, maybe even a bombing.โ
He sighed. โHe believes someoneโs targeting him and wants to lie low for a whileโhere, where itโs safe.โ
โNo,โ Levi said firmly, sitting up. โNot after what he did.โ
I clenched my fists. โHe shows up three days after Oliviaโs death, and weโre supposed to just let him in like nothing happened?โ
โHeโs not stepping foot in this house,โ Lennox snapped. โNot after what he pulled. Not after everything.โ
Dad sighed, but his expression remained steady. โBoys, I understand how you feel. But you canโt stop him.โ
โYes, we can,โ Lennox growled. โWeโre the Alphas-โ
โAnd heโs a Luciano,โ Dad cut in gently but firmly. โJust like you.โ
That shut us up.
He stepped forward. โThis 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, โSo he gets to hide hereโฆ under our roofโฆ while we grieve the girl he probably helped kill? Because of his stupid revenge. Olivia rejected usโฆ if she hadnโt, she would never have left this pack. She would have never been killed.โ
Dad didnโt respond to that.
He only said, โPlease stay calm. Heโll 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. โWhen did he suddenly get married?โ
I sighed. โI have no idea.โ
A cold chill slid down my spine. Something about the timing didnโt sit right.
Three days ago, Olivia was found dead.
Three days later, Damienโs comingโฆ with a wife weโve never heard of.
โItโs good heโs coming,โ I finally said, my voice low. โBecause I have questions, a lot of questions he has to answer.โ
Lennox looked at me. โYouโre suspecting him?โ
I nodded slowly. โApart from the three of usโฆ everyone else is a suspect.โ