I checked the time again—5:00 AM. I couldn’t take it anymore. The weight on my chest was suffocating, and the restlessness clawing at my insides had reached its limit. I stormed out of my room, crossed the hallway, and knocked hard on Levi’s door.

No answer.

I didn’t wait. I turned and knocked on Louis’s door next.

Both doors creaked open almost at the same time. Levi had dark circles under his eyes, and Louis looked like he hadn’t even tried to sleep. But they were already dressed, like me.

I didn’t waste time. “I can’t wait any longer… Let’s go.”

I didn’t give them the chance to speak. I turned and walked off.

They followed without a word. They didn’t have to ask where we were going.

We knew.

The Seer.

If anyone could tell us what the hell was going on with Olivia… it was her.

We got into the car. Levi drove, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. Louis sat silently in the back, bouncing his leg the way he always did when he was anxious.

None of us spoke during the ride.

The silence was loud—filled with the questions we were too afraid to voice.

What if something’s happened to her?

What if she’s really…

I shook my head. No. No, she wasn’t.

She couldn’t be.

The moment we pulled up to the Seer’s cottage tucked deep in the woods, my heart began to pound harder. The place was always unsettling, but right now… It felt dead quiet.

Too quiet.

We rushed to the door.

I knocked once. Then again—harder.

Nothing.

I rattled the handle. Locked.

Levi moved to the side window and peeked in. “She’s not home,” he muttered, his voice tight with frustration.

Louis checked around the back, came back shaking his head. “No sign of her anywhere.”

My chest clenched.

Why wasn’t she here?

Why now?

Something was wrong. We could all feel it.

I stepped back, looking at the closed door like it was mocking us.

“Where the hell is she?” I muttered under my breath.

Levi groaned and kicked dirt from the grass. I paced around, scared and worried. “I can’t take it… I’m going to the Forest Pack… I need to see her,” Louis spat as he stormed to the car.

I exchanged glances with Levi but didn’t say a word. As much as I wanted to respect Olivia’s decision of not wanting to see us, I just wanted to be sure she was okay.

“I’m going too,” I said and followed Louis while Levi did the same.

We got back into the car, and this time Louis drove as we began our journey to the Forest Pack, which was probably an hour’s drive.

The drive to the Forest Pack was quiet.

Louis kept his eyes on the road, jaw tight. Levi sat still, staring ahead, lost in thought. And me? I couldn’t stop my mind from spinning. My gut told me something was wrong. I needed to see Olivia. That was it.

We reached the Forest Pack border just as the sun started to rise.

The guards saw us from a distance. Three of them came forward quickly, looking tense. One of them held out a hand.

“Alpha Lennox? Why are you here so early?” he asked, clearly nervous.

I stepped out of the car and looked him straight in the eye.

“We’re here to see someone,” I said. “Move.”

They froze for a second, then one of them tilted his head—clearly mind-linking someone.

Another guard stepped forward. “Alpha Gabriel said no one from your pack-”

He stopped, eyes going blank again as he got another message.

After a short pause, he looked at us. “Alpha Gabriel said… let them through.”

The guards stepped aside quickly.

Without saying another word, we got back into the car and drove past the gates.

We drove straight to Gabriel’s mansion.

The Forest Pack lands were quiet—too quiet. The usual patrols and activity were there, but everything felt tense.

When we pulled up to the mansion, Alpha Gabriel was already outside, waiting.

He stood on the front steps with his arms crossed, dressed in a simple black shirt and pants, his expression unreadable.

I stepped out of the car first and inhaled deeply, trying to catch something—anything.

Then I caught it.

Olivia’s scent.

Faint.

Almost gone.

She’d been here… but not recently.

She wasn’t here now.

“She’s not here,” I muttered, more to myself than anyone else. “I can barely smell her.”

Levi stepped forward. “Where is she?”

Gabriel’s eyes moved to us. He looked tired, like he hadn’t slept either.

“She left yesterday afternoon,” he said simply.

My heart dropped.

“What?” Louis stepped closer, his voice sharp. “Why?”

“She said she felt you three would come looking for her,” Gabriel replied. “She didn’t want to see you. She said she was going to her mother’s pack.”

I clenched my jaw.

“And you let her go?” Levi asked, his voice rising.

Gabriel didn’t flinch. “I begged her to stay,” he said. “But Olivia made up her mind. She said this was something she had to do.”

I turned away, biting back a curse as I ran my hands through my hair. I knew Gabriel wasn’t lying. Olivia wasn’t here. If she was, I could have sensed it. My heart raced with fear as I wondered if she was okay. Why was she so damn stubborn? She should’ve stayed. Gabriel should’ve stopped her.

I turned back to Gabriel, my fists clenched.

“If anything happens to Olivia,” I said, voice low and firm, “we’ll come back and burn this whole damn pack to the ground.”

Levi stepped forward too, eyes blazing with anger. “We don’t care who you are, Gabriel. You should have stopped her.”

Louis didn’t speak—he just stood there, breathing heavily, holding himself from attacking Gabriel.

Gabriel frowned and took a step toward us, his face cold but his voice filled with pain.

“You think I don’t care?” he said, his voice sharp. “You think I just let her leave because I wanted to? I love her.”

My chest tightened.

“What?” I growled.

“I love Olivia,” Gabriel said again, clearer this time. “More than anything. And I would never let her go if I didn’t have to. But she chose this. She didn’t want to see you. She didn’t want to stay here. She wanted to leave, and I respected that.”

I stared at him.

I saw it.

The truth.

It was in his eyes—the way they burned when he said her name. The way his voice cracked just slightly when he talked about letting her go.

He loved her.

Really loved her.

And that made my blood boil.

I stepped closer, nose to nose with him.

“You can love her all you want,” I said tightly, “but she’ll never be yours.”

His jaw twitched, but he didn’t reply.

I gave him a deadly glare before turning around and storming back into the car.

Louis started the engine and drove off in silence.

“I’m making a mind-link to Olivia’s mom,” I said suddenly, breaking the silence. My voice was hoarse.

My brothers nodded.

I closed my eyes and reached for the connection.

“Mrs. Parker… is Olivia with you?” I asked, trying to stay calm. “Please, just tell us the truth. We just want to be sure she’s safe.”

There was a pause.

Then her voice came—shaky and confused. “No, she’s not here. I thought she was still in Forest Pack…”

My heart dropped.

“You mean… Olivia is not with you?” I asked again, louder this time.

“No,” she said again, panic creeping into her voice. “She’s not here. What’s going on? Is Olivia missing?”

I didn’t reply. I couldn’t.

My heart thudded wildly in my chest.

Then—just as I opened my mouth to speak again—I got a new mind-link.

One of our border guards.

“Alpha! You need to come quickly. Please. It’s… it’s Luna Olivia.”

My blood turned cold.

“What about her?!” I shouted through the link.

“We can’t say it over link,” the guard said, voice cracking. “You need to see it for yourself.”

“Louis, drive faster!” I snapped.

His foot slammed down on the pedal.

None of us spoke.

We didn’t breathe.

The drive felt like hours even though it was just minutes.

When we reached the border, I saw them.

Guards gathered in a circle… silent.

Too silent.

My heart pounded as I jumped out of the car and ran toward them.

Then I saw it.

A body.

Lying in the grass.

Covered.

No one moved.

No one spoke.

“Move!” I shouted, my voice cracking.

The guards stepped aside slowly, their eyes filled with sorrow and fear.

I dropped to my knees and pulled the cover back.

And my world stopped.

My soul left my body.

It was Olivia.

Her chopped head… was placed beside her.

Her body… cold and still.

Headless.

Lifeless.

Her blood soaked into the grass, dark and already drying. The scent was unmistakable—hers.

“No…” I whispered.

Then louder. “NO!”

I screamed so loud it shook the trees.

Louis collapsed beside me, his hands over his mouth, tears streaming.

Levi let out a broken roar and punched the ground until his knuckles bled. This couldn’t be real.

This wasn’t real.