I didn’t answer. I just stared at him, silently. Because even though I had nothing left… I still had my secrets. And if this was going to be the end, I’d choose how it finished.

He stared at me, stunned by my answer. Then he laughed–a low, cold sound that didn’t reach his eyes.

Then he looked me up and down, eyes narrowing slightly again. “Are you human?” he asked. “I… can’t feel your wolf.”

I could tell he was angry at the turn of events, and I knew he would end up killing me, not like I’m even scared of death… right now it felt like I needed death more than anything. Death didn’t seem scary anymore. It felt like the only rest I’d ever get.

“And I’m related to Damien,” he said. “And to the triplets.”

I met his eyes without flinching. “Let me go,” I said softly. “Or kill me.”

Then he looked back at me. “What’s the thing you wanted Damien to tell the triplets?” he asked carefully. “You spoke as if… you were involved with them somehow.”

“And they?” he asked.

I hesitated, then asked, “Who are you?”

He studied me for a long, quiet second, then finally said, “I’m Alpha Calvin. Of the Nightshade Pack.”

I held his stare, but I didn’t open my mouth. Because I remembered what Damien told me once. That it was better if Olivia stayed dead… because there were people who would kill her if they ever learned she was alive.

But then he added something that made my breath hitch.

His brows pulled together. For the first time, I saw something in his eyes besides coldness… was that concern?

He walked slowly to the chair across from me and sat, leaning back. His gaze never left mine. There was something different in his eyes now. Confusion. Maybe a little curiosity.

Olivia’s POV

His frown deepened. “Then why did you marry him?” he asked.

He gave me a slow nod. “We share the same great-grandmother. The Alphas of the Full Moon Pack–Lennox, Levi, Louis–they’re my distant cousins. And Alpha Damien is my distant uncle.”

He finally stopped pacing and turned to face me, frustration flashing in his eyes.

I frowned at him… he seemed far too interested in the triplets. I drew in a slow breath, picking my words carefully.

“You’re Damien’s wife,” he said slowly, studying my every twitch, every breath. “So what did you mean by he should tell them the truth someday? What truth?”

I let out a sigh, tired and hollow. “Do whatever you want. I’m tired… really tired.”

I blinked. “What…?”

I didn’t know why I asked, but I needed to know who he really was. If he was going to kill me, I at least wanted to know the name and identity of my killer.

I shook my head. “No. I don’t.”

“So Damien’s played me,” he muttered to himself. “Again.”

I saw it in his eyes–the shift. The shock. He didn’t know what to make of that.

His eyes narrowed. I tilted my chin. “He married me as a campaign. That’s all. He doesn’t love me. Everything he did… everything he said… was just an act.”

“Now what should I do with you?” he asked bitterly. “Hmm? What do you think I should do?”

I thought of the woman in my dream. The one who told me I had escaped my first death. Maybe it was better to let Olivia stay dead.

“His love is Sofia,” I said quietly. “It’s always been her.”

I didn’t trust Damien. But in that moment… I believed him.

The man let out an angry scoff and stood to his feet. He paced around the empty room with his hands tucked in his pockets.

The name sent a jolt down my spine. Alpha Calvin? One of the most feared Alphas in the region. Ruthless. Cunning. Dangerous. Nightshade Pack? That was just one pack away from the Full Moon Pack!

My heart pounded as I stared at him, utterly stunned.

Silence fell between us. It was heavy. Awkward.

And I was. More tired than I’d ever been in my life.

I shrugged faintly. “Because he took my parents and threatened me into marrying him.”

He let out a humorless breath, shaking his head. “I don’t even know what to do with you. I’ll have to think of something special,” he muttered, half to himself.

So I finally spoke–but only what I chose to say.

He studied me like I was some puzzle that didn’t fit his plan.

My heart skipped, but I quickly forced a blank face. “Yes,” I lied. “I’m human.”

“Alpha Damien isn’t stepping down,” I said clearly. “You picked the wrong person.”

He turned back around, staring at me like I was either brave or stupid for asking.

I didn’t respond. Because I didn’t have to. He saw the answer in my eyes.

“Wait.”

“You think I’m a monster, don’t you?” he asked. “Is that what you see when you look at me?”

I let my lips twitch sadly. “They’ll never know. And maybe that’s for the best.”

My throat tightened. I swallowed hard. He knew. He knew exactly who I meant. Still, I said nothing.

I gave him a bitter smile. “And you believed it. You fell for it.”

“Yes,” I whispered. “Even though I was married to Damien… I fell in love with them.”

His jaw tensed when I didn’t respond, and he leaned forward a little, his voice dropping. “You made mention of the triplets… do you mean Lennox, Levi, and Louis? Alphas of the Full Moon Pack.”

He stopped.

“You keep talking like you know something I don’t,” he muttered finally. “What deal? What truth?”

“You really don’t know?” he asked.

His jaw clenched hard. But I wasn’t done.

He stared at me for a long moment, his lips slightly parted. Then he exhaled slowly and leaned back again.

He turned and began walking toward the door, but something inside me stirred, and I found myself calling out.