Chapter 204

OLIVIA’S POV By the time I reached the pack, dawn had just begun to stretch its golden fingers across the horizon. The valley was still, quiet in that early morning hush that came just before the stirrings of life. But I could already feel the tension waiting for me beyond those walls. It weighed on my shoulders heavier than the cloak I wore. I slipped through the main gates without ceremony, but it didn’t matter—James must have told them I’d be back. Eyes found me before I’d even stepped through the threshold. No one said a word, but their silence echoed: Where did you go? Why didn’t you tell us? Inside, Dominic stood in the foyer, arms crossed, jaw tight. The twins weren’t around—probably still asleep—and for that, I was thankful. His gaze pinned me the moment I stepped into the light. Laura was there too, her expression unreadable, while James hovered nearby with that familiar diplomatic calm he always wore in tense situations. “I had to go,” I said before any of them could speak. M