Chapter 14

THIRD PERSON’S POV Jason returned home late that night, exhaustion weighing down his broad shoulders like an anchor. His once-proud posture was slumped, and the sharp lines on his face seemed more pronounced beneath the dim light of the chandeliers. As he shut the door behind him, the tension he carried into the house was palpable, thick enough to suffocate the warmth that once thrived within these walls. Laura, his wife, noticed immediately. She had been waiting for him, her heart restless ever since the whispers of Olivia’s suffering in the dungeons had reached her ears. Without a word, she poured him a glass of water as the dutiful mate and set it in front of him, her delicate fingers brushing against his rough, calloused hand and he relaxed a bit under her subtle, soft touch of his mate. "You look exhausted," she murmured softly, watching him with the careful concern of a woman who had spent years learning to read her husband’s moods. Jason sighed heavily, running a hand down his face. "The pack is restless, Laura. The warriors are unsettled. The elders are demanding swift action… Dominic is under immense pressure." Laura hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "Jason," she said, her voice gentle yet unwavering, "I’ve been thinking about Olivia a lot." At the mere mention of their daughter’s name, Jason stiffened, his entire body going rigid as if Laura’s words had physically struck him. His tired eyes flickered with something unreadable, a storm of emotions brewing beneath the surface—guilt, doubt, frustration. It was clear that he was a man torn in two, fighting an internal battle between the duty of an Alpha’s advisor and the undeniable love of a father. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, his jaw tightening as if he was trying to hold himself together. Laura saw the hesitation in his gaze, the way his lips parted slightly as if he wanted to say something but held back. She refused to back down. This was their daughter’s life at stake. "I know you believe she’s guilty," she continued, her voice steady but laced with sorrow. "I know that every piece of evidence is pointing at her, and I understand that your position in the pack demands that you look at the facts. But Jason—" she reached for his hand, squeezing it gently, willing him to listen, "—deep down, in your heart, you must know that’s not true. Olivia would never harm Elder Alyosha. She loved him like family. He was the one who stood by her when no one else did. He was the reason she was released from her confinement in the first place. If not for him, Olivia wouldn’t have had the chance to prove herself to the pack again." Jason exhaled sharply, as if the weight of her words pressed down on his chest. He ran a hand through his hair, his frustration evident in the furrow of his brows. "The evidence says otherwise, Laura," he muttered, his voice thick with turmoil. "Evelyn saw her go into the elder’s chambers. The Omega servant saw it too. No one saw her leave. The elders are calling for justice—what am I supposed to believe? How can I ignore what’s right in front of me?" Laura’s grip on his hand tightened. "Believe in your daughter, Jason!" she cried, desperation creeping into her voice. "Believe in the girl we raised! We know Olivia. We know her heart, her soul. She has never been capable of such cruelty. She’s not a killer! She never has been, and she never will be!" Jason flinched, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. Laura’s voice softened, but the intensity in her eyes only grew. "She is our child. And she is alone in that dungeon right now, suffering while the real murderer walks free. She needs us, Jason. She needs you. You are her father. If we—her own parents—don’t stand by her, then who will?" Tears burned in Laura’s eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Her voice shook as she continued, "We all know Olivia. She has always put others before herself. She is the kind of person who would set herself on fire before harming the feelings of the man she has loved for so many years. She would never, never raise a hand against Elder Alyosha. You know this. You feel it." Jason turned away, his breath coming in short, heavy bursts. He looked lost, torn between the Alpha’s laws he had upheld his whole life and the deep-rooted love of a father who knew his daughter could never commit such a heinous act. Laura took a step closer, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Please, Jason. If there’s even the smallest part of you that still believes in our daughter, then you owe it to her to fight for the truth. Before it’s too late." For the first time that night, Jason had no response. Jason clenched his jaw, his hands balling into fists on the table. Suddenly the front door opened, and James walked in. His expression was grim, his usually calm demeanour shadowed with barely restrained anger. Jason immediately noticed the way his son's shoulders were tense, his hands flexing at his sides.