Chapter 16

DOMINIC’S POV I leaned back in my chair, fingers tapping idly against the polished wood of my desk. Jason had requested an urgent meeting, his tone clipped, unreadable. That in itself wasn’t unusual—Jason was a serious man, never one to waste time. But what struck me as odd was his insistence that Evelyn was not to be present. I frowned, the unease gnawing at the back of my mind. I understood that Evelyn wasn’t an official figure of authority in the pack, not in the way Jason or the elders were. She wasn’t a ranked member, nor was she my Luna—not yet, anyway. And yet, she had been attending my meetings for the past few weeks, sitting beside me as if she belonged there. I never questioned it. I never saw a reason to. As long as my work got done, as long as my decisions were made without delay, I didn’t care who sat in the room with me. Evelyn’s presence didn’t bother me. At least, that’s what I told myself. "Yeah, right," my wolf sneered, his voice curling through my mind. "She has no right to be there. You don’t allow your wife to join these meetings, yet you allow Evelyn? Does that mean Evelyn’s presence doesn’t affect you, but Olivia’s does?" My jaw tightened at his words. "Can we focus on the task at hand?" I shot back, not in the mood to entertain his usual antics. "Oh, sure," my wolf said mockingly. "It’s my fault that you focus on everything but our mate." My muscles tensed. My wolf had been relentless ever since Olivia was thrown into the dungeons. Every time I shut him out, he clawed his way back in, snapping at my defenses. "I’m serious this time," I growled. "Why did Jason specifically mention Evelyn? Why did he make it a point that she shouldn’t attend?" My wolf huffed, unimpressed. "Because he’s finally using his damn head. And I’m glad he doesn’t trust her—because neither do I." I stilled. "You think Evelyn is lying?" "I think you should be asking why she’s so desperate to be involved in pack affairs in the first place." I let out a slow breath, rubbing my temples. "She was gone for five years, Wolf. Maybe she just wants to reintegrate herself into the pack." "And maybe she’s making sure she stays one step ahead of you." I shook my head. My wolf was getting out of control. Evelyn had been through a lot. I owed her my life. Didn’t I? A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. Jason. I straightened, pushing the conversation with my wolf to the back of my mind. But even as Jason stepped inside, a nagging thought lingered in the shadows of my mind. Why did he really not want Evelyn here? Jason wasted no time. The moment he stepped into my office, he went straight to the point. “The patrol shift that night,” he said, his voice steady but laced with something sharp. “There was a last-minute change.” I frowned, leaning back in my chair. “So?” Jason’s eyes locked onto mine. “Evelyn was the one who suggested it.” A chill ran down my spine. It was such a small detail, something I had dismissed at the time. Evelyn had come to me, concern etched onto her face, speaking about how exhausted the warriors were. She suggested that a shift change would allow them more rest, and I had agreed without giving it much thought. “See that’s why I was saying Jason knew how to use his head but not you.” I ignored my wolf. But now, as Jason’s words sank in, the memory replayed in my head with new clarity. Wasn’t the timing a little too convenient? My wolf stirred, restless. You know what this means. Stop ignoring it. I clenched my fists, shutting down his voice. No. It meant nothing. Evelyn had always been thoughtful, always trying to help the pack. There had to be another explanation. Jason continued, his tone more insistent. “James received a mind link earlier. One of the warriors reported something… interesting.” I narrowed my eyes. “What?” Jason hesitated for a fraction of a second, then said, “He claims he saw someone that night—someone resembling Evelyn—entering Elder Alyosha’s chambers that night.” A heavy silence filled the room. I felt my stomach tighten, a deep unease settling in my chest. No. That’s impossible. Evelyn had given her testimony. She had seen Olivia enter Alyosha’s chambers, and no one had seen her leave. Everything pointed to Olivia’s guilt. And yet… I exhaled slowly, gripping the edge of my desk. “This information doesn’t leave this room.” Jason’s eyes darkened. “Dominic—” “I said it doesn’t leave this room,” I snapped, my voice harder now. I wasn’t ready to entertain the possibility that everything I believed might be wrong. That I might have condemned the wrong person. Jason’s jaw tightened, but he nodded. “Then at least release Olivia. You know this doesn’t add up. She shouldn’t be locked up when there are still unanswered questions.” I ran a hand through my hair. “She’s already in the hospital.” Jason’s eyes flashed with something unreadable. “And you think that makes up for what’s been done to her?” I looked away. It didn’t. And I knew it. But I wasn’t ready to admit that yet. Jason’s voice softened, but the weight of his words hit like a punch to the gut. “Why are you so determined to believe that her pup isn’t yours?” I scoffed, my defenses snapping back into place. “Because I can’t smell it, Jason. How do you explain that?” He fell silent. I took his silence as victory. “Exactly,” I muttered. “Now get out.” Jason hesitated, looking like he wanted to say more, but eventually, he turned on his heel and left. I let out a slow breath, but my mind was far from calm. Jason’s words echoed in my head. The patrol shift. The warrior’s testimony. The look in Olivia’s eyes when she had pleaded for me to believe her. I had spent years perfecting the art of shutting out emotions. Of prioritizing logic over feelings. But right now, logic and reason weren’t aligning. Without realizing it, I had left my office, my feet carrying me to the hospital wing. I stood in the doorway of Olivia’s room, my gaze falling on the fragile figure curled up on the bed. Her skin looked pale, her face thinner than I remembered. Dark circles clung under her eyes, her body visibly weaker than the last time I had truly looked at her. Something tightened in my chest. Before I could stop myself, I stepped forward and reached out, my palm pressing gently against her forehead. Why am I doing this? My wolf rumbled in approval, his voice smug. Because you care. Because she’s yours, and you’ve always known it. I forced my hand away. No. That wasn’t why. I was just making sure she wasn’t running a fever. That was all. A soft sound made me look down. Her eyes fluttered open, drowsy with sleep but widening slightly when she saw me. For a moment, I saw something I hadn’t seen in years—hope. But it was gone almost instantly, replaced by something that made my stomach twist. Fear. She shrank back slightly, her fingers gripping the thin hospital blanket. “Why are you here?” Her voice was barely above a whisper, wary and hesitant. “Did I… do something wrong again?” The way she asked it. So small. So broken. Like she expected that whatever reason I was here, it was to punish her. I felt something deep inside me crack. She was afraid of me. And worse? For the first time in years, I wasn’t sure if I deserved anything else.