Chapter 71

OLIVIA’S POV I went to the dungeon with James and the twins in tow. The moment we stepped into the corridor that led underground, an old sense of unease crept over me. No matter how many years had passed, the feeling of being locked up, the scent of stone and metal, and the taste of injustice still lingered in my bones. I didn’t trust the Blackwood Pack enough to leave Noah and Aria behind—not after everything they had endured. And especially not after Evelyn’s little garden stunt. That woman wore her cruelty like perfume—strong, suffocating, and impossible to ignore. I wasn’t afraid of her. Never was. But my children? They were innocent. And I refused to let them be used or harmed in the crossfire of a war they never signed up for. James had suggested staying behind to watch them while I went to see Mom, but I shook my head firmly. My children deserved to see the woman who raised me, the one person who had fought for us in silence while the rest of this pack either looked the other wa