Chapter 7

OLIVIA’S POV Evelyn took center stage, her presence commanding the room like a well-rehearsed actress delivering the performance of a lifetime. She looked around, her eyes glistening with unshed tears—tears I knew were nothing more than a carefully crafted illusion. Her lips quivered just enough to sell the act before she turned to Dominic, her voice trembling as if she were recounting the most painful betrayal of her life. "Five years ago," she began, pausing for effect, "I found out Olivia had the same mark as me… and she went crazy with jealousy. We argued that day, she even called me names, and that’s when she pushed me into that group of thugs. And then, she faked the mark to steal my place!" Gasps echoed through the hall. The tension thickened, suffocating me as I tried to process what I had just heard. I felt the blood drain from my face. That was a lie. A bold, blatant lie. "I never—" My voice came out raw, desperate. But Evelyn wasn’t finished. Her expression shifted, eyes darkening with a mixture of triumph and faux sorrow. "It all makes sense now," she continued smoothly, turning to the pack as if she were uncovering some great deception. "Why else would she have been so desperate to take my place? She knew she was never meant to be Luna. She knew she wasn’t worthy. That’s why she created that mark on her own body!" "No!" I shouted, stepping forward, my entire body trembling with the force of my emotions. "That’s a lie!" Evelyn flinched dramatically as if my voice alone had wounded her. I ignored her theatrics and reached for my neck, fingers frantically brushing against my skin to prove her wrong. To show them all that she was a liar. That my mark had always been there. But then… I froze. My breath hitched. The mark was gone. My fingers trembled as I touched the bare skin where it had always been, over and over, as if somehow, by sheer force of will, it would reappear. But there was nothing. Just smooth, unmarked skin. No. No, this isn’t happening. A chill spread through my body, sinking into my bones. My heart pounded violently against my ribs as panic tightened its grip on me. How was this possible? I knew I wasn’t mad. I knew I had never faked the mark. It had been there for five years! Dominic had seen it. The pack had seen it. I had seen it. So why—why now—was it gone? I turned to Dominic, my breath unsteady. He had seen it countless times. He had been with me for five years. He knew the truth. He had to. But when my gaze met his, my heart shattered all over again. He remained aloof, his expression unreadable. There was no recognition in his eyes, no hesitation, no flicker of doubt—only cold indifference. My chest tightened painfully. "No… No, no, no, it was there—" I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper. "Then where is it now?" Evelyn’s voice was sickeningly sweet, feigning concern as she tilted her head, her eyes gleaming with false innocence. "If it was real," she mused, "wouldn’t it still be there?" Murmurs filled the room, whispers of doubt slithering through the crowd like a venomous snake. "But Olivia did have the mark…" "Then where is it now?" "Did she really fake it all along?" Even I was in shock this time. I wasn’t hallucinating. I wasn’t losing my mind. I knew what was real. I knew the mark had been there. I turned in desperation, my last hope resting on the one person I had always counted on—my adoptive father. Jason. "Dad, please," I begged, my voice breaking under the weight of my despair. "At least you have to believe me!" For a moment, I clung to the sliver of hope that he would step forward. That he would defend me. That he would tell them all that the girl he raised could never have done something like this. But when I met his gaze, I felt my soul crack. His eyes… They weren’t filled with the warmth I had always known. Instead, they held raw disappointment. Sorrow. Like I was someone he no longer recognized. "How could you do this, Olivia?" His voice was thick with pain, and the weight of it nearly sent me to my knees. I shook my head violently, my hands trembling. "I didn’t! I swear I didn’t! Dad, you know me! You know I would never—" Jason flinched as if my words hurt him. As if I had hurt him. "I didn’t raise you to be a liar," he said quietly, each word landing like a physical blow. "I didn’t raise you to be a murderer." The world blurred. My vision darkened around the edges. No. No, this isn’t happening. Jason’s hands clenched at his sides, his voice breaking. "Where did I go wrong?" Something inside me snapped. A sob tore from my throat as I stumbled back, the sheer force of his words leaving me breathless. I had lost him. I had lost everyone. The murmurs grew louder, the whispers now a raging storm of accusations. "She fooled us all." "A liar and a murderer." "She should be executed." Then, Luna Grace’s voice cut through the chaos, as sharp as a dagger. "The pack does not need a liar and a murderer sullying our name." Her cold gaze pierced through me. "She must be punished." My pulse stuttered. Then Evelyn turned to Dominic, her voice soft, almost gentle. "Alpha," she murmured. "What do you say?" The room fell into silence. All eyes turned to him. But I only watched him. Dominic. My husband. My mate. The man I had foolishly loved for so many years. I searched his face, my heart pounding so violently I thought I might collapse. Would he really…? Would he really let them execute me? Would he let them kill me? Would he let them kill our child? He met my gaze, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw something—something—flicker in his golden eyes. But then, it was gone. And I knew. I had lost.