Olivia's POV

At 7:00, I walked downstairs wearing a simple black dress.

James was in the living room with Mia. When he saw me, he frowned.

"You're wearing black?"

"I have no reason to celebrate," I said quietly.

His jaw tightened, but he didn't argue.

Mia, meanwhile, was wearing a flowing pink dress that made her look radiant and glowing.

"You look beautiful," James told her softly.

She beamed. "Thank you."

He didn't even glance at me.

The doorbell rang.

"That'll be your parents," James said, heading to the door.

I watched him greet my mother and father with warm hugs and handshakes.

My mother spotted me and frowned. "Olivia, why are you wearing black? This is a celebration."

"I cannot celebrate when Alice is still fighting for her life," I said simply.

"Oh." My mother's expression didn't change. "Well, that's unfortunate. But tonight is about Mia and her good news."

Of course it was. They didn't care about anything else.

We moved to the dining room.

I sat at the far end of the table. James sat at the head with Mia on his right and my parents on his left.

They chatted and laughed amongst themselves, completely ignoring me, almost like I was an outcast.

Halfway through the meal, Mia stood up.

"I have an announcement," she said, her voice shaking with excitement.

Everyone turned to look at her. James was beaming, pride burning in his eyes.

"I'm pregnant," Mia said softly.

My mother gasped, jumping up to hug her. "Oh, sweetheart! That's wonderful!"

My father grinned. "Congratulations, Mia."

"Who's the father?" I asked quietly.

The room went silent.

Mia's eyes widened. "What?"

"I asked who the father is," I repeated. "You don't have a mate that I know of. So who got you pregnant?"

"Olivia!" my mother snapped. "How dare you—"

"It's a reasonable question," I said calmly.

Mia's eyes filled with tears. "I... I was seeing someone secretly. He died in a rogue attack a few months ago. This pup is all I have left of him."

The lie rolled off her tongue so easily.

I glanced between my father and my mother. They looked very uncomfortable, avoiding my eyes.

And that's when it clicked.

They knew.

They all knew whose pup it was.

My own parents knew my mate was having an affair with my sister, and they were celebrating it.

"I'm sorry for your loss," I said flatly. "Congratulations on the pup."

James cleared his throat. "As I mentioned earlier, I'm hosting a celebration gathering this Saturday. A big one. All my business partners, investors, other alpha allies, and the Alpha Council will be there to celebrate this wonderful news."

My mother clapped her hands together. "How exciting! Mia, you'll need a new dress—"

"Already ordered," James said with a smile. "Only the best for... for Mia."

He had almost said something else. I saw him catch himself.

"Olivia, you'll need something appropriate too," my mother said, eyeing my black dress with distaste. "Something that shows celebration."

"I have plenty of dresses," I said quietly.

"Nothing suitable for a celebration," she countered. "Tomorrow, you and I will go shopping."

"I would rather spend tomorrow at the clinic with Alice."

My mother's expression hardened. "Olivia, that woman is dying. There's nothing you can do for her. But you can support your sister during this happy time."

That woman. Not even your foster mother. Just that woman.

"If you'll excuse me," I said, standing to my feet. "I'm not feeling well. I'm going to bed."

"Olivia, sit down," James said sharply, his alpha command pressing down on me..

"No." I growled out.

"I said sit down!" His eyes flashed gold briefly, his wolf surfacing.

"And I said no." I looked at him coldly, my own wolf surfacing also. "I came to dinner like you asked. I heard the announcement. Now I'm leaving."

I turned and walked out of the dining room, feeling the weight of his alpha power trying to force me to submit. But the rage I felt gave my wolf strength to resist.

Behind me, Mia's voice wobbled with fake tears. "She hates me, Mom."

"Don't worry, sweetheart," my mother soothed. "At least, thanks to her, you're now pregnant..." Her voice dropped, too low for me to hear.

My breath caught.

They knew. My parents knew what James had done—and they supported it.

I went upstairs and shut the bedroom door. I lay there, staring at the ceiling while laughter, clinking glasses, and music drifted up the stairs. They were celebrating my pain.

Soon, they would have nothing left to celebrate.

Olivia's POV

Hours passed and the noise faded and the house went quiet. My parents took one guestroom. Mia took the other. And James... I knew exactly where he'd be.

My throat was dry. I needed water, but I waited another half hour, just to be sure.

I slipped out of bed, crept down the stairs, and entered the kitchen. I filled a glass from the tap.

I heard James's low voice coming from his office. "I don't care what it takes. Keep her sedated."

I froze, the glass halfway to my mouth.

"No, I'm not interested in her waking up," he said. "I'm paying you enough to make sure that doesn't happen."

My heart slammed against my ribs.

"The monitoring showed brain activity? So what? Increase the suppressants. I don't want her conscious. Ever."

I set the glass down and crept closer. The office door was slightly ajar.

"You don't understand," James hissed. "Alice is dangerous. If she wakes up, everything falls apart."

A pause. Then: "Yes, I know it's illegal. That's why I'm tripling your fee."

Another pause.

"Because she saw me," he snapped. "She saw me with Mia months ago. She threatened to tell Olivia. So I handled it."

My hand flew to my mouth.

"The rogue attack was a lie," James said coldly. "I attacked her myself and injected her with silver. Her wolf should've died from the silver in her system, but the old bitch was tougher than I thought. Now she's in a coma with silver poisoning, and I need her to stay that way."

No. No, no, no.

"If she wakes up and tells Olivia what she saw, my entire plan falls apart. Keep her sedated with silver until after the gathering. After that... I don't care what happens. Let her die naturally, just make sure it can't be traced back to me."

The call ended. His chair scraped back.

I ran.

I flew up the stairs, heart pounding as my wolf howled in rage. I shut the bedroom door just as his footsteps echoed down the hall. I pressed my back against it, trembling.

James had tried to kill Alice.

He was keeping her sedated with silver.

He was going to let her die.

I grabbed my phone with shaking hands and dialed Asher.

He answered on the second ring. "Luna Grant. It's late."

"I need your help." My voice cracked. "Please. It's Alice—my foster mother. James attacked her some months ago because she caught him with Mia. Now he's paying her healer to keep her in a coma with silver. She's showing signs of recovering, and he's—he's going to let her die."

Silence.

"Please," I whispered. "I need to move her somewhere safe. But I can't do it alone."

"Where is she?"

"She’s in the pack clinic. Room 304. I don’t know how you can get into the pack without being seen."

"Don’t worry, I'll have her moved by morning," Asher said. "She'll be safe."

Relief flooded through me. "Thank you. Thank you so much—"

"But you know what this means, Olivia."

I closed my eyes. "Yes."

"Say it."

"I accept your offer," I whispered. "I'll become your mate."

"Good. I'll come get you in four days."

The call ended.

I sat there in the dark, phone clutched in my hand.

I had just agreed to mate with a man I'd never met. My husband's worst enemy. An alpha wolf I knew nothing about.

James didn't know it yet, but I just became his reckoning.

Olivia's POV

I couldn't sleep. My mind kept replaying everything I had just heard in James's office. My wolf paced restlessly.

Then I heard footsteps approaching, and a knock on the door.

"Olivia?" Mia's voice was sweet, concerned. "Can I come in?"

I didn't answer.

"Olivia, please. I just want to talk."

I stayed silent.

"Olivia, open the door."

She turned the doorknob and opened the door, stepping inside.

There was a pause. Then her voice changed, she dropped the sweet voice.

"Oh, you look so pathetic right now, sis." She drawled.

I didn't move.

She continued. "But I want you to know something. That pup in my womb is James's. He chose me. His wolf chose mine."

I sat up slowly, turning to face her.

She had a cruel grin on her face. "He told me how weak your wolf is. How you could never satisfy his alpha wolf."

My hands clenched into fists. My wolf snarled.

"And those pups?" She laughed. "Four chances, Olivia. And you couldn't even manage to keep one alive. What kind of she-wolf can't even carry her mate's offspring?"

My vision turned red. My wolf demanded blood.

"Your wolf must be defective," she continued, her voice dripping with venom. "Maybe it's the Moon Goddess's way of telling you that you would be a terrible mother."

Anger burned through me at her words, and I stood up, walking towards her with clenched fists. My eyes flashed as my wolf surged forward.

"James loves me," Mia said, with a nasty grin on her face. "He's having a pup with me. A real pup. One that will actually live, because I can give him what you never could, a strong bloodline."

I shoved her hard.

She stumbled backward, her eyes widening in shock.

"Get out," I growled coldly.

"You bitch!" she hissed. "How dare you—"

"I said get out!"

I slammed the door in her face and locked it this time.

There was silence for a moment, then the sound of footsteps walking down the hallway.

I walked back to the bed and sat down.

Then I heard a loud thud, and a scream.

"James! Help! James!"

My blood ran cold.

What did she—

The bedroom door flew open with such force it slammed against the wall. The lock of the door had been broken.

James stood in the doorway, breathing heavily. His face was twisted with rage, his eyes glowing gold. His wolf was close to the surface.

Behind him, my mother and father appeared, holding a sobbing Mia.

"You pushed her down the stairs?" James's voice was deadly quiet, filled with rage.

"What? No, I didn't—"

"She came up here to comfort you," my mother said, her voice shaking. "To try and make peace. And you attacked a pregnant she-wolf!"

"That's not what happened!" I stood up. "She was inside my room, insulting me—"

"That's not true!" Mia sobbed. "I just wanted to talk to my sister. To make sure she was okay. And she... she pushed me!"

"I shoved her away from my door! I didn't push her down the stairs—"

Before I could say anything more, James's fist slammed into my face. The blow sent me flying backward. My head cracked against the wall, and pain exploded through my skull.

Then everything went black.

When I woke up in the pack clinic, my head was pounding. My face throbbed, and I could taste blood in my mouth. I could feel my wolf working hard to heal the injuries.

I tried to sit up, but my body wouldn't cooperate. Everything hurt.

"You're finally awake." James's voice was cold, emotionless.

I forced my eyes open. He was sitting in a chair by the window, watching me with those cold eyes.

The memories flooded through my mind, and tears welled up in my eyes. In our eight years of being mated, James had never hit me before, until now.

"James," I whispered. "How could—"

"Apologize to Mia."

"What?"

"You heard me." His eyes were hard and dark. "Apologize to your sister for attacking her."

"I didn't attack her!" I tried to sit up again, ignoring the pain. "She was taunting me, saying horrible things—"

"I don't care what she said." He stood up, eyes flashing—his wolf was still on the surface. "You put your hands on a pregnant she-wolf. You could have killed her pup."

"She threw herself down the stairs!" Tears streamed down my face. "She's lying, James. She's always lying—"

"Apologize."

"No." I said firmly, my wolf rising even with her weakness.

His expression darkened, his eyes flashing gold. "No?"

"I won't apologize for something I didn't do."

He stared at me for a long moment. Then he smiled. It was a cold, cruel smile that made my blood freeze.

"Fine."

He grabbed my arm and dragged me to my feet. I stumbled, my legs were too weak to hold me up.

"What are you doing?" I gasped.

He didn't answer, he just dragged me out of the room, and down the clinic hallway, his grip was tight and painful.

"James, stop! Where are we going?"

He kept dragging me, till we approached the ICU wing.

My stomach dropped.

"No," I whispered. "No, James, please—"

He ignored me as he dragged me to Room 304. Alice's room.

"James, what are you doing?" I was sobbing now. "Please, don't—"

He kicked open the door to Alice's room with force, breaking it off completely.

To my dismay, she was still lying there, pale and unmoving, surrounded by machines. Her heart monitor beeped steadily. Asher hadn't moved her yet.

A healer looked up, startled. "Alpha, we—"

"Turn off the life support," James commanded coldly.

The healer’s eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"I said turn it off."

"But Alpha, she—"

"Do it." His eyes flashed full gold, demanding obedience.

"Alpha, the patient will die within minutes if we—"

"I don't care." James's voice was ice. "Turn it off. Now."

The healer looked at me, then back at James. "Alpha, I need authorization from the head healer—"

"I'm the Alpha of this pack." His voice was quiet but deadly. "My authority supercedes every other person in this pack. If you question me again, I will exile you from the pack, and make you live the rest of your life as a miserable rogue. Do you understand?"

The healer’s face went pale as she quickly did as he said with tears in her eyes, unable to resist the alpha's command.

"No!" I lunged forward, but James caught me easily, holding me back.

"Please," I sobbed. "Please, she's all I have. She's my mother. Please—"

The ventilator went silent.

The heart monitor's beeping slowed.

"James, please!" I dropped to my knees, sobbing. "Please don't do this! I'm begging you!"

He looked down at me. "Apologize to Mia."

"I'll apologize!" I screamed. "I'll apologize for anything! Just please, James, please don't do this!"

He stared at me for a long moment.

"Turn it back on!" I screamed. "Please, turn it back on!"

But then a voice called from the hallway. "Alpha!"

Another healer appeared in the doorway, breathless. "It's Mia! She's having a panic attack! She can't breathe—"

James released me immediately. "Gather every healer in this clinic. Now. No harm must come to Mia or that pup."

Then he ran out of the room. To my horror, he dragged the healer from Alice's room with him.

I rushed outside frantically.

"Help!" I screamed into the hallway. "Somebody help me! Please!"

But everyone was gone, running to help Mia, on the alpha's orders.

I looked at the machines, at the buttons and switches.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to Alice. "I'm so sorry. I don't know how to—"

I tried pressing buttons, flipping switches, but nothing worked.

Alice's heart monitor slowed further, the beeping got fainter.

"No, no, no," I sobbed. "Please, Mama. Please don't leave me. Please—"

The monitor flatlined.

"No!" I threw myself across her body. "Mama! Mama, please!"

But she was gone. Her wolf's life force had faded completely.

I don't know how long I stayed there, sobbing over her body, my own wolf releasing a broken howl.

Eventually, the healers came back. They tried to pull me away, but I wouldn't let go.

Guards had to be called to drag me out of the room while I screamed and fought, my wolf thrashing.

James was in the waiting room with Mia. She was crying dramatically, my mother stroking her hair.

When James saw me being dragged past, he didn't even look concerned.

He just turned back to Mia and continued coddling her.

Alice was dead. James had murdered her.

Just like he had murdered my pups.

I pulled out my phone with shaking hands and texted Asher.

— He killed my mother. It's too late.

His response came immediately.

— What happened?

I told him everything.

There was a long pause before his next message.

— I'll make him pay, Olivia. I swear on my wolf's honor.

If James thought he had broken me, he was about to learn how wrong he was.