Chapter 42: Familiar

Olivia’s POV

​I walked in silence for several minutes while Alpha Lucas took the lead, his eyes constantly scanning the trees and the ground for clues that would lead us out of the forest. He remained calm and completely focused.

​I kept my eyes glued to his back. There was something remarkably easy about his presence. Unlike Lucian, who carried a dark, suffocating intensity everywhere he went, Lucas felt warmer and far less intimidating. Yet he still carried the undeniable aura of a powerful Alpha King.

​As I watched him navigate the shifting path, an odd feeling settled in my chest. A strange, unexplainable sense of familiarity crept over me, making my heart flutter in a way that made no sense.

​I caught Alpha Lucas glancing back at me over his shoulder. I quickly looked away, my chest tightening. Was he studying me? Did he suspect something? Every time his eyes lingered on me, my anxiety spiked, terrified that he might figure out I was an imposter.

​Suddenly, Alpha Lucas stopped dead in his tracks.

​Before I could ask what was wrong, his hand shot out, grabbing my wrist. He pulled me behind a massive, hollowed-out tree trunk, pressing my back firmly against the rough bark. He moved in close, placing his body over mine to conceal us completely beneath a dense curtain of hanging moss.

​"Don’t move," he breathed against my ear, his hand coming up to gently cover my mouth.

​A second later, heavy, dragging footsteps thudded against the dirt just beyond our hiding spot.

​It was the second creature. It had tracked us down and was now sniffing the air only a few feet away.

​My heart pounded so hard I was certain the beast could hear it. I stared into Alpha Lucas’s eyes, inches from my own. He remained completely motionless, his gaze fixed on the shadow passing by the roots.

​The creature let out a low whine, paused for an agonizing moment, and then slowly dragged itself away into the thick brush.

​The danger had passed, but neither of us moved.

​That was when I realized Alpha Lucas was still holding me.

​And I was still holding onto him.

​The silence between us grew heavy and charged. I suddenly became painfully aware of how close we were standing. His arm was still wrapped tightly around my waist, keeping me pinned against the tree. His chest rose and fell against mine, radiating an intense warmth that seemed to seep straight through my wet shirt.

​His scent, a rich blend of sandalwood and fresh mint, wrapped around my senses. My chest tightened, and for a fleeting second, I felt a strange flutter deep within my soul. It felt almost like my dormant wolf, silent for four long years, was faintly stirring awake.

​Alpha Lucas slowly lowered his hand from my mouth, but his eyes never left mine. His head tilted slightly, his gaze searching mine as though he was trying to remember something he couldn’t quite reach.

​"There is something strange about you."

​My breath hitched in my throat. Panic instantly replaced the strange warmth in my chest.

​Did he know?

​Had he finally figured out that I wasn’t Princess Annabel?

​"What do you mean?" I managed to whisper, trying to keep my voice steady.

​Alpha Lucas didn’t answer right away. He reached up, his long fingers gently wiping away a streak of dried mud and blood from my cheek.

​The moment his bare skin brushed against mine, a sudden spark shot through my veins.

​Something about his touch felt terrifyingly, undeniably familiar.

​I stared up at his face, lost in his green eyes. He was staring back at me with the exact same expression of confusion and overwhelming attraction. Neither of us understood why this moment felt like something we had already lived through.

​I should have stepped back. I should have looked away. I knew that was exactly what I needed to do, but for some reason, I did neither.

​Before I could even understand what I was doing, I leaned closer and closed the small distance between us. Then I pressed my lips against his.

​Alpha Lucas froze instantly. For a split second, he didn’t move, clearly stunned that his brother’s wife had just kissed him. But as the strange familiarity surged between us, his control snapped. He wrapped his arm tighter around my waist, pulling me flush against his body, and kissed me back.

​The kiss was soft, emotionally charged, and filled with a desperate, aching familiarity that made my head spin. It wasn’t wild or crude. It was deeply romantic, as if two lost pieces of a puzzle were briefly locking together.

​Then reality slammed back into the clearing.

​Alpha Lucas pulled back first, his breath coming in short, uneven gasps. He stared at me, his eyes wide with shock and confusion.

​I backed away against the tree trunk, my hand flying to my lips. My stomach plummeted into a dark, endless pit.

​What had I just done?

​Why on earth had I kissed him?

​Alpha Lucas swallowed hard, his expression quickly returning to a cold, controlled mask. He didn’t offer an explanation, and he didn’t demand one from me either.

​"We need to keep moving," he said quietly, turning his back on me.

​I nodded mutely and followed him.

​The silence became unbearable.

​Why had I kissed him?

​Worse, why had kissing him felt familiar?

​Then Lucian’s face flashed through my mind. The ribbon. The ring. The herbal tea. Moon Goddess, I had just kissed his brother.

​Lucian had saved me from the flooded pit. He had personally gone back to retrieve my mother’s ribbon, given me the royal ring, teleported me home from the summit instead of making me sit through the long car ride, and even remembered my supposed stomach pain enough to order herbal tea for me. After everything he had done, I had just kissed his own brother.

​Guilt settled heavily in my chest as I followed Alpha Lucas through the forest. We walked for another twenty minutes before the thick trees above us finally began to thin. The strange pressure I had felt since entering the forest slowly disappeared, and the familiar sounds of birds filled the air again.

​Ahead of us, the trees came to an end, revealing the open fields of the pack territory. We had finally crossed the boundary.

​Alpha Lucas stopped and raised his hand, probably preparing to teleport us now that his magic was working again, but he never got the chance.

​Because standing right at the edge of the forest, surrounded by armed guards and warriors, was Lucian.