Chapter 82: His Confession

Olivia’s POV

​I couldn’t speak. For several seconds, I simply sat there, staring at Lucas as his question repeated itself in my head.

​What does that man have on you?

​What was I supposed to say to that? That Owen knew I wasn’t Princess Annabel? That he knew the woman Lucas believed he was speaking to had been dead long before she arrived at the Full Moon Pack? Or that I had been pretending to be someone else since the day I married his brother?

​I swallowed hard and lowered my eyes to my hands. They were trembling, so I quickly pressed them together, hoping Lucas wouldn’t notice. Unfortunately, I should have known better than to think I could hide anything from him. He had already noticed far too much tonight.

​"Annabel," Lucas called, drawing my attention back to him.

​I slowly looked up.

​"Don’t lie to me," he warned, his expression serious. "I’ve been patient with you, and I’ve given you more than enough chances to tell me what’s going on. But I want the truth now."

​My lips parted, but nothing came out. What could I possibly tell him? I couldn’t pretend Owen was my lover because Lucas had already seen enough to know something wasn’t right. But telling him the truth would mean exposing everything I had spent the past few months trying to hide. And once that happened, there would be no going back.

​Lucas watched me for a moment before speaking again. "You know, I could easily get the truth out of you without asking."

​I frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

​"By using my Alpha Command on you," he replied calmly.

​My eyes widened, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe. Of course. How could I have forgotten something so important?

​Lucas wasn’t just another Alpha. He was the Alpha King, which meant his authority extended far beyond his own pack. Even though I wasn’t originally from his pack, I was still a werewolf, and his command would be powerful enough to force me to obey him. If Lucas ordered me to answer his questions truthfully, I wouldn’t have much choice.

​My heart began pounding so hard that I could hear it in my ears. I had survived Lucian’s interrogation, escaped having my secrets exposed through the security footage, and somehow ended up in an even worse situation.

​Honestly, at this point, I was beginning to wonder whether the Moon Goddess had something personal against me.

​Lucas watched my reaction for a moment before his expression softened. "And I won’t," he said quietly. "I want you to tell me the truth because you trust me, not because I forced you to." He paused, studying my face. "So tell me, Annabel. What does Owen have on you?"

​I opened my mouth, but the words refused to come. I wanted to tell him. For the first time since arriving at the Full Moon Pack, I actually wanted to tell someone everything. I was tired of lying, tired of being afraid, and tired of waking up every morning wondering whether that would be the day someone discovered who I really was.

​But wanting to tell him and actually telling him were two completely different things. What if he immediately called Lucian? What if he decided I deserved to die for deceiving his family?

​Before I could stop myself, tears began gathering in my eyes.

​"Annabel?" Lucas called, his expression changing when he noticed.

​I shook my head and looked away, desperately trying to hold back my tears. "Alpha Lucas, you don’t understand," I whispered.

​"Then help me understand," he replied, his voice gentler than before.

​I let out a shaky breath. "If I tell you, you’ll hate me. And I’m afraid of what you’ll do to me afterward."

​For a few seconds, Lucas said nothing. He studied my face as though he was trying to understand what could possibly frighten me this much. Then he let out a quiet breath and moved closer.

​"Look at me, Annabel," he said.

​I shook my head, unable to meet his gaze.

​"Please," he added softly.

​Something about the gentleness in his voice made my chest tighten. I slowly raised my eyes, and the moment I did, Lucas reached out and gently wiped a tear from my cheek with his thumb.

​"Hate you?" he repeated quietly. "Punish you? Is that really what you think I would do?"

​I nodded, unable to speak.

​Lucas looked at me for a long moment before slowly withdrawing his hand. He turned his head away, rubbing a hand over his face as though he was struggling with something himself.

​"Do you have any idea how difficult you’ve made things for me?" he asked suddenly.

​I frowned, confused by the change in his tone. "What?"

​He let out a short laugh, but there was no amusement in it. "I’ve spent weeks telling myself to stay away from you. Every time I decide to keep my distance, something happens, and I find myself coming back."

​I stared at him, unsure where he was going with this.

​"You’re my brother’s wife, Annabel. Do you think I don’t know that?" he continued, turning back to face me. "Do you think I don’t remind myself of that every single time I see you?"

​My heart skipped a beat.

​"Lucas..."

​"Let me finish," he said quietly. "When the CCTV operator told me about Owen, I should have stayed out of it. Instead, I started looking for a way to protect you before I even knew what you were hiding."

​He paused, his jaw tightening slightly.

​"And when I saw that footage of you arguing with Owen, I knew something was wrong. You looked frightened, Annabel. Not like a woman meeting her lover, but like someone who was being threatened."

​I lowered my eyes, unable to deny it.

​"That’s why I had the footage deleted," Lucas continued. "I knew Lucian would see it and start asking questions you weren’t ready to answer. I put myself in a difficult position with my own brother because I couldn’t stand the thought of you getting hurt."

​I looked up at him again. "Why?"

​Lucas held my gaze for several seconds.

​"Because I’m in love with you, Annabel."

​My entire body went still.

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