Chapter 84: How He Knew

Olivia’s POV

​I sat completely frozen, my lips parted, but no sound came out of my throat. My heart hammered against my ribs so hard that I thought it might burst right through my chest.

​"How..." I whispered, my voice barely audible over the loud rushing of blood in my ears. "How do you know that?"

​Lucas looked at me, his calm expression softening into something far gentler.

​"I found out about an hour ago."

​I stared at him in confusion. An hour ago? How could he have possibly discovered something that had been kept secret for months?

​Lucas took a slow breath and leaned back slightly.

​"After my friend on the security team showed me that CCTV clip of you and Owen at the clinic, I knew something wasn’t right. The look of terror on your face wasn’t normal. You looked like a woman carrying a secret that could destroy her."

​He paused, his eyes locking onto mine.

​"I couldn’t just sit here and let you deal with whatever was happening on your own," Lucas continued. "So while Lucian was waiting for the security report in his room, I teleported directly to your pack."

​My eyes widened in shock.

​"You went to the Blood Moon Pack?"

​"I did," Lucas answered calmly. "I went straight to your Alpha, Kenneth. I confronted him in his study and demanded to know what he was hiding from my brother."

​He shook his head and scoffed.

​"At first, the bastard pretended he didn’t understand what I was talking about. He kept insisting that everything concerning Princess Annabel’s marriage had been handled properly. He even had the audacity to ask whether I had come all that way just to question his loyalty."

​Lucas let out a humorless laugh.

​"Unfortunately for him, I wasn’t in the mood for games. I told him that if I discovered he had deliberately deceived my brother, I would strip him of his Alpha title, take control of his pack, and make sure he lost every privilege that came with his position."

​I swallowed hard, imagining Alpha Kenneth’s reaction when the Alpha King appeared in his study without warning and threatened to take everything away from him.

​"The moment I mentioned taking his pack away, his attitude changed completely," Lucas continued. "He dropped to his knees and started begging me not to punish him. He kept saying he had only done what he thought was necessary to protect his people."

​Lucas’s expression hardened.

​"That’s when I knew there was something serious he was hiding. I told him that if he wanted to keep his position, he had better start talking."

​He paused briefly.

​"And he did. Kenneth told me everything."

​I remained silent, listening.

​"He told me how the real Princess Annabel was found dead in her bedroom on the morning she was supposed to leave for the Full Moon Pack, lying in a pool of blood. He said he panicked because the marriage arrangements had already been finalized, and he was terrified that Lucian would accuse him of breaking the treaty."

​Lucas shook his head.

​"According to him, he was afraid my brother would declare war on his pack if he discovered what had happened to his bride. So instead of informing Lucian about his daughter’s death, he decided to send someone else in her place."

​His eyes settled on mine.

​"Someone who had served the princess long enough to know her habits, her mannerisms, and almost everything about her."

​I lowered my eyes.

​"Kenneth told me you were Princess Annabel’s personal maid," Lucas continued. "He said you had served her for six years, and when he ordered you to take her place, you refused. But instead of accepting your refusal, he threatened you until you had no choice but to agree."

​Lucas’s jaw tightened.

​"And believe me, if I had known what that bastard did to you earlier, I would never have allowed him to get away with it."

​I looked up at him.

​"He actually admitted all of that?"

​"Yes," Lucas answered. "Every single detail. He even tried to justify his actions by claiming he was protecting his pack from another war."

​He shook his head in disgust.

​"Imagine forcing an innocent woman to take another woman’s identity, sending her to a man she barely knows, and then calling it protection."

​I couldn’t find anything to say.

​Hearing the entire nightmare spoken aloud by someone else felt strange. For months, I had believed Alpha Kenneth would rather die than reveal what happened to his daughter, yet Lucas had managed to get the truth out of him in a single night.

​A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it.

​Lucas noticed and reached out, gently cupping the side of my face as he wiped away a tear with his thumb.

​"So, Olivia," he said softly.

​I froze.

​Olivia.

​Hearing my real name from his lips made my throat tighten. For months, I had answered to someone else’s name, and now Lucas was looking directly at me, addressing me as the woman I really was.

​"I already knew the truth," he continued. "But I wanted you to trust me enough to tell me yourself."

​I stared at him, unable to find the right words.

​"I could have confronted you the moment I returned from Kenneth’s packhouse," Lucas added. "But I didn’t want to frighten you or force you to confess. I wanted you to tell me because you trusted me."

​He gently brushed another tear from my cheek.

​"And there’s something else I want you to understand. When I told you I loved you earlier, I already knew you weren’t Princess Annabel."

​My eyes widened slightly.

​"I knew you were a maid who had been forced to take her place," he continued. "But that didn’t change anything. I didn’t fall in love with a princess, Olivia. I fell in love with you."

​I swallowed hard.

​"The woman who argues with me whenever I tease her, gets annoyed when I deliberately try to get on her nerves, and somehow manages to make me look forward to seeing her every day."

​He gave me a small smile.

​"Knowing your real name doesn’t change the person I’ve come to love."

​I lowered my eyes, feeling a strange warmth spread through my chest. I had expected so many things when I finally confessed the truth, but hearing Lucas tell me he still loved me hadn’t been one of them.

​For a moment, neither of us spoke.

​Then Lucas gently lowered his hand from my cheek.

​"However, there’s something important we need to discuss."

​I looked up.

​"Lucian."

​The mention of his name immediately caught my attention.

​"My brother still doesn’t know that the woman living under his roof isn’t Princess Annabel," Lucas continued. "And Olivia, there’s something I need you to understand. You’re not his wife."

​I swallowed hard.

​"Lucian agreed to marry Kenneth’s daughter, not you. But Princess Annabel died before the marriage could take place. There was no wedding ceremony, no exchange of vows, and no marriage bond. You were simply brought here under her identity."

​He paused, holding my gaze.

​"So technically, there was never a marriage in the first place. You don’t need a divorce or anyone’s permission to stop pretending to be Lucian’s wife."

​I stared at him.

​For months, I had thought of myself as Lucian’s wife, even though we had never exchanged vows. Everyone in the pack treated me as his alliance bride, and I had simply accepted that it was the life I was supposed to live.

​But Lucas was right.

​There had never been a wedding.

​And for the first time since arriving at the Full Moon Pack, I realized that I might actually have a way out.

​I should have been happy.

​But for some reason, Lucian’s face flashed through my mind.

​I remembered the way he had held me that morning, how he had looked into my eyes and told me he wanted to start treating me like his wife.

​I also remembered the countless times he had made me cry, the way he spoke to me when he was angry, and how badly I had wanted to get away from him.

​Those things hadn’t suddenly disappeared.

​So why was I remembering the good moments now?

​I quickly pushed the thoughts aside, annoyed with myself for even hesitating.

​Lucas moved a little closer on the bed, his expression becoming serious.

​"Olivia, I’m the Alpha King. If you want to leave, I can make it happen. Kenneth won’t be able to force you back, and Lucian won’t be able to stop you."

​He reached for my hand.

​"You don’t have to spend another day pretending to be someone you’re not."

​I looked down at our joined hands.

​"All you have to do is tell me what you want," he continued gently. "And I’ll take care of everything."

​I slowly raised my eyes to meet his.

​"So tell me, Olivia. Do you want me to help you get out of this arrangement?"