Chapter 88: The Scar

Olivia’s POV

By the time afternoon arrived, I still hadn’t stepped out of my bedroom. I had spent most of the day trying to decide what to tell Lucas, but no matter how many times I thought about it, I still couldn’t make up my mind. I had even skipped lunch because I simply wasn’t hungry. My thoughts kept returning to Lucian’s confession that morning and the promise I had made to Lucas the previous night.

I sighed and got out of bed, deciding that perhaps a little fresh air would help clear my head. I had barely reached the wardrobe when the air in the middle of my bedroom suddenly shifted. A familiar figure appeared out of nowhere, and I nearly screamed.

"Goodness, Alpha Lucas!" I gasped, pressing a hand against my chest. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Lucas stood a few feet away, looking completely calm despite my reaction. "I’m sorry," he said. "I didn’t mean to frighten you."

"Then you should have knocked like a normal person!" I snapped, looking nervously toward the door. "What are you even doing here? What if someone sees you?"

"Nobody saw me. I teleported directly into your room," he replied calmly.

"That’s not the point, Lucas. Lucian could walk in at any moment!" I warned him.

At the mention of his brother’s name, Lucas’s expression changed slightly. "Then I won’t stay long," he replied. "I just came to see how you were doing."

I raised an eyebrow. "You teleported into my bedroom just to see how I was doing?"

"Is that so difficult to believe?" he asked with a small smile.

"Considering that you nearly frightened me to death, yes," I replied.

Lucas laughed softly before walking toward the couch. "I’m sorry about that. I tried staying away, but I kept wondering how you were doing after everything we discussed last night."

I watched him sit down before letting out a sigh. "Well, as you can see, I’m perfectly fine."

"Are you?" he asked, looking closely at my face. "Because you don’t look fine to me. Have you eaten anything today?"

I shook my head. "Not really. I haven’t had much of an appetite."

"Why? Is something bothering you?" he asked, looking concerned.

I almost laughed at the question. Of course something was bothering me. My entire life had become so complicated that I didn’t even know where to begin, and the last thing I wanted was to start explaining everything all over again. But at the same time, I didn’t want to keep anything from Lucas, especially after everything he had told me the previous night. I felt he deserved to know what had happened.

"Actually, something happened this morning," I finally admitted, walking toward the couch.

Lucas looked up at me. "What happened?"

"Lucian came to see me," I answered as I sat opposite him.

His smile disappeared. "Did he do something to upset you again?"

"No, nothing like that." I shook my head. "He came to apologize for what happened yesterday. He admitted that he was wrong to get angry over Owen and said he wanted us to start over."

Lucas nodded. "Well, that’s good. I’m glad he’s finally realized how badly he’s treated you."

"Yes, but that’s not all." I took a deep breath before continuing. "He also told me he loves me."

Lucas went completely still. For several seconds, he simply stared at me, and I immediately wished I had found a better way to tell him.

"He told you he loves you?" he finally asked.

I nodded, watching his face carefully. Lucas let out a short laugh, but there was nothing funny about it. He looked away, rubbing a hand over his face before turning back to me.

"Well, that’s interesting," he muttered.

"Lucas..." I began, unsure what else to say.

"No, it’s fine." He shook his head. "I just wasn’t expecting to hear that, especially after everything I told you last night."

"I know, and I’m sorry," I replied quietly.

"You don’t have to apologize, Olivia. You haven’t done anything wrong." He paused before asking, "What did you tell him?"

"That I didn’t know what to say. He told me that was fine and that we had plenty of time to get to know each other."

Lucas nodded, although I could tell he wasn’t happy. He looked at me for a moment before speaking again. "Olivia, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," I replied.

"Do you love him?" he asked, watching my face.

I lowered my eyes. "I don’t know, Lucas. I care about him, but I don’t know if what I feel is love."

"And what about me?" he asked quietly.

I looked up at him, feeling even more uncomfortable. "Lucas, I care about you too. You’ve been so kind to me, and I appreciate everything you’ve done. But I honestly don’t know what I want anymore."

He watched me for a moment before giving a small nod. "Alright. I understand."

"Do you?" I asked, looking at him.

"Yes. I’m disappointed, Olivia. I won’t pretend otherwise. But I meant what I said last night. I’m not going to force you into anything."

I smiled a little. "Thank you."

Lucas returned my smile, but it disappeared almost immediately. He leaned back against the couch, looking as though something else was bothering him.

"There’s something else you need to think about, though," he said.

I frowned. "What?"

"Lucian doesn’t know who you really are," he reminded me.

My smile disappeared as I considered his words.

"Think about it, Olivia. When he told you he loved you this morning, what name did he call you?" he asked, looking straight at me.

I opened my mouth to answer, but the words wouldn’t come.

"Annabel," Lucas answered for me. "He told Annabel he loves her. Not Olivia."

"That’s not fair, Lucas," I said quietly.

"I know. But it’s the truth." He leaned forward slightly. "What happens when he finds out you’re not Princess Annabel? Do you honestly think he’ll be happy to discover that the woman he’s falling in love with has been pretending to be someone else?"

I looked away, feeling a familiar fear settle in my stomach. It was something I had been trying not to think about all morning. Lucian had been so kind to me, and for the first time since arriving at the Full Moon Pack, I had actually started to believe things could be different between us.

But Lucas was right about one thing. Lucian still believed I was Princess Annabel, and I had no idea how he would react when he discovered the truth.

"Maybe he’ll understand if I explain everything to him," I said, although I wasn’t completely sure myself.

"Maybe," Lucas agreed. "But knowing my brother, I wouldn’t take that risk."

I sighed and got up from the couch, walking toward the window. "Sometimes I wish none of this had happened. If Princess Annabel hadn’t died, I wouldn’t be here pretending to be someone else, and neither of you would be caught up in this mess."

"Olivia, none of this is your fault," Lucas reminded me gently.

"I know, but I’m still the one who has to deal with what happens next." I gathered my hair over my right shoulder and rubbed the back of my neck. "And no matter what I decide, somebody is going to get hurt."

Lucas didn’t respond. At first, I thought he was simply giving me time to calm down, but when I turned slightly, I noticed that he was staring at me with a strange look on his face. His eyes were fixed on the left side of my neck, just below my hairline.

"Lucas?" I called, wondering why he was looking at me like that.

He didn’t answer immediately, and I began to feel uncomfortable. "What’s wrong?" I asked.

Lucas slowly got up from the couch. "Olivia, what’s that on your neck?"

I frowned and quickly reached behind my neck. "What?"

"There’s a mark there," he replied, still staring at the same spot.

"Oh, that?" I relaxed a little. "It’s just an old scar."

Lucas took a step closer. "How did you get it?"

I shrugged. "I’m not sure. I remember waking up one morning and noticing that my neck was sore. When I checked, there were two little marks there. They healed after some time, but the scars never completely disappeared."

"How long ago was that?" he asked.

I thought about it briefly. "About four years ago, I think."

Lucas stopped moving. "Four years?" he repeated, his voice suddenly sounding different.

"Yes. Why?" I asked, confused by his reaction.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he moved closer, still staring at my neck. "Olivia, can you turn around for a moment?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Please. I just need to check something," he replied.

I hesitated before turning my back to him, gathering the rest of my hair over my right shoulder. For several seconds, Lucas said nothing, and his silence was beginning to make me nervous.

"Lucas, you’re beginning to scare me," I said. "What’s wrong with my neck?"

"Can I touch the mark?" he asked quietly.

I frowned, wondering why he was suddenly so interested in an old scar. Still, I nodded. "Alright."

His fingers gently touched the back of my neck, and the moment he touched the scar, a strange warmth spread beneath my skin. I gasped and immediately stepped away from him, pressing my hand against the spot.

"What was that?" I demanded, turning toward him.

Lucas pulled his hand away just as quickly. When I looked at him, I found him staring at his fingers with a look of complete shock.

"Lucas?" I called again, growing worried.

He slowly looked up at me, and instead of answering, he pointed toward the mirror beside my wardrobe. "Olivia, look at your neck."

I hurried toward the mirror and turned my head, lifting my hair so I could see the mark. What I saw made me gasp. The two tiny scars that had been there for years were no longer faint. A thin silver crescent had appeared around them, glowing softly against my skin.

"What the hell?" I whispered, leaning closer to the mirror. I rubbed the mark with my fingers, but the silver glow remained. I had checked those scars many times over the years, and they had never looked anything like this before.

"Lucas, what’s happening to me?" I asked, turning toward him.

He didn’t answer, and I grew even more frightened when I saw how pale he had become. "Lucas, say something!" I demanded.

He slowly shook his head. "No. This can’t be possible."

"What can’t be possible?" I asked, wondering what he knew that I didn’t.

Instead of answering, Lucas looked at my neck again before turning his attention back to my face. "Olivia, where were you four years ago?"

I stared at him. "What?"

"Four years ago," he repeated. "Do you remember where you were?"

I frowned, wondering what that had to do with anything. "Lucas, why are you asking me all these questions? What’s going on?"

He took a step toward me, looking completely shocked. "Four years," he whispered. "I’ve been searching for you for four years."

My heart skipped a beat. "What are you talking about?"

Lucas reached for my hand, looking straight into my eyes. "Olivia..." His voice shook slightly. "It was you all along."

I stared at him, completely confused. "What was me? Lucas, you’re not making any sense!"

He opened his mouth to answer, but before he could say anything, the air in the middle of my bedroom suddenly shifted. I froze as a familiar figure appeared a few feet away, and the moment I saw his face, my stomach dropped.

It was Lucian.

He looked at me first, and for a brief moment, there was a small smile on his face. But then his eyes moved to Lucas and finally to our joined hands. The smile disappeared immediately.

"Lucas?" he called, looking from his brother to me.

I quickly pulled my hand away, but it was already too late. Lucian’s eyes slowly turned gold as he looked from his brother to me.

"What the hell," he growled, "are you doing in my wife’s bedroom?"