Chapter 91: How It Happened

Olivia’s POV

For a moment, nobody moved. Then Lucas let out a furious growl, his eyes glowing dangerously as his wolf pushed toward the surface. His claws began extending from his fingers, and I watched in horror as his body started changing. Lucian immediately reacted, his own claws appearing as he stepped forward to meet his brother.

Goodness! Were they seriously about to shift into their wolves and tear each other apart right in the middle of my bedroom?

"Then perhaps that’s exactly what I’ll have to do!" Lucas thundered.

"Go ahead and try!" Lucian roared.

Both men lunged toward each other.

"ENOUGH!" I screamed, my voice echoing through the bedroom. "STOP IT! BOTH OF YOU!"

The two brothers stopped just before they could reach each other. Their eyes immediately turned toward me, although their claws were still extended and their bodies remained tense. Lucian was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling as he struggled to control his wolf. Lucas looked equally furious, and for a terrifying moment, I wondered whether either of them was actually going to listen to me.

"Stop this!" I snapped. "If either of you takes another step toward the other, I swear I’ll scream until every guard in this mansion comes running!"

That finally seemed to get their attention. Lucas slowly lowered his hands, although his expression remained dark. Lucian turned toward me, and the moment he saw my face, something changed in his expression.

I was crying. I hadn’t even realized when the tears started falling, but now that they had, I couldn’t seem to stop them.

"Olivia..." Lucian began, taking a step toward me.

"Don’t!" I interrupted, raising my hand. "Don’t touch me."

He immediately stopped. I looked from him to Lucas, my chest rising and falling as I struggled to control my breathing.

"Do either of you even realize that I’m standing right here?" I demanded, my voice trembling. "Do you even care about what I’m feeling? Because for the past several minutes, all I’ve heard is ’She’s mine!’ ’She’s my wife!’ ’My wolf claimed her!’ Have either of you stopped for even one second to think about me?"

Neither of them answered.

"Seriously, do you?" I continued, wiping the tears from my cheeks. "Because from where I’m standing, it looks like the two of you are arguing over who gets to keep me, as though I’m some kind of property!"

"Olivia, that’s not what we’re doing," Lucas said.

"Then what exactly are you doing?" I asked sharply. "You’re standing in my bedroom, threatening to kill each other over me! Do you have any idea how frightening that is?"

Lucas opened his mouth, but I wasn’t finished.

"And you!" I turned toward Lucian. "You keep saying you won’t let him take me away from you. Take me where, Lucian? Have I told either of you that I want to go anywhere?"

Lucian’s expression changed. "Annabel, I..."

"My name is Olivia!" I cried.

The words escaped before I could stop them. Lucian went completely still, and the hurt that flashed across his face made my chest tighten. I hadn’t meant to say it so harshly, especially after seeing how frightened he already was. But I was too overwhelmed to take the words back.

"My name is Olivia," I repeated, this time more quietly. "And right now, I don’t even know what to think anymore."

My voice broke, but I forced myself to continue. "Yesterday, I was your wife. This morning, I was still pretending to be Princess Annabel. And now, within the space of a few minutes, I’ve discovered that the man I spent one night with four years ago is your older brother, that the scars on my neck are some kind of royal claiming mark, and that my marriage might not even be valid!"

I shook my head, tears slipping down my cheeks.

"Of course neither of you understands how I feel," I whispered bitterly. "You’re both too busy fighting over me to even ask."

The room fell completely silent. For the first time since Lucian had entered my bedroom, neither brother seemed to know what to say. The powerful Alpha auras that had filled the room gradually faded, and I watched as their claws slowly disappeared.

I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand before walking toward the bed. My legs felt strangely weak, and I was afraid that if I continued standing, I might collapse. I sat down heavily on the edge of the mattress and buried my face in my hands, trying to calm my racing heart.

Goodness! What kind of trouble had I gotten myself into?

Just a few days ago, my biggest problem had been keeping my real identity hidden from Lucian. Now, my secret was out, my husband knew I wasn’t the princess he had married, and his older brother was claiming that I belonged to him because of something that had happened four years ago.

And the worst part was that I didn’t even understand what that mark meant. I had spent four years carrying it on my neck, never imagining that it could turn my entire life upside down.

After a long moment, I forced myself to take a deep breath. I lowered my hands and looked directly at Lucas.

"Alpha Lucas."

He immediately turned toward me. "Yes, Olivia?"

"I want you to explain everything to me properly," I said. "From the beginning. I don’t want any more arguments about who I belong to. I want to know exactly what happened that night, why you put that mark on me, and what it means for my life."

Lucas glanced briefly at Lucian before looking back at me. "All right."

He took a step toward the chair beside the bed, but before he could sit down, Lucian spoke.

"You can explain from where you’re standing."

I closed my eyes for a moment. Goodness! Were these two men determined to give me a headache?

"Lucian, please," I said tiredly.

He looked at me for several seconds before stepping back, although he remained close to the bed. Lucas stayed where he was, his expression becoming serious as he prepared to explain.

"Four years ago," Lucas began, "I was betrayed by one of my most trusted warriors, the head of my warriors, to be precise. He had been secretly working with an enemy who wanted me dead. I trusted that man, Olivia. He had served me faithfully for years, and I never imagined he would be the one to betray me. But apparently, he had been promised a great deal of money and power in exchange for helping them kill me."

His expression darkened as he continued. "That night, I was sleeping peacefully in my bedroom when he entered. As the head of my warriors, he had access to my private quarters, so the guards didn’t suspect anything. I was still asleep when he pulled out a gun and shot me."

I stared at him in shock, unable to believe that someone he trusted so much could betray him like that.

"It wasn’t an ordinary bullet," Lucas continued. "It had been enchanted with dark magic, specifically designed to weaken my wolf and stop my healing abilities. Whoever planned the attack knew an Alpha King wouldn’t be easy to kill, so they made sure I wouldn’t be able to defend myself."

He paused, his jaw tightening. "The moment the bullet entered my body, I woke up in terrible pain. I tried to fight back, but the spell was already spreading through me. I barely had enough strength left to teleport away."

"The forest..." I whispered, suddenly remembering.

Lucas nodded. "Yes. I ended up in the forest where you found me. By then, the spell had weakened me so badly that I could barely move. I honestly thought I was going to die there."

My heart tightened as memories of that night returned. I remembered finding him covered in blood, barely conscious. I’d been terrified that he might die before I could help him.

"And then you came," Lucas continued. "You tried to help me, even though you didn’t know who I was."

"Yes," I whispered. "I remember."

Lucas nodded, his expression becoming thoughtful. "That night, I wasn’t myself, Olivia. The spell was affecting my mind as well as my body. Everything felt confusing, and I could barely understand what was happening around me. And from what I remember, you weren’t exactly yourself either."

I looked away, my cheeks growing warm. He was right. That night had been strange for both of us. Even now, four years later, there were parts of it I still struggled to understand.

"But there was one thing I remember clearly," Lucas continued. "My wolf was drawn to you. From the moment you came close to me, he reacted to your presence. I couldn’t understand it at the time, especially because I was so weak, but he wanted you near us."

I remained silent, unsure what to make of his words.

"And when we ended up sleeping together that night, my wolf claimed you."

My hand immediately moved to the left side of my neck. "These marks?"

"Yes."

"But why?" I asked, my confusion growing. "Why would your wolf do that when we had only just met?"

"Because he wanted you to belong to him," Lucas answered. "And as an Alpha King’s wolf, he had the power to place a royal claiming mark on you."

I frowned. "But what exactly does that mean?"

Lucas took a deep breath. "A royal claiming mark is different from a fated mate bond. It doesn’t mean the Moon Goddess chose us for each other. But under royal law, a confirmed royal claim takes priority over any marriage that comes afterward. That means your marriage to Lucian can be declared invalid."

My heart dropped.

"Are you saying my marriage to Lucian would just... end?" I asked.