Chapter 93: She Knew

Lucian’s POV

?I couldn’t believe it. Even as I walked away from Olivia’s bedroom, my mind refused to accept everything I had just discovered.

?Annabel wasn’t Annabel. The woman I had married, the woman I had slowly fallen in love with, was actually a palace maid named Olivia. She had been forced to impersonate the princess, and our entire marriage had begun with a lie.

?But strangely, that wasn’t what bothered me the most. What troubled me was the fact that Olivia was the same woman my older brother had spent four years searching for. Of all the women in the kingdom, how could the woman Lucas had been looking for turn out to be my wife? And worse, he had already placed his royal claiming mark on her.

?Fuck!

?I ran a frustrated hand through my hair as I entered my bedroom and slammed the door behind me. My chest felt unbearably tight, and no matter how hard I tried to calm myself, I couldn’t get the image of Lucas standing beside Olivia out of my head. I knew exactly what a royal claiming mark meant. As the Alpha King, Lucas possessed the power to claim a woman as his own, whether she was his fated mate or not. Once his wolf placed that mark on her, royal law recognized her as belonging to him. It was a powerful claim, one that even a marriage could not easily challenge. And now that woman was my wife. My Olivia.

?I clenched my fists, struggling to control the anger rising inside me. I had spent so much time fighting my feelings for her, refusing to admit how deeply she had entered my heart. And just when I had finally gathered the courage to tell her I loved her, my brother had appeared with a claim that could take her away from me. What kind of cruel joke was this?

?What are you going to do? my wolf suddenly asked, his voice filled with frustration.

?I closed my eyes and leaned against the door. I don’t know, I admitted reluctantly.

?You heard what Lucas said, my wolf reminded me. His mark came before your marriage. According to royal law, she belongs to him.

?Don’t remind me! I snapped, feeling my anger rise again.

?My wolf growled in frustration. Then what are you going to do? Are you going to stand there and watch him take her away?

?"No!" I said aloud, shaking my head firmly. "I’m not losing Olivia."

?Even if it means going against your brother? my wolf questioned.

?I swallowed hard. Lucas was my older brother, and despite our disagreements, I had always respected him. But Olivia was the first woman I had ever truly fallen in love with. She was the first woman who had made me want something more than the responsibilities that came with being an Alpha. I couldn’t imagine waking up every morning knowing she belonged to someone else.

?"I love her," I whispered, tightening my fists. "And I’m not giving her up."

?My wolf fell silent, but I could feel his agreement. I walked toward the window, trying to think clearly. There had to be something I could do, some way to challenge the royal claim or convince Lucas to release her. Then, suddenly, I remembered something.

?My parents.

?For some time now, they had been pressuring me to divorce Annabel. They had repeatedly insisted that the marriage was a mistake and that I needed to end it before things became more complicated. At first, I had assumed they simply disliked her. But what if there was another reason? What if they had known something about Olivia all along?

?My expression darkened as I considered the possibility. Had they known she was the woman Lucas had been searching for? Was that why they had been so desperate to separate us? The thought made my blood boil. If my parents had known the truth and deliberately kept it from me, then I wanted an explanation. I didn’t waste another second. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on my family’s estate and teleported.

?A moment later, I appeared in the middle of the sitting room. Two maids who had been arranging flowers on the table screamed in surprise, and one nearly dropped the vase she was holding.

?"Alpha Lucian!" one of them exclaimed, quickly bowing her head. "Greetings, Alpha!"

?I ignored their shocked expressions and sniffed the air, searching for my mother’s familiar scent. She was upstairs. Without saying a word, I headed toward the staircase. I could have teleported directly into her bedroom, but I didn’t want to frighten her or invade her privacy. I climbed the stairs quickly and followed her scent down the hallway until I reached her bedroom.

?I knocked on the door and waited.

?"Who is it?" she called from inside.

?"It’s me, Mother," I answered impatiently.

?"Lucian?" she repeated in surprise.

?A few seconds later, the door opened, revealing my mother in a long silk robe. Her expression immediately changed when she saw me.

?"Lucian! What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise, looking me over. "Is everything all right?"

?I stepped inside without answering. She closed the door behind me, looking increasingly concerned.

?"Son, what’s wrong?" she asked, approaching me. "You look furious."

?I turned toward her, struggling to control my anger. "Mother, did you know that Annabel isn’t really Princess Annabel?"

?She stared at me in confusion, her eyebrows drawing together. "What are you talking about?"

?"The woman I married isn’t the princess," I explained, watching her reaction closely. "Her real name is Olivia, and she was a palace maid who was forced to impersonate Annabel."

?My mother’s eyes widened in shock. "What?" she gasped, taking a step backward. "Lucian, what are you saying? How is that even possible?"

?I studied her expression carefully. She looked genuinely stunned. "You didn’t know?" I asked suspiciously.

?"Of course I didn’t know!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. "Are you telling me that the woman you’ve been living with all this time isn’t the real princess?"

?"Yes," I confirmed, nodding firmly.

?"Oh, Goddess!" She pressed a hand against her chest, looking horrified. "Then where is the real Annabel? What happened to her?"

?"She’s dead, Mother," I replied grimly. "She died before the wedding, and Olivia was forced to take her place to prevent another war."

?My mother stared at me, speechless. I shook my head, realizing that she truly hadn’t known about Olivia’s real identity. But there was still something else I needed to ask her.

?"Then tell me something else, Mother," I continued, narrowing my eyes. "Did you know that the woman I married was the same girl Lucas had been searching for all these years?"

?Her expression changed immediately. It was only for a second, but I noticed it.

?"Lucian..." she began hesitantly.

?"You knew, didn’t you?" I demanded, taking a step toward her.

?She looked away, avoiding my gaze.

?"Mother, look at me!" I ordered angrily.

?She slowly raised her eyes, looking uncomfortable. "Yes," she admitted quietly. "I recognized her."

?For a moment, I could only stare at her. "You recognized her?" I repeated in disbelief. "And you said nothing?"

?"Lucian, I was only trying to prevent a disaster," she explained desperately.

?"A disaster?" I echoed, frowning.

?"Yes!" she replied, her voice trembling. "When I realized that the woman you had married was the same girl Lucas had been searching for, I knew there would be trouble. Your brother had spent years looking for her, and now she was married to you. What did you expect me to do?"

?"Tell me the truth!" I shouted, throwing my hands into the air. "That’s what you should have done!"

?"And what good would that have done?" she asked desperately, spreading her hands. "Would you have willingly given her up?"

?"No!" I answered without hesitation.

?"Exactly!" she cried, pointing toward me. "That’s why I wanted you to divorce her before Lucas discovered who she was. I was trying to prevent my sons from turning against each other!"

?I shook my head in disbelief. "So instead of telling me the truth, you decided to interfere in my marriage?"

?"I was trying to protect this family!" she insisted, her voice rising.

?"By keeping secrets from me?" I demanded bitterly.

?My mother pressed her lips together, unable to answer. I stared at her, feeling more betrayed than I could put into words. She might not have known that Olivia was impersonating the princess, but she had known about Lucas’s claim. All this time, she had been trying to separate me from my wife without giving me the slightest explanation.

?"Do you have any idea what just happened?" I demanded angrily. "Lucas and I almost attacked each other in Olivia’s bedroom! We nearly shifted into our wolves right in front of her!"

?My mother’s hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, Goddess!" she exclaimed in horror.

?"Lucian..." my mother whispered, reaching toward me.

?"I love her," I interrupted firmly, looking directly into her eyes. "I love Olivia, Mother. She’s the first woman I’ve ever loved, and I won’t divorce her simply because you think it will make everything easier."

?My mother’s expression softened, and she opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say anything, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind me.

?"Then perhaps you should explain something else, Mother."

?I turned sharply and found Lucas standing near the bedroom door. His expression was cold, and his eyes were fixed on our mother.

?"Lucas!" she gasped, looking startled. "When did you get here?"

?"Just now," he answered coldly, stepping into the room. "And apparently, at the perfect time."

?He stepped farther inside and closed the door behind him. "Tell me something, Mother," he began, his voice furiously calm. "Why did you lie to me about what happened in the forest four years ago?"

?My mother’s face immediately lost its color. "What are you talking about?" she asked nervously.

?Lucas’s jaw tightened. "You told me that when you and my Beta found me unconscious in the forest, there was nobody else there. You said the girl I had spent the night with had already left."

?"Lucas, that’s..." she began, looking increasingly uncomfortable.

?"But Olivia told me something different," he interrupted sharply. "She said that when she woke up, I was already gone. She was completely alone, and she never saw you or any of my warriors."

?My mother lowered her eyes, refusing to meet his gaze.

?"Now I want to know exactly what happened that morning," Lucas continued coldly, taking another step toward her. "And this time, I want the truth."

?For several seconds, she said nothing. Then she slowly sat on the edge of her bed, looking as though her legs could no longer support her.

?"I didn’t mean for any of this to happen," she whispered, wringing her hands nervously.

?"Then explain," Lucas demanded impatiently, folding his arms across his chest.

?She took a shaky breath before speaking. "When your Beta and I found you in the forest, you were unconscious. There was blood everywhere, and your body was terribly weak. I was frightened, Lucas. I thought you were dying."

?Lucas remained silent, his eyes fixed on her as she continued.

?"I panicked," she admitted, shaking her head. "I didn’t even think properly. I just grabbed you and teleported straight back to the packhouse because I wanted the healers to save your life."

?I frowned, suddenly remembering Olivia’s account of that morning. "And Olivia?" I asked.

?My mother looked at me before turning back to Lucas. "She was still there when we arrived," she admitted quietly. "She was sleeping beside you."

?Lucas went completely still. "What?" he asked in disbelief.

?"I saw her," my mother whispered, lowering her head. "But you were in such a terrible condition that I couldn’t think about anything else. I took you home immediately. Later, when I knew the healers were attending to you, I teleported back to the forest to look for her."

?"And?" Lucas demanded, his expression darkening.

?"She was gone," my mother answered quietly.

?The room fell silent. My mother lowered her head before continuing. "I searched the area, but I couldn’t find her. I didn’t know her name or where she had come from. I was frightened because I knew how important she was to you, especially after the healers discovered that your wolf had placed a royal claiming mark on her."

?Lucas stared at her, his expression growing darker. "So you lied to me," he said bitterly.

?Tears gathered in my mother’s eyes. "I was afraid you would blame me for leaving her behind," she admitted, her voice trembling. "I knew you would be angry that I hadn’t brought her with us, especially when you were already asking about her. So I told you that she had disappeared before we arrived."

?Lucas let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. "Four years," he said quietly.

?"Lucas..." my mother began pleadingly.

?"For four years, I searched for that woman!" Lucas snapped, his voice rising. "I wondered why she had left me in the forest without saying goodbye. And all this time, you knew she hadn’t left me at all!"

?"I’m sorry," my mother whispered, wiping a tear from her cheek.

?"Sorry?" Lucas repeated angrily, taking a step backward. "Do you have any idea what you’ve done?"