Chapter 95: Not Letting Her Go

Lucian’s POV

?Lucas let out a frustrated sigh before turning around. His expression was still dark, and I could tell he hadn’t calmed down completely.

?"If Father sent you here to convince me to apologize to Mother, you can leave," he said bitterly. "I’m not interested."

?"Father didn’t send me," I replied. "I’m here because of Olivia."

?The moment I mentioned her name, his expression changed.

?"What about her?" he demanded.

?I took a deep breath before answering. "We need to decide what happens next."

?Lucas stared at me for a moment before letting out a humorless laugh.

?"Decide?" he repeated. "What exactly do you think there’s to decide, Lucian?"

?"Don’t do that," I warned, narrowing my eyes.

?"Do what?"

?"Act as though Olivia doesn’t have a say in any of this."

?Lucas’s expression hardened. "I never said she didn’t."

?"Then stop talking as though she’s already yours!" I snapped.

?"She carries my mark, Lucian!" he replied angrily, taking a step toward me. "My wolf claimed her four years ago, long before you even knew she existed!"

?"And she’s my wife!" I fired back, refusing to back down. "I married her, Lucas. I’ve lived with her, spent time with her, and fallen in love with her. You can’t just appear after four years and expect me to hand her over to you!"

?Lucas stared at me, his jaw tightening. "You two aren’t even legally married, Lucian, and you know that!"

?I glared at him. "Stop it!"

?"The marriage treaty was between your pack and Princess Annabel’s pack!" Lucas replied firmly. "You were supposed to marry Princess Annabel, not Olivia! So tell me, Lucian, how can you keep calling Olivia your wife when the marriage was based on a lie?"

?I clenched my fists, struggling to control my anger. "I don’t care what name she used when we got married, Lucas! I’ve fallen in love with her!"

?For several seconds, we stood facing each other, neither willing to look away. I could feel my wolf growing restless inside me, but I forced myself to remain calm. The last thing I wanted was another confrontation like the one we’d had in Olivia’s bedroom.

?Lucas eventually turned away and ran a hand through his hair.

?"I don’t blame you for marrying her," he admitted. "You didn’t know who she was, and neither did I. But don’t stand there and ask me to walk away from her simply because you’ve fallen in love."

?"I’m not asking you to forget what happened between you," I replied. "I’m asking you to respect the fact that she’s married to me."

?Lucas turned toward me again. "And what about my royal claiming mark? Are you asking me to pretend it doesn’t exist?"

?"There has to be a way to remove it," I said firmly. "We can consult the royal seers or the elders. There must be something we can do."

?Lucas’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

?"Remove my mark?" he repeated.

?"If that’s what Olivia wants, yes."

?He stared at me for a moment before shaking his head.

?"That mark isn’t something I placed on her for amusement, Lucian," he replied seriously. "My wolf claimed her because he wanted her. And after spending four years searching for her, you expect me to simply agree to have that mark removed?"

?"I’m saying Olivia should have the right to decide whether she wants to keep it," I answered.

?Lucas fell silent for a moment before folding his arms across his chest.

?"Tell me something, Lucian," he suddenly said. "You keep telling everyone that you love Olivia. But does she love you?"

?His question caught me completely off guard.

?"What?" I asked.

?"Has Olivia ever told you that she loves you?" he repeated, watching my expression carefully.

?I opened my mouth to answer, but no words came out. Olivia had shown me kindness, and there had been moments when I believed she was beginning to develop feelings for me. But had she ever actually told me that she loved me?

?No.

?And judging by the expression on Lucas’s face, he already knew my answer.

?"That’s what I thought," he said quietly.

?I clenched my jaw. "Just because she hasn’t said those words doesn’t mean she doesn’t have feelings for me."

?"I didn’t say she doesn’t have feelings for you," Lucas replied. "But having feelings for someone and being in love with them are two different things, Lucian. You can’t simply assume she loves you because you’ve fallen in love with her."

?"And you think she loves you?" I demanded. "You spent one night with her four years ago, Lucas! One night! You barely know anything about her!"

?Lucas’s expression hardened. "That one night meant something to me, Lucian. I’ve spent four years searching for her. Do you honestly think I would have gone through all that trouble if she meant nothing to me?"

?I clenched my fists, struggling to control my anger. "And what exactly do you expect me to do? Divorce her and watch you take her away?"

?"I’m not asking you to do anything," Lucas answered firmly. "I’m simply telling you that I’m not going to walk away from Olivia because she’s your wife."

?"She’s not just my wife, Lucas!" I snapped. "I love her! I fought my feelings for her for so long, and just when I finally accepted them, you appeared and started claiming her!"

?"And you think this is easy for me?" Lucas demanded. "Do you think I wanted to discover that the woman I’ve been searching for is married to my younger brother?"

?I turned away from him and ran a frustrated hand through my hair. Goodness! How had my life become so complicated? Just a few days ago, my biggest concern had been finding the courage to confess my feelings to Olivia. Now I was standing in my brother’s bedroom, arguing over the possibility of losing her to him.

?"Lucas, there has to be another way," I said, turning toward him again. "We can’t keep fighting over her. We’re brothers, for Goddess’s sake!"

?"And what other way are you suggesting?" he asked. "That I release my claim and pretend I never found her?"

?"If Olivia chooses to remain with me, then yes. You should respect her decision."

?Lucas nodded slowly. "And if she chooses me?"

?His question made my chest tighten. I opened my mouth to answer, but the thought of Olivia choosing Lucas was so painful that I couldn’t immediately find my voice.

?"Exactly," Lucas muttered. "You want me to accept the possibility of losing her, but you can’t even consider that she might choose me."

?I fell silent, realizing that we were getting nowhere. Neither of us was willing to back down, and the more we argued, the more frustrated I became.

?Lucas sighed heavily and walked toward the window. "Listen, Lucian. I don’t want Olivia to suffer because of us. I’m not going to force her to accept me simply because my wolf marked her. She deserves to make her own decision."

?"Then release your claim," I challenged him.

?"Not until Olivia decides what she wants," Lucas replied firmly. "I won’t force her to choose me, but I won’t walk away either."

?I shook my head in disbelief. "Lucas, you know what that means for my marriage. As long as she carries your mark, the royal law recognizes your claim before mine."

?"I’m not going to use my position as Alpha King to take her away from you," he replied. "But I’m not giving her up simply because you’re afraid she might choose me."

?"Then I’m not giving up on my marriage either," I answered firmly. "I love Olivia, and I’ll fight for her."

?Lucas studied my face for several seconds before nodding. "Then I suppose we’re both determined to fight for the same woman."

?"I never wanted things to come to this between us," I admitted.

?"Neither did I."

?An uncomfortable silence settled between us. I looked at my brother, remembering how close we had always been. Growing up, Lucas had been my protector, my closest friend, and the person I could always depend on whenever I got into trouble. Even after he became the Alpha King, nothing had changed between us.

?And now, because of Olivia, we were standing on opposite sides.

?"Lucian," Lucas suddenly called, his voice softer than before. "There’s something I want you to understand. Ever since we were children, I’ve never wanted anything that you wanted."

?I frowned slightly, wondering where he was going with this.

?"Whenever we wanted the same toy, I gave it to you. Whenever there was something you wanted badly, I stepped aside because seeing you happy was more important to me. Even when we grew older, that never changed."

?I swallowed hard, unable to say anything.

?"You know me, brother," he continued. "You know there’s almost nothing in this world I wouldn’t give up for you. If you came to me tomorrow and told me you wanted my throne, I’d give it to you without thinking twice. That’s how much you mean to me."

?My chest tightened as I stared at him. I knew he wasn’t exaggerating. Lucas had always been willing to sacrifice his own happiness for mine, and that was what made this situation even more painful.

?"But I’m sorry, brother," he continued, his voice becoming firm. "For the first time in my life, there’s something I want that I cannot give up for you."

?He paused, holding my gaze.

?"And that something is Olivia."

?My chest tightened, but Lucas wasn’t finished.

?"I love you, Lucian. You’re my brother, and nothing will ever change that. But I’ve spent four years searching for Olivia, and now that I’ve finally found her, I can’t walk away. Not even for you."

?He took a step closer, his expression filled with determination.

?"I’m sorry, brother. But if it comes down to the two of us, then I’ll fight you for her."

?I stood frozen, staring at him. I wanted to argue, to remind him that Olivia was my wife, but looking into his eyes, I knew nothing I said would change his mind.

?Without saying another word, I closed my eyes and teleported away.

?When I opened my eyes, I found myself standing in my office. I let out a frustrated sigh and walked toward my desk, trying to push Lucas’s words out of my mind.

?IF IT COMES DOWN TO THE TWO OF US, THEN I’LL FIGHT YOU FOR HER.

?Goodness! I never imagined that my own brother and I would end up fighting over the same woman.

?A sudden knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.

?"Come in," I called.

?The door opened, and Leo stepped inside. He stopped when he noticed my expression.

?"Alpha, are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

?"What is it, Leo?" I asked, not interested in discussing my problems.

?"Alpha, we’ve managed to uncover some information about the girl from the woods."

?I sighed tiredly. "I’m no longer interested, Leo."

?Leo looked surprised. "But Alpha, we’ve been searching for her for quite some time, and—"

?"I said I’m no longer interested," I interrupted firmly. "Close the investigation. I don’t want to hear anything else about that girl."

?Leo hesitated for a moment before lowering his head.

?"As you wish, Alpha."

?"Good. You may leave."

?Leo bowed respectfully before turning around and leaving my office.

?I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes, feeling completely exhausted.