Chapter 10: Have We Met Before

Olivia’s POV

​The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was that I wasn’t lying on the cold floor anymore. I was in a bed.

​For a few seconds, I stared at the ceiling in confusion, trying to understand how I had gotten there. My head felt heavy, and my body was strangely weak. Then the memories came rushing back like a movie replay.

​The maids. The storage room. The door slamming shut. The darkness.

​My mother’s screams filled my head again, followed by the memory of her being dragged away from me four years ago.

​I had fainted in that dark storage room. Wonderful. I had been in this pack for barely a day, and I had already managed to pass out.

​I slowly turned my head, and that was when I realized I wasn’t alone. A woman dressed like royalty stood beside the window.

​I immediately sat up. The sudden movement made my head spin, and I grabbed the bedsheet to steady myself.

​"Take it easy," the woman said quickly, stepping closer. "You only just woke up."

​I stared at her as she walked toward me. She was beautiful and looked to be in her fifties, although there was something about the way she carried herself that made her seem almost ageless. Her clothes were elegant, far more expensive than anything a servant would wear, and there was an authority around her that immediately told me she was someone important.

​"How are you feeling?" she asked softly.

​"I... I’m fine," I answered cautiously.

​I glanced around the space, my heart slowly settling as I realized I was back in my bedroom. There was something strangely familiar about her face, but I couldn’t place where I had seen her before. Not in a bad way. I studied her eyes, her nose, the shape of her face. I was certain I had never met her, yet there was something about her that made me feel like I had.

​Where had I seen her?

​"You’re staring at me," she said.

​My eyes widened, and I immediately looked away. "I’m sorry."

​For a moment, she said nothing. Then she smiled slightly. "I am Lady Rebecca. Lucian’s mother."

​My stomach tightened. His mother?

​"Oh."

​Brilliant response, Olivia.

​I quickly corrected myself. "It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Rebecca."

​Her eyes remained on me. I suddenly became very aware of the fact that I was sitting in bed with messy hair while meeting the mother of the man I was supposed to have married. But that wasn’t what made me nervous. It was the way she was looking at me. Not with the hatred I’d already gotten used to in this pack, and not with simple curiosity either.

​"So, you are Princess Annabel?" Lady Rebecca asked.

​My heart skipped a beat. There it was. The question I was going to hear over and over again for as long as I stayed here.

​I forced myself to meet her eyes. "Yes," I replied instantly.

​She gave me a long, searching look. She didn’t respond, simply continuing to study my face with that strange, unreadable intensity. My fingers tightened around the bedsheet.

​Did she know? Did she not believe me? Was my cover already slipping?

​No. That was impossible. Alpha Kenneth had said no one here had ever seen Annabel. There were no photographs of her. Even Lucian believed me. So why was his mother looking at me like that?

​"Is something wrong?" I asked carefully.

​Her expression changed almost immediately. "No."

​I didn’t believe her for a second.

​"Rest," Lady Rebecca said, breaking the silence before I could panic. "You’ve had a difficult day. We will talk tomorrow."

​I nodded slowly. "Thank you."

​Without another word, she turned and walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.

​I let out a long breath and fell back onto the pillows, covering my face with my hands.

​"What the hell was that?" I whispered to the empty ceiling.

​One day. I had survived one day. Barely.

​I needed to be smarter about every move I made. I couldn’t afford to relax simply because Lucian believed I was Annabel. There were too many people around me, and every one of them was another chance for me to make a mistake. If I wasn’t careful, the people in this pack would find a way to kill me long before Lucian even got the chance.

​Minutes later, a light knock sounded at the door. My entire body tensed.

​"Come in."

​The door opened, and I relaxed slightly when I recognized the same young maid who had been kind to me earlier. She peeked her head inside.

​"Princess," she greeted, lowering her head. "Dinner is served at the table. Alpha Lucian and his family are already seated."

​My stomach immediately tightened. Lucian. His family. After what had just happened with his mother, sitting at a table with all of them was the last thing I wanted to do.

​"Do I have to go?"

​The maid looked surprised by my question. "I... I believe the Alpha expects you to join them."

​Of course he did. Every part of me wanted to stay hidden in this room and avoid everyone until morning, but my stomach growled loudly. I had barely eaten breakfast. Most of the food had remained untouched because Lucian had been sitting across from me, making it nearly impossible to swallow anything. Now I was starving.

​Apparently, fear couldn’t stop hunger forever.

​"Give me a moment."

​I pulled myself out of bed carefully. My legs still felt a little weak, but I could stand. After fixing my hair and straightening my blue dress, I walked downstairs, following the maid.

​The closer we got to the dining room, the more nervous I became.

​You are Annabel, I repeated inside my head. Princess Annabel.

​I pulled my shoulders back and straightened my spine. Whatever happened in that dark room was over. I couldn’t walk into dinner looking like a frightened maid.

​When I reached the massive dining room, my steps slowed. Alpha Lucian was already seated at the head of the long wooden table, dressed completely in black. His expression was cold as usual, and the moment I entered, his green eyes settled on me with that familiar glare.

​But sitting directly to his right was another man who looked almost exactly like him.

​I paused near the entrance. For one strange second, I thought I was looking at another version of Lucian. They weren’t identical, but the resemblance was so striking. The man looked slightly older, and there were enough differences between them that I could tell them apart, but their shared facial structure and powerful presence made it obvious they were brothers.

​Both men turned their attention to me at the same time. Lucian watched me with his usual cold stare, while the older man simply studied me without saying a word.

​Great. One Lucian had already been difficult enough. Now I had two of them to deal with.

​I swallowed hard, walked toward the long table, and kept my head high. "Good evening."

​Neither of them answered. I hadn’t expected them to anyway.

​I chose a chair near the far end of the table, putting as much distance between myself and Lucian as possible.

​Silence filled the room. I stared at the empty plate in front of me, suddenly wondering if being hungry had really been enough reason to come downstairs.

​Before the food could even be served, the unfamiliar man spoke up. "Have we met before? Somewhere else?"

​My head snapped toward him, and my heartbeat picked up. "What?"

​His eyes remained fixed on my face. "I asked if we’ve met before."

​"No." I swallowed hard and looked straight back at him.

​He frowned, his dark eyebrows pulling together as if he was trying to solve a complex puzzle. I forced myself to remain still even though every part of me wanted to look away.

​"Are you sure?" he pressed.

​"Yes."

​Why was everyone looking at me strangely today? First Lucian’s mother, now him. Had they seen Annabel before? No. Alpha Kenneth had promised me they hadn’t.

​The man looked like he wanted to ask another question, but after a few seconds, he leaned back in his chair and finally looked away.

​I released a quiet, subtle breath.

​Suddenly, the distinct click of high heels echoed against the stone floor. I turned toward the doorway as Lady Rebecca walked into the dining room, and I immediately straightened in my chair.

​Then I noticed someone walking behind her.

​At first, I didn’t pay much attention. I assumed it was another servant or perhaps another member of Lucian’s family. But when the woman stepped fully into the light, my eyes landed on her face.

​My heart stopped.

​For a second, I couldn’t understand what I was seeing. I simply stared at her, my mind refusing to believe what was right in front of me.

​No.

​It couldn’t be.

​My chair scraped loudly against the floor as I shot to my feet. Everyone at the table turned toward me, but I barely noticed. My eyes remained fixed on the woman standing behind Lady Rebecca.

​"Mother?"