Chapter 107: Return Her Back

LUCIAN’S POV

"Fucking hell, no!" I exclaimed, slamming my palm against the table. "There’s no way I’m going to remain trapped in this agreement for another three years!"

"That was our agreement, Alpha Lucian. Have you forgotten?" Kenneth asked, looking annoyingly calm.

Of course, I remembered. How could I forget? When I signed that damn contract, I had every intention of making Princess Annabel’s life a living hell for the next three years. I hated her and everything her pack stood for, so the thought of being tied to her for that long hadn’t bothered me. If anything, I had welcomed it. But things were different now. I had fallen in love with Olivia, and I wanted nothing more than to put the entire political arrangement behind us.

I pushed my chair back and rose to my feet, pointing an accusing finger at Kenneth. "You have some fucking nerve bringing up that contract when you’re the one who violated it in the first place!"

Kenneth frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Don’t play dumb with me!" I snapped. "The agreement clearly stated that I was supposed to marry your daughter, Princess Annabel. But instead, you sent me a completely different woman and made her pretend to be your daughter. You deliberately deceived me, Kenneth! So tell me, why the hell should I honor an agreement you already broke?"

A murmur spread through the chamber, and several elders exchanged uneasy glances. Kenneth shifted in his seat before clearing his throat.

"I admit that I sent Olivia in my daughter’s place, but you must understand the circumstances. At the time, I believed Annabel was dead. I had no other choice."

"No other choice?" I repeated incredulously.

"Yes! I was afraid of what you might do if you discovered that my daughter was dead. I feared you would accuse us of deliberately breaking the peace agreement and use it as an excuse to attack my pack again. I had to do something to protect my people."

"So you decided to deceive me instead?"

"I did what I thought was necessary!" Kenneth snapped, finally losing some of his composure. "And besides, that situation has already been resolved. My daughter is alive now, and she’s ready to return to the Full Moon Pack and take her rightful place as your wife."

I stared at him for a moment, wondering whether I had heard him correctly. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me, Alpha Lucian. Annabel is alive, and there’s no longer any reason for Olivia to continue impersonating her. My daughter can fulfill the agreement exactly as it was originally intended."

"Send her to me, and I will return her dead body to you!" My voice thundered through the chamber, causing several people to flinch.

Kenneth’s expression darkened. "Watch your words, Alpha Lucian."

"Then watch what comes out of your fucking mouth!" I fired back. "Do you seriously expect me to throw Olivia aside and welcome your daughter into my home as though nothing happened?"

"Olivia was never supposed to be there in the first place!" Kenneth argued. "She was only a temporary replacement. Now that Annabel has returned, there’s no reason for her to remain."

I slammed both hands against the table. "Don’t you dare talk about Olivia as though she’s some object you can replace whenever you please!"

"Alpha Lucian!" one of the elders called, but I ignored him.

"Let me make something very clear to you, Kenneth. I don’t give a damn whether your daughter is alive or dead. I don’t want her, and I’m certainly not going to marry her!"

Kenneth rose angrily from his chair. "You signed a binding agreement with my pack! You cannot simply decide to disregard it because you’ve developed feelings for a common maid!"

"Call her that again, and I swear—"

"ENOUGH!"

Lucas’s commanding voice echoed through the chamber, bringing our argument to an abrupt halt. I turned toward him, my fists still clenched at my sides. He had remained quiet throughout the confrontation, but now he was standing, his expression stern as he looked between Kenneth and me.

"Both of you, sit down," he ordered.

I clenched my jaw. Under normal circumstances, I would have argued with him, but we were standing before the Alpha Council, and he was speaking as the Alpha King, not my elder brother. Reluctantly, I lowered myself into my chair, while Kenneth hesitated for a moment before doing the same.

Lucas remained standing, allowing the silence to settle before addressing us again. "This is a council hearing, not a place for the two of you to exchange insults and threats. If we’re going to resolve this matter, then everyone needs to control their temper and allow the council to do its work."

Neither Kenneth nor I responded. Lucas turned toward the head elder before continuing.

"Now, let’s establish the facts. Alpha Kenneth admits that he sent Olivia to the Full Moon Pack under his daughter’s identity because he believed Princess Annabel was dead. Is that correct?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Kenneth answered.

"And Princess Annabel has since returned?"

"Yes."

Lucas nodded before turning toward me. "Alpha Lucian, you’re requesting the termination of the agreement because you no longer wish to marry Princess Annabel. Correct?"

"Exactly," I replied firmly. "And I have every right to demand it, considering that Kenneth violated the agreement by sending someone else in his daughter’s place."

Lucas looked toward the elders. "Since Alpha Kenneth has admitted to deliberately sending someone else in his daughter’s place, I believe the council should determine whether Alpha Lucian is still obligated to fulfill the marriage agreement."

The head elder nodded thoughtfully before turning toward the other council members. For the next several minutes, the elders discussed the matter among themselves. I could barely sit still as I waited for their decision. Kenneth kept insisting that his daughter’s return should settle everything, but I had already made up my mind. I wasn’t going to marry Annabel, regardless of what anyone said.

Eventually, the head elder raised his hand, bringing the discussion to an end. "After reviewing the agreement and considering Alpha Kenneth’s admission, the council has reached a decision."

I straightened in my seat as he continued.

"Alpha Kenneth violated the marriage clause by sending Olivia in Princess Annabel’s place without Alpha Lucian’s knowledge or consent. Therefore, Alpha Lucian cannot be compelled to proceed with the marriage."

I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. "Good. Then I believe we’re done here."

"Not quite, Alpha Lucian," the elder interrupted.

I frowned. "What now?"

"Although the marriage arrangement can be dissolved, the peace treaty between the Full Moon Pack and Blood Moon Pack will remain in effect until the agreed three-year period expires."

"Fine. I have no problem with that."

"There’s also the matter of Olivia."

My expression changed immediately. "What about her?"

The elder glanced down at the documents before continuing. "Olivia was sent to your pack under a false identity. Since she is not Princess Annabel and no legal marriage was conducted between the two of you, she has no recognized marital status in the Full Moon Pack."

I leaned forward. "And?"

"Which means that once the marriage arrangement is dissolved, Olivia must return to her original pack."

For a moment, I simply stared at him, unable to believe what I had just heard. "What?"

"Olivia remains a registered member of Blood Moon Pack," the elder explained. "Her presence in Full Moon Pack was authorized solely under the marriage agreement. Now that the agreement is being terminated, that authorization no longer exists."

I shook my head immediately. "No. That’s not happening."

"Alpha Lucian—"

"I said she’s not going back!"

Kenneth leaned back in his chair, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. "Well, it seems the council has finally made a reasonable decision."

I turned toward him so sharply that my chair scraped against the floor. "Don’t you fucking dare smile!"

His expression hardened. "Olivia belongs to my pack, Alpha Lucian. Whether you like it or not, she has to return."

"After everything you put her through?" I demanded. "You forced her to impersonate your daughter, sent her into a situation that could have cost her life, and now you expect me to hand her back to you?"

"Whatever happened between Olivia and me is none of your concern!"

"The hell it isn’t!"

I stood up, my fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles ached. There was no way I was allowing Olivia to return to Blood Moon Pack. I knew Kenneth well enough to understand that he wouldn’t welcome her home with open arms. He had used her to protect his daughter and his pack, and now that he no longer needed her, there was no telling what he might do.

"Olivia is staying with me," I declared. "And that’s final."

The head elder sighed. "Alpha Lucian, you cannot simply disregard a council ruling."

"Then change the damn ruling!"

"It doesn’t work that way."

"She’s not a prisoner!" I snapped. "She’s a grown woman who has every right to decide where she wants to live!"

"Then she may submit a formal request to transfer her pack membership," the elder replied. "But until that request is reviewed and approved, she remains a member of Blood Moon Pack."

"How long will that take?"

"That depends on whether her current Alpha approves the transfer."

My gaze immediately shifted to Kenneth, who was already smiling as though he had won.

"I’m afraid I won’t be approving anything," he said smugly.

I felt my blood boil. "You bastard!"

"Lucian!" Lucas warned.

I ignored him and turned back toward the head elder. "You’re telling me that the same man who deceived me, violated the marriage agreement, and endangered Olivia’s life now gets to decide whether she’s allowed to leave his pack?"

"Those are the current regulations governing pack membership," the elder replied. "Unless another lawful arrangement is approved, Olivia must return to Blood Moon Pack."

I shook my head furiously. "No. I refuse to accept that."

"Alpha Lucian, the council has made its decision."

"Then the council can reconsider!"

The head elder’s expression grew stern. "Enough! The marriage agreement between Alpha Lucian and Princess Annabel is hereby dissolved. The peace treaty shall remain in effect, and Olivia is ordered to return to Blood Moon Pack pending any approved change to her status."

Kenneth smiled triumphantly, and the sight of his smug expression made me slam my palm against the table.

"OVER MY DEAD BODY!"

"Alpha Lucian, control yourself!" one of the elders shouted.

But I was no longer listening. There was no fucking way I was sending Olivia back to that man. Not after everything she had endured. Not when I had finally found someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

I turned toward Lucas, who had remained unusually quiet throughout the council’s ruling. "Lucas, you’re the Alpha King, for fuck’s sake! Are you seriously going to sit there and allow them to send Olivia back to that bastard?"

Lucas didn’t answer immediately. He leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable as his gaze moved from me to Kenneth and then to the elders. Just as the head elder opened his mouth to speak, Lucas raised his right hand, silencing him before he could utter a word.