I turned to Lennox, whose watchful and intense eyes had been on me the entire time.
"I would like to speak to my husband, Alpha Gabriel," I said softly but firmly. "Privately."
His jaw tensed slightly, and I saw hesitation flicker in his eyes. His fingers drummed against the table, then finally he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
He held it out to me, the screen lit up with Gabriel's contact. "Here," he said, voice neutral. "You can call him when you get back to your room."
I stared at the device in his hand. A warning echoed in my mind. What if the phone's recording? What if it's tracked or tapped?
I offered a small smile, masking the suspicion growing in my chest. "Thank you," I murmured, gently taking the phone.
Instead, I stared at the number, repeating it in my mind. Again and again. Committing it to memory.
+64-9-3… My eyes skimmed each digit like a mantra. I would not forget.
Once I was certain I had it, I handed the phone back to Lennox with a composed expression. "On second thought, I'll wait for his call. I wouldn't want to disturb him unexpectedly. He doesn't need distraction at such a period."
Lennox studied me a beat longer, clearly weighing something, before he nodded.
I pushed back from the table, placing a hand on my temple. "I'm feeling a bit of a headache," I said quietly. "I'll head back to my room."
Lolita and Nora were at my side in an instant.
"We'll walk with you," Lolita said, a fake worried frown on her face.
As we turned down the hall, I kept repeating the number in my head, refusing to let it slip even slightly. Once inside the safety of my room, I closed the door behind us and turned to Lolita immediately.
"I need your handset," I said urgently. "Please."
She didn't question me. She reached into her apron and handed it over.
I took it and told them to remain in the room while I went to the bathroom and made the call so no one could eavesdrop.
Inside, I closed the door, quickly typed in Gabriel's number, and hit call. As it rang, my heart thundered. What if he doesn't want to help? What if he betrays me and tells the triplets everything? I was terrified. Truly terrified.
"Hello!" came the familiar voice of Gabriel from over the line.
I swallowed hard and composed myself.
"Good morning, Alpha Gabriel… this is Olivia," I whispered, biting my lip as I waited for his response.
There were two seconds of silence before he spoke. "Olivia? You're calling? What is it, baby?" he asked, still playing in character with me.
I smiled but went on to speak. "Alpha Gabriel, can I trust you?" I whispered while lowering myself onto the toilet seat.
There was another second of silence before his response came. "Yes… You can trust me, Olivia. I swear with my life." He sounded like it was a vow.
I bit my lip again before admitting, "I didn't lose my memory or suffer from false ones. It was all an act."
I waited for Gabriel's response, but he didn't speak until after a few minutes, when a soft chuckle came from the other end of the phone. Original content can be found at novel✶fire.net
"Wow, Olivia… you acted so well then… even I myself believed it."
I pressed the phone closer to my ear, my voice dropping to a whisper as if the walls themselves might betray me.
"My plan…" I began, pausing for breath. "I want to leave this pack, Gabriel. I want out."
There was a long silence on the line. I could feel his breath, shallow and tense, on the other side.
"I'm going to pretend I can't live without you," I continued, keeping my voice calm and low. "I'll act broken… devastated. I'll start to fall sick—emotionally, physically, whatever it takes. They'll panic. And when they do, they'll want to send me back to you, thinking you're the cure."
I swallowed hard, anxiety curling like smoke in my stomach. "That's when I'll need you the most. I need you to help me escape. Once I'm back with you, I'll vanish. Far away. Somewhere they can't reach me. A place I can finally breathe again."
I paused, giving the words a moment to settle.
"And when I'm safe—when I'm far enough from their grip—I'll tell them the truth. Everything. No more pretending."
A lump caught in my throat, but I forced myself to finish. "Will you help me, Gabriel? Will you help me disappear?"
I hesitated, my heart pounding. "I'll understand if you say no. This is… a lot. And it's dangerous. I won't hold it against you if you don't want to get involved."
For a moment, there was only silence. My heart raced as I waited.
Then Gabriel's voice came through. "You think I'd let them keep you ?" His voice was low, rough with emotion. "You think I'd let you go through all this alone? Olivia… the moment they send you to me, I won't just help you escape. I'll burn the world if I have to."
A shaky breath escaped my lips. I felt a tight knot in my chest start to loosen.
"I'll get everything ready," he continued. "Passports. Safe house. New identities. Whatever you need."
"Thank you…" I whispered, my voice trembling now.
"You don't have to thank me. Just stay strong. Keep pretending. And when the time comes… I'll be there."
"I'll hold on," I whispered.
"You don't have to fear. I will not tell the triplets. Trust me."
I closed my eyes, gripping the phone tighter. "Thank you so much," I whispered, genuinely grateful.
"You are welcome. Let's keep acting, okay?"
There was a comfortable silence on the line before Gabriel spoke again. "I'm ending it now… call me anytime."
"Thank you," I said, and the call ended.
A sigh of relief left my lips, but my wolf spoke. "I have a bad feeling about all this," she murmured.
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
She stirred. "I don't know. I just have a bad feeling about this, Olivia… you have to be careful."
"I'll be careful," I whispered to my wolf while drawing my hand over my face. "I'll trust Gabriel… but not blindly."
A knock suddenly sounded on the bathroom door, and Lolita peeked her head inside.
"Luna, you have to come… the healer is here to check on you."
I froze. My heartbeat raced.
Shit. What if he finds out I'm perfectly fine?