Chapter 276

Olivia

The echo of my own footfalls seemed magnified in the otherwise silent darkness of the mine. The solitary beam from my lantern danced around, casting long, eerie shadows on the jagged walls. Every small sound I made seemed to bounce back at me, filling the tunnel with whispers.

Suddenly, I stopped. There it was again—a voice, soft and distant, calling out my name. The strangest thing about it was its familiarity, sending a shiver down my spine. I tried to rationalize it away, blaming the mine’s acoustics for playing tricks on my mind.

Whipping around, I swung the flashlight around the room and saw that there was nothing there. Just another trick of the mines, my ears playing pranks on me. I shook my head, dropping the cut end of the rope from my hand.

The diamond was up ahead; all I had to do now was grab it, and then find my way out. Maybe by then I would have my wolf senses, and I could easily backtrack to the entrance once more. I was certain that it would be that simple.

Taking a deep breath, I forced my feet forward.

“There’s no one here,” I told myself, trying to draw strength from my own voice. “It’s just in your head. Focus on the diamond, Olivia.”

I trudged on, but the feeling of unease grew with every step. The room seemed to stretch endlessly before me, its dark, high walls seeming to swallow me as I ventured further.

Every now and then, I would glimpse something out of the corner of my eye, a fleeting shadow or movement that was gone before I could truly process it. But I kept my focus on the diamond, glinting mischievously out of the wall up ahead.

That's when I noticed them—bones. Not just one or two, but several, scattered haphazardly along the tunnel floor. They were unmistakably human, their ghostly white remains a stark contrast to the damp, dark stone around them.

“I should turn back,” I whispered to myself, the dread in my heart growing heavier. “This isn’t right.”

As if in response, that familiar voice called out again, clearer this time. “Olivia…”

It couldn’t be. I turned around, the light from my lantern illuminating the form of my father.

The shock rooted me to the spot. My heart raced as he stepped forward, out of the shadows. He looked just like I remembered—the same gentle smile, the same twinkling eyes. But there was a weariness about him now, an exhaustion that seemed to weigh him down.

“Daddy?” My voice cracked, barely above a whisper. “How...?”

“Olivia,” he said, his voice filled with emotion. “I’ve missed you so much. I’ve been here, waiting for you.”

Tears streamed down my face. A myriad of emotions welled up inside me: confusion, relief, pain, love. I took a step towards him, the pull towards my father too strong to resist.

“You... you’ve been alive this whole time? Living here?” I asked, my voice shaking.

He nodded, opening his arms. “Yes, this mine... it’s become my refuge, my home.”

“But why, Dad? Why didn’t you come back to us? We mourned you… I mourned you.”

He looked away, a flicker of pain crossing his features. “I couldn’t come back… I had to hide here from Colin. He was sending men to kill me. But you, you could have had a chance to come home. And you did.”

Without a second thought, I ran toward my father’s arms. They pulled me in, warm and familiar. Everything else—the bones, the damp smell of the cave, the glint of the diamond in the wall—all seemed to fade away. I buried my face in my father’s chest and sobbed, relaxing into his embrace.

“I missed you so much,” I murmured through the quakes of sobs shaking my body. “I wish you had told me.”

My father sighed. “Trust me, honey, I wish I could have told you. But I couldn’t. I needed you to believe that I was gone, so that it would be more believable to Colin.”

I paused, wiping my tears, and looked around. “And you’ve been… living in here all these years?” I asked.

My dad nodded. “Yes. I come out at night, in my wolf form, so I can hunt and get some fresh air. And I’ll admit, I’ve been watching you. I’m so proud of you for everything you’ve done, Olivia. For stopping Colin, for being an amazing mother, and now… for this.”

My father’s words left me sobbing once more. I buried my face in his shirt again, taking in the scent of soot and sweat on his clothes. He was real, firm beneath my touch. All those years ago, I had seen his body in its casket, had seen it buried at his funeral.

“It must have been a hell of a plan,” I murmured, laughing slightly. “Your body looked so real.”

He chuckled. “Yes. It was a lot of work. I had to call in a lot of favors with some people to make it happen. But I’m here now. And I’m sorry that it had to be this way.”

“But we can leave now. Together,” I said, pulling away slightly as a grin began to spread across his face. “I need you.”

His face softened. “Of course, my love. Let’s get that diamond, hm?”

I nodded and wiped my tears away, taking a step backwards. “I’ll get it,” I said quietly, beginning to walk toward the diamond now. “I’ll finish the ritual.”

But then, my father’s hand suddenly shot out and took me by surprise. I looked down to see his fingers wrapped around my arm, firmly but not too tightly. “No,” I said, sounding somewhat urgent. “Let me.”

I blinked slowly, somewhat taken aback. “What?” I asked. “I thought I had to get it all on my own, or else the ritual wouldn’t work.”

Much to my surprise, my father chuckled and shook his head. “No. I had Freya tell you that so you would come here on your own. But it’s not true. Now… Let me get the diamond.”

I watched, still in shock, as my father produced a small pickaxe from his belt. It looked like the very same one that he always wore back when he worked in the mines. I remembered that I once carved a small heart in the handle when I was little; he had said that I turned his old pickaxe into his favorite thing in the entire world when I did that.

However, as I peered closer, I couldn’t see the carving in the handle.

Funny, I thought to myself, furrowing my brow. I could have sworn… But maybe it wasn’t the same pickaxe after all. It had been over a decade now.

“Olivia?” My father asked, cocking his head. “Everything alright?”

“Y-yes,” I stuttered. “Um… Go ahead, then,” I said, shining the flashlight on the diamond. It glinted in the light, beckoning to me.

With a smile, my father walked up to the diamond. He deftly used the pickaxe to break away the stone surrounding the diamond. Then, with a tug, he pulled it free.

“There,” he said, holding it up in the light. “Finished.”

I nodded, feeling a wave of relief wash over me. “Good,” I murmured, smiling. “Let’s leave now. Everyone will be so happy to see that you’re here, still alive.”

Just then, my father’s face fell. It was then, and only then, that the feeling of dread began to sink in; the handle of the pickaxe, the strange look in my father’s eyes, his confusing story. It all began to make sense as I saw his eyes begin to glow.

All around us, the walls began to rumble, and I found myself falling to my knees—partially from the vibrations of the floor and partially from my own grief. My flashlight clattered to the floor, causing it to shine up on his face in an eerie way.

He looked… monstrous.

And not at all like my father.

“Us? Leave?” he asked, his voice beginning to distort. “Oh, no, my dear. You are not going anywhere.”