Chapter 43: The Path to the Unknown Olivera's POV:

My heart pounded erratically as I heard the strange man’s voice again. The uncertainty of our destination gnawed at me. Should I trust him and follow his orders, or should I stay behind and risk further trouble? Despite his role as my savior, the situation was far from clear. The sight of Francis’s severed head, still in its grotesque stillness, churned my stomach, and I had to fight the urge to vomit. Why had this man killed him so brutally? Not that I mourned the taskmaster—far from it. It was just the extremity of his actions that unsettled me. What would I say to Rose and the others? Could they possibly think I was involved in this carnage? And what was this talk of a “mate” he had just uttered? The idea was laughable. Wait until he finds out I’m wolfless; he’d reject me in a heartbeat. I lifted my gaze to catch a glimpse of him, but as soon as our eyes met, I was left dumbstruck. There was a coldness emanating from him, an almost palpable aura, yet he was undeniably striking. H