The words felt like a punch to the gut.
“Perfect timing!” I muttered bitterly, my heart starting to race.
“She just turned of age recently. And when the full moon rises, her body will respond.”
Lennox swore under his breath. Louis sat down heavily on the armrest of a nearby chair, rubbing his hands over his face.
“She won’t understand what’s happening,” I whispered.
Mother nodded. “Exactly. And if she believes this… Alpha Gabriel is her mate, she might-“
“Don’t.” I cut her off, my voice cold, rising. “Don’t even finish that sentence.”
But she didn’t need to. The image was already burning in my mind.
Olivia. In heat… and running to the wrong man because she didn’t remember who she truly belonged to.
My wolf growled furiously inside me, pacing and snarling at the very thought.
“What do we do?” Louis asked, his voice tight. “We can’t force her. We can’t just lock her up.”
“Two choices are laid out… it’s either you sit back and let her go into heat- her first-and make her go through pain while wanting Gabriel… remember, she is not mentally well. Such situations may worsen her condition…” Mother paused, letting her words sink before she continued, “or you do your responsibilities as her mates,” she said and let her final words hang in the air.
We all understood what Mother meant. She was telling us we have to make love to Olivia to ease her heat-regardless of whether she remembered us or not.
Personally, I have no problem with that! Hell! It was a dream come true, but I don’t know about my brothers.
“I have no problem performing my duty as her mate,” I said out loud. Louis and Lennox stared at me with furrowed brows, but I ignored them.
I said what I said-and I wasn’t taking it back.
An awkward silence hung in the air before suddenly Louis spoke.
“I will do it…” he said it in a whisper, like he didn’t want us to hear.
I raised a brow at him and smirked slightly, the tension in my chest loosening just a little.
Louis met my gaze but quickly looked away, his jaw clenched.
“Not for me,” he muttered. “For her.”
I scoffed. He was still lying to himself.
Lennox still hadn’t said a word. He was staring again out the window, arms folded tight, his whole body taut with conflict. I could hear his heartbeat from where I sat-faster than usual, erratic.
“Lennox?” Mother called gently, her tone patient but firm. “I know this isn’t easy… but she needs you. All of you.”
He didn’t turn around. Not at first.
Then, finally, he did.
His eyes looked annoyed.
“You want me to touch her?” he growled, voice low and filled with anger. “While she thinks she belongs to someone else? While she doesn’t even know us? While I still haven’t forgiven her?”
“It doesn’t matter. The answer is: are you in or not? If you are not in, your brothers can do it without you!”
Lennox’s face twitched as he frowned at Mother.
“She is my mate too!” he spat with jealousy.
I scoffed inwardly. Still possessive.
“So I take that as a yes?” Mother asked, and Lennox didn’t respond-he just looked away.
“Well…” Mother began. “You men have a little work to do. To make her comfortable. You have to do things like showing her familiar faces. Gentle words,” Mother said. “You have four days to trigger something in her. A scent, a memory, a place. Anything that can remind her who you are and make sure they are happy memories.”
I frowned. Do we even have happy memories with her?
Yes, but that was four years ago.
I and my brothers both exchanged silent glances before I stood up, ready for the task.
Olivia’s POV
“Olivia, dear… can you hear me? It’s me, your mother.” I heard my mom’s panicked voice through the mind link.
“Are you okay? What’s going on? Do you remember me? It’s your mother!”
I frowned, realizing I had forgotten to tell her about my plan.
“Mother, calm down… I’m fine,” I said softly.
There was a beat of silence, then a soft, shaky sigh of relief from her end.
“You’re sure? Alpha Levi just contacted me through the mind link. He said you’re suffering from memory loss and false memories.”
“That’s what I made them believe, Mother…” I murmured, lowering my voice as I moved toward the window. “But I’m fine. Completely fine.”
Her confusion pulsed through the link. “What? Olivia… what are you talking about?”
I exhaled slowly, watching the wind play with the leaves outside. “I’m pretending. Faking the memory loss. It’s part of the plan. I want them to let me go.”
“Olivia…” her voice dropped, almost like a whisper. “You’re lying to your mates? Your Alphas?”
“Yes,” I said, firm and cold, “Because it’s the only way they’ll let me go. If they think I don’t remember them-don’t love them-they’ll loosen their grip. And when they do, I’ll finally be free.”
Her silence stretched for a moment too long. Then she said carefully, “And what if they find out? What if they realize you’re faking it?”
“They won’t,” I said sharply. “They’re too focused on trying to fix me. Too wrapped up in their guilt and desperation to notice what’s right in front of them.”
“And if they do?” she pressed, her voice tight. “Lennox isn’t the forgiving type. Louis… he’ll be angry. And Levi-“
“I don’t care, Mother! I will go on with my plan. All I have to do is to continue playing that I’m love-sick with Gabriel and keep begging that they let me go to him. Once they do, the rest will be history,” I said.
She was quiet again. But this time, I could feel her pride, even through the worry. “Is Alpha Gabriel aware of your plan?” she asked and I frowned. 2
“No, Mother, I haven’t had the chance to talk to him yet, but now that you’ve reminded me, I will,” I assured her.
“Okay. Tell me what he thinks,” she said, and I nodded, even though I knew she couldn’t see it.
“I’m so proud of you, my little angel, and I believe your father is proud of you too-wherever he is,” Mother said, her voice filled with pride. Tears gathered in my eyes, but I held them back. 2
“Mother, I’m preparing a surprise for you. Don’t worry, you will see it soon,” I said, referring to my plan to expose Anita’s father.
“I can’t wait,” she said with a chuckle. “The Alphas want me to come back, but don’t worry. I will tell them I got food poisoning and will have to rest for the next few days… don’t worry, I will act well.”
I chuckled. “Of course, Mother… I got my acting skills from you, remember?”
We both laughed softly, and I felt some of the heaviness in my chest lift.
“Soon, you’ll see the surprise I’m preparing… just stay patient.”
“I can’t wait,” she said with a chuckle, and with that, our mind link faded.
I stood there a moment, letting the silence settle in. My heart slowed, calm and steady.
Then-knock knock knock.
I already knew who it was.
I turned and walked to the bed, carefully sitting down, arranging the blanket over my legs. I kept my expression soft, my posture a little weak, just enough to look fragile.
“Come in,” I called out gently.
The door opened.
First in was Lennox, holding a thick novel in his hand. His soft eyes scanned my face carefully before he stepped closer.
“You’ll be bored in here,” he said quietly, offering the book. “This….. might help. It’s a good one.”
I smiled politely, taking the book from him.
The moment I looked at the cover, I felt a jolt.
It was the exact same novel I gave him on his seventeenth birthday.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.