“Olivia-” Levi started, stepping forward, but Elder Corbin raised a hand, stopping him.
The room stayed quiet for a moment, filled only with tense breaths and fast-beating hearts.
Elder Grant turned toward me. “Lady Olivia, do you truly wish to leave? Even after hearing the seer’s words?”
“Yes,” I said firmly, not hesitating. “If I stay here, I will kill myself.”
A sharp gasp echoed across the room. The triplets stiffened like they’d been slapped. Pain flashed across their faces.
“You don’t mean that,” Levi whispered.
“I do,” I said, my voice trembling. “If I stay here, I’ll die piece by piece. I won’t survive this.”
The elders began deliberating softly among themselves. I looked across the room-and locked eyes with Alpha Damien. He didn’t speak, but he gave me a slow, approving nod. Obviously happy with my decision, which I found strange. No matter what, these men were his nephews. Why would he take pleasure in their suffering?
Then I turned to face the triplets. Lennox. Levi. Louis.
Their eyes were wide. Panic slowly rising in them.
Elder Grant cleared his throat. “We have heard her decision. The council has discussed… and we will respect it.”
“No,” Lennox barked, stepping forward. “You can’t-‘
“She has made her choice,” Elder Mariam cut in calmly. “She is not a child. She can take care of herself.”
“She’s our mate!” Louis shouted. “Our bonded mate!”
“And she has rejected your bond in her heart,” Elder Grant said sternly. “You cannot force her to stay h?re.”
The triplets looked devastated, but the elders remained firm.
Elder Corbin turned to me again. “Lady Olivia, if something happens to you… will you place the blame on this council, or any among us?”
“No,” I said quietly. “Whatever happens next is on me. I won’t blame anyone.”
Levi ran a hand through his hair, eyes glassy. Louis looked away, jaw clenched. Lennox just stared, stilled, like he’d been frozen.
I could tell they would do anything to stop this… but this was the council’s decision and there was nothing they could do about it.
I met the seer’s gaze. She held it-then slowly shook her head. A knot of unease twisted in my chest, but I forced it down.
“Olivia… don’t you think you should reconsider?” my wolf whispered, sounding anxious. 2
I shook my head. This was the triplets’ plan to get me scared-but I won’t fall for it. Elder Mariam spoke. “Then it is settled. Lady Olivia is free to leave if she wants to.” “No,” Lennox growled, stepping forward. His voice was firm, but I heard the pain shaking in it. “You can’t do this. We won’t let her go.”
My chest tightened.
Elder Grant’s eyes narrowed. His voice stayed calm, but it was cold and sharp. “You may be Alphas of your pack, but don’t forget-we are Elders of all werewolf clans. Disrespecting us means disrespecting all werewolf law.”
Elder Mariam leaned forward, her tone full of hate for them. “Unless you’re declaring war on the council, I suggest you remember your place, Alpha Lennox.”
Lennox froze. I saw his fists clench. He wanted to fight. I knew he did. Levi looked like he was grinding his teeth. Louis’s eyes burned with anger… fear.
For a second, I thought they might actually explode. But they stayed silent.
Their anger and helplessness filled the air.
Then Lennox looked at me.
I saw the pain in Lennox’s eyes.
I felt it.
And I hated that I still loved him. Loved all of them.
But I held my ground.
I stood tall, even as my heart ached. Even as my body screamed at me to run to them.
But I didn’t.
I couldn’t.
Because deep down, I knew this was the right thing to do.
Elder Corbin’s voice cut through the silence. “Lady Olivia,” he said authoritatively, “we will now begin the rejection. Since all parties are present, it will be done immediately- before the council.”
The air turned heavy.
This was it.
I was about to reject them.
And I was about to lose them.
Forever. 3
Olivia’s POV
A tense silence filled the air as we all held our breath…
This was it.
This was what I had wanted for so long.
What should have happened that night of the mating ceremony.
This was the wish I’d carried in my chest for the past few months-and now, I was just minutes away from finally setting myself free.
But then… why didn’t I feel any thrill?
Why didn’t I feel the happiness I imagined?
Why, instead, was I filled with hesitation… like something deep inside me was begging me not to go through with this?
Hooked at the triplets-and in that moment, I felt it.
Like part of me still cared.
Like part of me still loved them.
How could that be? After everything they did to me? After they shattered me, ignored the bond, and treated it like it was nothing?
“Lady Olivia.” Elder Grant called, forcing my attention to him.
I turned my gaze to him. He gave me that look.
The kind of silent warning only an elder could give.
A look that said: Think twice. Be sure.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned to the triplets again. They stood there, eyes filled with disbelief and desperation. I felt the knot tighten in my stomach.
Still, I forced myself to nod. “Yes.”
Levi stepped forward. “Olivia, please-“
But he stopped himself, clenching his jaw like the words physically hurt him.
Lady Mariam cut in sharply. “Alphas… you must respect her decision. You cannot force her to remain in this bond.”
Her voice was filled with disgust. She didn’t bother to hide her hatred for them.
Then she turned to me. “Begin the rejection. Once they accept, the bond will be broken. You will be free.”
I nodded slowly, then turned to Levi.
He had always been the softest of the three… the one I thought had a heart.
But now, as I stared into his tear-filled eyes, I hardened mine.
“Levi Luciano,” I said clearly, my voice shaking but steady enough, “I, Olivia Parker, reject you as my mate.”
He flinched-like the words had physically struck him.
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.