And I hated that.
“You knew her?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“What the hell…?” I whispered under my breath.
He stood right in front of me-tall, poised, and intimidating in the most effortless way possible. There was something about him… something commanding, like the kind of power that didn’t need to be announced. It was just there-pressing against your skin, making your breath catch without even trying.
But before I could answer, he gave a small bow of his head and added, “Of course… only if and when you wish it.”
And neither did I.
Just what I needed-a girl who could read through me like glass.
He kissed the back of my hand-not rushed, not lingering, but just long enough to make my breath hitch.
And just like that, the room felt smaller again. I had to remind myself-this man was a few centuries old. For a moment, I’d forgotten. Everything about him felt too youthful, too effortlessly graceful to be anything but timeless.
But I forced myself to hold my ground. I lifted my chin and met his gaze directly, refusing to show weakness-even though every part of me was screaming to look away.
I barely knew him.
I sat down slowly on the edge of my bed, still in disbelief.
It wasn’t like the overwhelming pull of the mate bond I felt with the triplets. This was different. Subtle. Intriguing. Like a thread of silk wrapping softly around me.
“Lord Frederick,” she murmured with respect, before turning to me with a quick smile. “If you’ll excuse me, Lady Olivia.”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or panic.
I blinked, his words catching me off guard. “Another…?”
Then she was gone.
I frowned at her words. “I think you must be mistaken,” I said quickly, trying to sound firm-but even to my own ears, the words lacked weight.
“Lady Olivia,” he said in a voice smooth and low-like velvet laced with steel. It held no arrogance, yet it commanded attention.
“I’m pleased I got to meet another special one,” he said softly. “It’s been quite some time since I last encountered someone like you.”
Then he stepped back, the faintest trace of a smile on his lips-like he already knew I’d be thinking about this conversation long after he walked away.
I blinked, completely thrown off, and studied her more closely.
I was in my room.
And yet, standing here, caught in his gaze, it felt like he could see through every wall I’d ever built.
Just to breathe.
He said nothing.
He was… breathtaking.
Silver hair framed his face in soft waves, catching the light like moonlit silk. His skin was pale, smooth, and flawless-like he was carved from marble. And his eyes…
When he pulled back, those haunting green eyes searched my face again.
Great.
But I didn’t.
She smiled, this time more gently. “Because you looked like you needed someone to tell you you’re not crazy for feeling… something for him. We all do.” She flashed a friendly smile and walked away.
Not with all these eyes watching me.
“Fuck you…”
“And now,” Damien continued slowly, “he’s got her locked in his cell. He says he’s finally going to fulfill that promise. But…”
The moment we stepped into the living room, Lennox barked, his voice sharp and filled with anger.
“He told me he made a vow on her grave. That one day, he’d kill the daughter of the woman who destroyed their family. Which is Olivia.”
My heart sank.
And this time, no one was leaving this room until every secret was dragged out into the light.
“So… Rebecca’s head,” I said, piecing the puzzle together.
“But?” Levi snapped, his eyes blazing with anger. “He doesn’t want to kill her anymore.”
“Mother! Father! Damien!” he roared, loud enough to shake the walls. “Get in here- NOW!”
“How dare you!” I spat in rage. My wolf growled angrily inside me.
None of us moved. The pain in the room was thick.
My eyes widened slightly.
His chest was heaving, his fists clenched, and his eyes were glowing with rage.
“I didn’t know who Olivia was when I first saw her at that auction. I bought her because she looked so much like Sofia-I couldn’t stand the thought of some bastard having her. The plan was simple at first: keep her as bait, use her to draw Sofia out. But then I found out she was your mate. And that’s when everything changed. I realized I could use her for my own revenge on you three…” He paused to drag in a breath. “I thought you three betrayed me-told Sofia I couldn’t father a child-so I swore I’d make you feel my pain. I’d make Olivia abandon you so you’d know what betrayal felt like.”
A moment of silence hung in the air before he continued. “It was after Olivia left to stay
(Damien’s) with Gabriel that your father… my brother, told me who Olivia really was.”
Lennox growled at him. “You could have informed us… we could have raged war on them and easily saved Olivia, but you didn’t.”
“They cut it off. Thinking it was Olivia’s dead body. And then… Gabriel had it delivered to your border for you three to find.”
Damien met his eyes. “He told me the truth… or at least, his version of it. That Olivia’s real mother-” he paused, “-was the one who murdered his mother.”
He swallowed hard. “Rebecca was like a sister to me.”
“He’s confused. He’s tormented, stuck between love and loyalty,” Damien added. “He knows killing her would honor his sister and satisfy the pack that still cries for revenge. But keeping her alive… would betray them all.”
“He’s fallen in love with her.”
“Her neck had been sliced clean through. A knife. No bite. No mark. Just a blade.” He looked away. “I didn’t know what to feel. I hadn’t seen her in years. She vanished, and now she was just… gone.”
Damien nodded once. “I know. I’m sorry for that.”
He looked at us sharply.
Damien didn’t move. He just looked at her-his expression tight with guilt, pain flickering in his eyes. Slowly, gently, he took her hands and pulled them off his shirt. “After Gabriel told me everything,” he continued, “I told him I needed to go. That I’d return. I warned him not to touch Olivia. Not to make a single move until I came back.”
We looked back at Damien.
Just then our eyes fell on Sofia, who had been silently stunned. Her eyes were wide open. Damien looked at her with concern flashing in his eyes before he turned away and looked back at us. “While I was still with Gabriel, my men reached out to me and informed me a dead body was seen at my pack territory. And they said the body looked like Rebecca… Lady Sofia’s friend.”
Her eyes were wild, filled with fear and pain, and her lips trembled as if the words themselves were hurting her. “She can’t be dead… She can’t…”
(Damien’s)
“I told Gabriel the plan,” Damien cut in firmly. “Told him I’d bring him a dead body- that looks just like Olivia. That it would be enough to satisfy his sister’s rage. Enough to calm the cries of the pack.”
“So I made a choice.”
“Gabriel’s sister was furious. She demanded the dead body’s head still be chopped. She wanted you three to see her in a miserable state.”
Lennox scoffed in anger. “I believe now you know we didn’t do it.”
His jaw clenched slightly. “That was when Gabriel reached out to me.”
Louis’s POV
“I’m sorry,” he said softly.
Damien nodded grimly.
There was a brief silence-one that carried both sorrow and anger.
He looked at each of us slowly, almost as if he was weighing our reactions. “When I got to my pack… they had already brought the body in.”
My chest tightened.
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.