I pressed a little further. “We promised, remember? Not to keep things from each other. Not when it matters.”
“Alpha Lennox,” one of the border guards mind linked urgently. “I’m one of the guards at the northern gates.”
Her eyes flicked to me for a split second before sliding away. “It was nothing” 2
Louis was the first to speak, his brows furrowed. “Something’s not right with her.”
“Fine,” I finally said, masking my frustration. “But just know… I’m here. We all are.”
Levi leaned forward, concern tightening his voice. “Why? You’re still weak. You should rest here.”
Olivia’s smile was small-too small. Forced. And her scent… it carried that faint bitter note she always had when she was trying to hide something.
She sat there for a moment, her gaze unfocused, like her mind was somewhere far from this room. Then she finally looked at us and said quietly, almost distracted, “I… I need to go back.”
Her heartbeat spiked. I heard it. So did my wolf.
Her scent still carried unease. She was thinking about something-no, someone. I could see it in her eyes.
There was a pause on her end, just her breathing-steady but faint.
Something wasn’t right with Olivia-and the worst part was, she was shutting me out.
For a few seconds, the room was silent after she disappeared.
Her answer came quicker this time, and it made my jaw tighten. “I’ll handle it myself.”
Another pause.
Her fingers twisted in her lap. “I just… I need to be at home.”
“You sure?” Levi asked again.
I stiffened. “Yes? What’s going on?”
Her voice came again, softer now, like she wanted to end the conversation before I could push further. “Goodnight, Lennox.”
I crossed my arms slowly, letting her know I wasn’t buying her story. “Fine. But whatever it is… it’s written all over your face.”
It was such a simple thing to say, but the way she said it… it didn’t feel like a goodnight. It felt like a door closing.
I didn’t need them to tell me. I could feel it. Smell it. The unease in her scent was still lingering in the air like smoke after a fire.
I clenched my jaw, staring at the empty space where she’d been just a heartbeat ago.
Louis rubbed the back of his neck. “We should let her be for now… but I don’t like this.”
The link went quiet. I sat there in the stillness of my room, the faint ticking of the clock filling the silence. My wolf prowled in my mind, uneasy, growling low. My gut twisted in the same way it did before something bad happened.
The way she said it made my wolf bristle. It wasn’t the tone of someone going home because they wanted to-it was the tone of someone who felt compelled. Like something was pulling her.
With a frustrated sigh, I shoved the papers aside and leaned back in my chair. Finally, I gave in and reached for the one thing I knew I shouldn’t do but couldn’t resist.
There was a pause before he answered, and I could tell he was uneasy. “Lord Frederick is here. He says he wishes to enter the pack… and that he has something important to tell you.”
A few seconds passed before her voice came. It was calm but not convincing. “I’m fine,
Lennox.”
I rubbed my face with both hands, trying to shake the heavy, restless feeling weighing on me, but it didn’t work.
“Tell me,” I urged. “Whatever it is, you don’t have to carry it alone. You have us.”
Louis frowned. “Back? Olivia, it’s-” he glanced toward the clock on the wall- “it’s just after three in the morning.”
But she didn’t let me finish. With one last glance at us, her expression unreadable, she whispered, “I’ll be fine,” and in a blink, she was gone-teleporting out of the room, leaving only the faint trace of her scent hanging in the air.
The words were exactly what I expected. And just like before… I didn’t believe them for a second,
By morning, I was running on no sleep but forcing myself to focus. We had an Alpha council meeting later, and I was already preparing the reports in my office. Papers were spread across the desk, and I was halfway through making a note when a sudden voice hit my mind.
We exchanged a few more quiet words before finally deciding to call it a night. Each of us drifted back to our own rooms, but sleep? That was impossible.
I mind-linked her. Olivia.
I sat at my desk, staring at the scattered papers in front of me, barely seeing the words. My mind kept replaying her face, the tightness in her voice, the way she left so suddenly.
His eyes lingered on mine for one last heartbeat… then he turned and walked out, the air in the room slowly loosening with his absence.
Louis straightened instantly, his arms falling from their crossed position, his voice low and full of anger. “What the hell are you talking about?”
My wolf instantly went on alert, ears pricking at the sound of her name. “What about her?” I asked, my voice dropping low.
Frederick’s eyes shifted briefly to him before returning to me. “I saved the life of your great-grandmother, and in return she promised Olivia to me. This vow was sealed by her blood.”
Frederick’s eyes lingered on him for a moment before returning to me. “It’s about Olivia.”
Levi’s eyes were blazing gold now, his wolf fully pressing against the surface, wanting to be grateful. “She’s ours. Not yours. Not anyone’s. You don’t touch her. You don’t even breathe her name.””
Lord Frederick stood near the far end of the room, hands clasped neatly behind his back, posture straight. His presence was the same as I remembered-calm, but somehow commanding. His dark eyes flicked to each of us as we approached, and the faintest curve of a smile formed on his lips. 2
The moment those words left his mouth, something inside me snapped.
Louis’ response came first, sharp and laced with irritation. “Lord Frederick? What the hell does he want?”
“Alpha Lennox,” he greeted smoothly, inclining his head slightly. “Alpha Levi and Alpha Louis. It’s been… far too long.”
Frederick took a slow step forward. “Whatever path she is trying to take, she has to stop it.”
Louis crossed his arms, clearly annoyed. “Then say it.”
I moved closer, the air around me radiating anger. “You listen to me, and you listen well, Frederick. Whatever deal you made withi Hailee? It means nothing to us. Olivia is our mate
I didn’t bother returning the smile. “Lord Frederick. You wanted to speak with us. What’s so urgent that you had to come to our pack unannounced?”
Even back then, I knew exactly what he was-a vampire. And from the moment I caught his scent, cold and metallic like winter blood, I didn’t like him. There was something about the way he looked at people… calm, polite, but calculated. Like he was always two steps ahead, already deciding how you fit into his plans. And even though Great-Grandmother trusted him, I could never shake the feeling that there was more to him than he let on.
“Lennox,” she responded. Her voice shaky… Now I understood. This was why she’d been so withdrawn.
I took a step closer, my gaze locked with his. “What kind of deal?” I asked, already sensing something wasn’t right.
“Olivia,” Lcalled out, trying my best not to let my anger show in the tone of my voice.
I felt my jaw tighten. “Enough with the riddles. Speak plainly.”
Louis stepped forward first, his voice a low, venomous growl. “You just made the biggest mistake of your undead life saying this to us.”
Levi’s tone was pure Alpha command now. “Get out of our pack, Frederick. You’ve overstayed your welcome.”
And this leech was standing here claiming she belonged to him?
His gaze sharpened, but his tone remained calm. “Because what I have to say… cannot be delivered through a message.”
What the hell was he doing here?
Lord Frederick?
Louis stepped forward like he was ready to attack, but I caught his arm. “Leave,” I ordered, my voice low but filled with Alpha power. “Before I decide your head will look better mounted on my wall.”
Levi’s tone was calmer, but there was tension under it. “On my way.”
Frederick’s expression didn’t falter, but I saw it-the tiny flicker in his eyes. He’d expected anger, but maybe not this. Not the fury of three Alphas ready to kill.
There was a moment of silence over the mind link before she responded. “Yes…”
And claiming he had something important to tell me?
Now he was here, at my borders, asking to enter my pack.
“Let him in,” I said to the guards.
Louis’s snarl was vicious. “And if you think for a second we’ll let you so much as look at her the wrong way, you’re dead wrong. And I do mean dead.”
The vampire’s lips curved again, but it wasn’t a pleasant smile. “Your great-grandmother didn’t tell you?”
I didn’t believe for a second that it was just a casual visit.
I closed my eyes and made a mind link to Olivia.
But the rage? That stayed.
For a long moment, he just looked at us, as if weighing his next move. Then that cold, annoying smile slid back onto his lips. “She has just a month to get married to me or else her life will be in danger.” (4)
Our mate.
“We’re about to find out,” I muttered through the link.
“Hailee gave the next special one to me,” Lord Frederick said, his voice smooth, almost satisfied. “And that… happens to be Olivia.” (2
“This is my friend, Lord Frederick,” she had said warmly.
By the time I entered, Levi and Louis were already there, both wearing the same curious expression on their faces.
Olivia.
For a second, the room felt like it tilted. My wolf snarled violently inside me, his punching through my chest. rage
Levi’s eyes narrowed. “What exactly do you mean by that? What path?”
My wolf lunged inside me, roaring so loud it rattled my bones. The air in the visitor’s room shifted-thick, heavy with the raw rage pouring from me and my brothers.
Lennox’s POV
I cut him off with a growl that shook the room. “I know exactly what she is. She’s ours. And if you ever try to claim her, I will rip your cold, undead heart out and feed it to the fireTM
He tilted his head slightly, studying me. “Hailee and I made a deal.”
As if my anticipation were right, just a few hours after she introduced us to him, I saw her having a heated disagreement with him that caused Great-Grandfather Nathan to send him away. Ever since then, we haven’t spoken to him, and our paths haven’t crossed-although I saw him at Olivia’s welcome party. We only exchanged looks but never talked.
“Can we see you now? It’s very important.”
The last time I saw him was years ago, during Great-Grandmother Hailee’s last birthday celebration. I still remember that night vividly. My brothers and I were young then, and she had introduced him to us with a proud smile.
I grabbed my jacket and made my way out of the study room to my room so I could freshen up.
Frederick’s gaze flicked between us, his composure still holding, though I caught the way his jaw tightened. “You may think your bond can protect her, but you have no idea the forces at play here. You don’t know what she is-“
I rose from my chair, mind-linking Levi and Louis immediately. “Meet me in the visitors’ room. Lord Frederick is here.”
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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.