Olivia’s POV

I burst into the room and froze. Lying unconscious on Lennox’s bed were the triplets—three of them, lifeless and pale. Healers worked frantically, their brows furrowed in concentration. My heart stopped.

The moment my presence was noticed, everyone turned to look at me except the healers, who remained focused on the triplets. Lady Fiona was the first to move. Her eyes, already wet with tears, fixed on me with a look of profound hurt. “What have you done?” she whispered, her voice trembling with grief and disbelief. Her tone implied she already knew.

I opened my mouth to speak, to defend myself, but nothing came out. I shut it, swallowing the lump in my throat. Sir Damon said nothing; he simply stared blankly at me before turning his worried gaze to his sons.

Then there was Alpha Damien. His eyes were wild, furious, like a storm trapped within. He marched toward me and, before I could react, grabbed my wrist. “Wait—Alpha Damien—” I began, but he wasn’t listening.

He dragged me from the room with such force I nearly stumbled. I wanted to resist, to pull away, but something told me not to—that this wasn’t the time to fight him. His rage was suffocating, burning off him in waves. He didn’t speak until we reached his room, shoving the door open, yanking me inside, and slamming it shut.

Then he turned and pushed me against the wall. My back hit the cold surface with a thud, and I gasped. I tried to sidestep him, but he caged me in—his arms braced on either side of my head, his body too close. Our eyes locked, and I saw the rage in his eyes.

He leaned in, his nose brushing against my neck as he sniffed me. His whole body stiffened; the anger in his gaze darkened. “Who was he?” he asked, his voice low but filled with rage.

I frowned, lifting my chin, refusing to flinch. “None of your concern.”

He slammed his hand against the wall beside my head, making me jump. “Of course it’s my fucking concern!” he growled. “We’re in a game, Olivia! We have a plan—a strategy! You and I—how the hell do you expect the others to believe in us if you go around fucking someone else!”

“I didn’t fuck anyone,” I snapped, my voice sharper than intended.

He laughed bitterly. “No? You didn’t fuck him?” His lips curled, his eyes narrowing. “But you made out with him, didn’t you? I can smell him on you. His scent clings to your skin.”

“That’s none of your business!” I shot back, shoving against his chest. He didn’t budge.

“You think I don’t know what this is about?” he snarled. “You want your payback—for what the triplets did, for all the pain. I get it, Olivia. I do. But if you’re going to get even, it has to be with me.”

I stared at him, stunned. His voice dropped, raw and ragged. “If anyone was supposed to touch you, then it has to be me!”

My frown deepened. “What are you saying…”

“I said what I said!” He cut me off. There was something else in his voice now—jealousy, perhaps, or maybe I was imagining it. “Only I get to touch you!” he spat.

I scoffed, trying to ignore the heat rising under my skin. “That’s insane. I’m your nephews’ wife.”

“I know that,” he growled, his voice strained. His chest rose and fell rapidly, his breath heavy, his fists clenched. For a moment, he looked like he was struggling, fighting something within himself.

“That’s the only thing stopping me,” he said hoarsely. “That’s the only thing keeping me from turning you around right now and fucking you against this wall.”

I froze. My lips parted, but no sound came out. His jaw clenched, and he stepped closer. “You don’t get it, do you?” His voice trembled slightly, not with weakness, but restraint. “The moment I saw you standing at that auction, I thought you were the most beautiful, most goddamn sexy woman I’d ever laid eyes on.”

He let out a bitter laugh. “I would’ve sold my entire fortune, my title, everything I own, if that was what it took to have you.”

I stared at him, stunned. My throat was dry, my heart pounding like a drum. “Don’t push me, Olivia,” he growled. “You think you’re playing some smart little game? You have no idea what you’re doing to me.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off. “Do you even know what you look like? How you walk? How you smell?” His gaze swept over me like a wildfire. “You drive me insane. And today—coming back smelling like him?”

I tried to look away, but he gently caught my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. “Stay away from that man. Do you understand me?” His voice was low but sharp, leaving no room for argument. “Until this is over—until we are done playing this game—you stay the hell away from every man.”

I swallowed hard, my body tense, my chest tight with a jumble of thoughts. “Now get out,” he said, turning away.

I didn’t move. “I said get out, Olivia.”

I hesitated only a second, then turned, walked to the door, opened it, and walked out, shutting the door behind me.

As I made my way back to the triplets, my mind was a tangled storm of emotions: rage, confusion, guilt… and something I didn’t even want to name. My heart was still racing from everything Alpha Damien said, from the way he touched me, from the way he looked at me. I hated it. I hated that part of me didn’t hate it at all.

I pressed a hand to my chest as I turned down the corridor, trying to calm my breathing, trying to make sense of everything. The triplets were unconscious, and somehow, somehow, it was my fault. All I’d done was make out with Gabriel. I didn’t mean to hurt them; I wanted them to feel just a glimpse. I didn’t know it would make them unconscious since we didn’t have sex.

But Damien—he made it sound like betrayal, like I’d broken some sacred vow I’d never agreed to. And then the things he said… If anyone was supposed to touch you, it had to be me. I would’ve sold everything just to have you.

My steps slowed. Did he mean it? Or was it just the heat of the moment? Some twisted mix of possessiveness and jealousy tangled up in the plan we were supposed to be playing? Or… was it something more?

No. No, it couldn’t be. It shouldn’t be. I was the triplets’ wife. Damien was their uncle. And yet… when he touched me, when he pressed me against the wall, when he looked at me like I was the only woman in the world—it didn’t feel wrong. That was the worst part. It didn’t feel wrong.

I reached the door and paused. I could hear soft voices inside—Lady Fiona’s hushed murmurs, one of the healers responding quietly. I pressed a hand against the door but didn’t push it open right away. Instead, I leaned my forehead against the wood. What was happening to me? Gabriel. Damien. The triplets. This game we were playing—it was starting to feel less like a strategy and more like a trap. One I’d set for myself.

I closed my eyes, taking a slow, shaky breath. Then I pushed the door open and stepped inside.