The Rejection

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 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 on 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 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. “No…” he whispered, taking a shaky step forward. “Olivia, don’t. Please—”

“Enough,” Elder Grant cut in sharply. “You must accept, Alpha. You cannot fight this.”

Levi looked at me, broken. As if his entire world crumbled in this moment. But finally… he gave a small, bitter nod. “I… I accept your rejection,” he choked.

The instant the words left him, the bond snapped. Pain—sharp and burning—shot through my chest and into every nerve in my body. I screamed. He did too. We both fell to the floor, gasping, trembling. Like our souls had just been torn apart. I could barely breathe. The pain was too much.

“Olivia!” Alpha Damien rushed forward, dropping beside me. His arms wrapped around me as I trembled violently in his hold. “I’ve got you,” he whispered, lifting me carefully to my feet. I leaned against him, my knees weak, my chest burning, my wolf crying inside me.

But it wasn’t over. I looked up, tears in my eyes, and faced Louis. His face was pale, his eyes wide. But unlike Levi, he didn’t try to stop me.

“Louis Luciano,” I said, my voice rasping. “I, Olivia Parker, reject you as my mate.”

He didn’t speak. His jaw clenched, his fists balled at his sides… but he nodded. “I accept,” he said quietly.

Pain erupted again. A new wave. My legs buckled, and Damien had to hold me tighter as another piece of me broke away. Louis stumbled back, clutching his chest.

My breaths came in broken gasps. My entire body trembled, but I wasn’t done yet. I looked up… and met Lennox’s eyes. He was already shaking his head.

“No. No, Olivia—don’t. Please,” he said, his voice cracking. “Don’t do this.”

I could barely stand. My voice was raw, filled with pain. “Lennox Luciano…” I swallowed hard. My heart screamed not to say it. My wolf howled in protest. But I forced the words out. “I, Olivia Parker… reject you as my mate.”

Lennox looked shattered. “Olivia—”

“Accept it,” Elder Mariam commanded.

Lennox clenched his jaw so tightly I thought he might snap a bone. But after a breathless moment… he closed his eyes. “I accept.”

And that was it. The final snap tore through my soul like a lightning bolt. I collapsed to the ground again, screaming in pain as the last thread of the mate bond was severed. All three of them fell to their knees. The room was silent. No one dared move.

Alpha Damien picked me up again, gently cradling me to his chest. “It’s done,” Elder Grant announced, his voice flat. “You are free… just like you wanted.”

So why did it feel like I’d lost everything?

Alpha Damien swiftly carried me bridal style into his arms, but I didn’t find comfort in his embrace. My body trembled in his hold, my chest still burning, my soul raw from the pain. As he turned toward the Council of Elders, I managed to lift my head—just enough to see them. Levi was curled on the floor, clutching his chest and gasping for air, tears streaming down his face. Louis had his head buried in his hands, his body shaking as if he were breaking apart from the inside. And Lennox… Lennox was frozen. On his knees. Staring blankly at the space where I’d stood, pale and empty, as though the light inside him had died. Their betas rushed to them, trying to help them up. Guards stepped in too, helping to lift them.

I was supposed to feel free… happy… But no victory swelled in my chest. I turned my head away as the ache in my chest grew sharper.

“Excuse me, Elders. I need to take her to her room. A healer must tend to her,” Damien said smoothly.

The elders nodded in approval. Without sparing a single glance at his suffering nephews, Damien carried me away. The hallways blurred as we moved through them, my pain clouding everything. When we finally reached my room, I saw two familiar figures waiting anxiously outside.

Nora and Lolita. Their eyes widened when they saw me—pale, broken, barely conscious in Damien’s arms. Beside them stood a healer, already prepared with a glowing satchel of herbs and supplies.

“Open the door,” Damien said calmly.

Nora did so without question, and he walked in, laying me gently on the bed like I was something fragile. His touch was surprisingly careful, like he was handling glass. “She’s in pain. Start healing her now,” Damien ordered the healer.

The woman nodded and quickly got to work, placing warm hands on my chest, whispering spells I couldn’t understand. I winced as the pain throbbed again. My head spun. My heart ached.

Just before Damien turned to leave, he looked down at me… and smiled. I blinked. Why was he smiling?

“Thank you,” he said softly.

Confused, I looked at him through my haze. “F—For what?” I croaked.

He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “For helping me get my revenge.”

My eyes widened, but before I could ask him what he meant, he was already walking out, the smile still on his face. My heart sank. What… what did he mean? Revenge?