Olivia’s POV

It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t gentle. It was raw, desperate, furious. His mouth claimed mine with an urgency that sent a jolt through my entire body. Heat flared between us, burning away the cold night air.

I gasped against his lips, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he deepened the kiss, his tongue forcing past my lips—demanding, conquering. This kiss was different, so different from the one we shared at the altar. That kiss had been forced, a public display. But this… this was possessive, overwhelming, and undeniably my first real kiss.

His hands cradled my face as if trying to ground himself.

I hated him. I hated him for kissing me like this. For making my body betray me. For making me feel. But I didn’t stop him.

I kissed him back, matching his intensity, letting my anger, my pain, my frustration pour into it. If he wanted to shut me up, if he wanted to silence my words, then fine. But he would also feel every ounce of rage I had buried inside me.

As we kissed, Louis let out soft moans, and our wolves purred in delight. And me? It was a bittersweet feeling.

Louis broke the kiss first, his breath ragged as he pressed his forehead against mine.

“Stop saying you want to die,” he muttered, his voice hoarse, filled with something that almost sounded like pain.

I swallowed hard, my chest rising and falling with uneven breaths. “Why?” I whispered. “Why do you care?”

Louis exhaled sharply, his fingers still tangled in my hair. “Because, Olivia,” he said, his tone dark and laced with frustration, “I’d burn the whole damn world before I let you die. I have to make you pay for what you did to me, and you can’t do that if you’re dead.”

I furrowed my brows. What was he talking about?

Before I could ask, the rustling of leaves caught my attention. A wave of panic washed over me, but the familiar smell of Lennox hit my nose, announcing his presence before he showed up from the trees.

Lennox halted in his tracks as his piercing gaze locked onto me and Louis. I was already dressed, but Louis wasn’t; he was still bare from the shift.

Lennox’s sharp eyes flickered between me and Louis, his expression unreadable, but the tension in his stance was unmistakable. His gaze lingered on my swollen lips, then flicked to Louis, still bare from the shift, before his jaw clenched.

“Olivia,” he said, his voice dangerously low. “What the hell is going on?”

I swallowed, my mind racing. I could still taste Louis on my lips, still feel the ghost of his touch on my skin. My body was betraying me, trembling from the intensity of what had just happened.

Louis spoke first. “I heard from the guards that Olivia ran into the woods, so I followed to make sure she didn’t do something stupid. But she already did.”

Lennox narrowed his eyes at me. “What did she do?” he asked, his piercing gaze fixed on me so intensely that I had to look away.

Louis sighed. “She ran past the border and straight into the Shadows Pack’s territory.”

Lennox grunted in annoyance and shot me a glare. I could tell he wanted to say more, but he simply turned around and began walking out of the woods.

Louis and I exchanged glances. He frowned at me but said nothing as he started getting dressed. Ignoring him, I turned and followed Lennox out of the woods.

As I made my way back, I could hear Louis’s steps behind me, while Lennox was ahead, never looking back.

I hated this. I hated how they made me feel—torn, confused, angry. I hated the way my lips still tingled from Louis’s kiss. And most of all, I hated the way Lennox’s anger felt like a blade slicing through me.

My steps faltered slightly, but I forced myself to keep moving. The scent of the pack house grew stronger—a reminder that I couldn’t just disappear into the night, no matter how much I wanted to.

We arrived at the pack house, and I went straight up to my room. My wolf was still purring at the intense kiss Louis and I shared, but I pushed my mind against it and went to take a shower.

After washing away the lingering heat of the night, I wrapped a towel around my waist and stepped back into my room, only to freeze. Lennox was sitting on my bed.

My eyes widened for a split second before I masked my surprise. Why hadn’t I sensed his presence or caught his scent?

Composing myself, I crossed my arms. “Alpha Lennox, to what do I owe this visit at this hour?” I asked, my tone sounding irritated.

He didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he slowly rose to his feet and began walking toward me.

I swallowed hard, instinctively taking a step back. But Lennox kept coming closer.

I continued moving backward until my back hit the wall, trapping me as Lennox stood before me, his hands on each side of me, caging me in.

Our eyes met, and I saw it. Raw anger.

“So, it’s Louis you liked?” he spat the words out.

I furrowed my brow at him, my heart hammering at the feeling of being so close to me. And my wolf wasn’t helping at all; the bitch was purring.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, trying to sound unaffected. “You and your brothers hate me, and I hate you three too.”

The words felt like a lie. Yes, they had hurt me in ways that were unforgivable. But could I really hate them? These men had been my heroes growing up.

Lennox’s frown deepened. “Hate, you say?” He scoffed. “Yet you kissed him in the woods—so hard your lips are still swollen. I could even smell your arousal right there in the woods!” he spat in anger. “You don’t feel that way toward someone you hate.”

My brows knitted together as I studied his expression. Lennox wasn’t just angry. He was… jealous?