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.

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 with 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 This was why she’d been so withdrawn.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,” I called 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.”

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.”

“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 rage punching through my chest.

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 fire.”

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.”

Levi stepped forward until he was directly in front of me, cutting me off. “We are never going to let you marry him. Never!”

Louis was the first to break the silence. “Tell us it’s not true.”

My chest tightened, torn between fear and the comfort of their presence. “I’m sorry,” I apologized, my eyes darting to each of them. “I shouldn’t have kept it away from you, but I was scared of how you would react.”

The moment I got the mind link from Lennox, I realized they knew. Somehow, they must have been told… either by Lord Frederick himself.

A heavy silence fell between us. I could feel their fury all over the air.

I closed my eyes, letting myself sink into that promise, even if the weight of the situation still pressed on me. “I want to believe that,” I whispered against him.

The cold air of my room was instantly replaced with the warmer, heavier atmosphere of the visitor’s room in the triplets‘ pack house. The scent of my mates–earth, pine, rain–wrapped around me immediately, comforting me.

The moment his warmth surrounded me, my walls cracked. My cheek pressed against his chest, and I felt his heartbeat–steady, strong, comforting me. His scent wrapped around me like a shield, blocking out the lingering chill Lord Frederick’s name had left on my skin.

The link cut abruptly, leaving me staring over Lennox’s shoulder, my mind suddenly buzzing with unease.

“Olivia,” he said, his tone controlled but cold. “You are our mate. Do you understand me? I don’t care what Hailee promised him. I don’t care what bargain was struck. That promise dies with her.”

I finally lifted my gaze, meeting his. His eyes burned with such fierce protectiveness it made my heart ache.

“Then believe it,” Lennox said firmly, pulling back just enough to look me in the eyes. “Because it’s the truth.”

Louis finally looked at me, his expression hard but his voice calm. It seemed he was able to control his wolf. “Don’t worry. We will handle this.”

“Calvin and my mother have confirmed it, and I also saw the scroll of the vow.”

Lennox’s voice turned even darker. “And Olivia… you don’t keep things like this from us again. Ever.”

Louis muttered something under his breath before snapping, “That undead bastard—”

I didn’t wait to get their response before teleporting away.

Without saying a word, he stepped forward and pulled me into his arms.

His eyes lifted to meet mine, burning with intensity. “And if he thinks he can take you from us, he’s already dead.”

Louis’s hands curled into fists. “Handle it? Olivia, he gave you a month! That’s not something you ‘handle‘ alone!”

Lennox stepped forward, his presence overwhelming, but it wasn’t dominance that hit me–it was the sheer weight of his emotions. “That Hailee made a deal with him. That you… are supposed to marry him.”

“Olivia,” his voice echoed sharply in my head. “Mother wants to see you.”

I sucked a deep breath and whispered, “It’s true.”

All three stood there, tense. Levi’s golden eyes still glowed faintly, Louis’s jaw was locked so tight I could almost hear the grind of his teeth, and Lennox… Lennox’s expression was unreadable, but the storm in his gaze told me everything.

But the moment my eyes landed on them, my stomach tightened.

I nodded, trying my best to believe them even though I was still worried.

My breath caught. “…What did he tell you?”

“Olivia?” Lennox’s voice pulled me back. He had felt my body tense. “What is it?”

Olivia’s POV

“Louis, control your wolf” Levi’s voice was low but lethal.

His arms tightened, one hand cradling the back of my head. “Don’t worry,” he murmured into my hair, his voice low but fierce. “We’re not going to let anything happen to you. Not now. Not ever.”

Levi’s voice was softer but still sharp. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

I glanced toward Lennox. He was leaning forward, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor like he was barely holding his wolf back. Finally, he spoke.

I slowly stepped back from his embrace, my hands tightening together. “Calvin just mind-linked me. My mother… she wants to see me. I have to go.”

I closed my eyes, my fingers curling against my palms. A part of me wanted to delay, to run, to hide. But there was no running from this. I had to face them.

Their eyes all snapped to me the second the words left my mouth.

Without another thought, I teleported.

I nodded faintly, swallowing the lump in my throat. But before I could say more, a sudden ripple brushed against my mind. I got a mind link from Calvin.

My lips trembled.

I stared at Levi, who had an angry look on his face, but the anger wasn’t directed at me. My eyes landed on Louis, whose attention wasn’t on me but on the floor, like he was thinking of a plan. All three of them looked angry, worried, and confused.

“How are we sure he is saying the truth… why would Great-Grandmother do such a thing?” Louis said in disbelief.

Because I was scared. Because I thought maybe I could fix it before they found out. Because I didn’t want them looking at me like this–like I was about to be stolen from them.

I stiffened in Lennox’s hold. I hadn’t seen or talked to my mother since she woke up. “Is something wrong?”

I nodded quickly, feeling guilty. “I promise.”

Lennox stood slowly from the sofa, his gaze locked on me. His face was still tight with anger, but there was something softer behind his eyes now—something that made my chest ache.

“You don’t understand-” I began.

Lennox’s voice dropped lower, but it carried the weight of his rage. “You’re ours. And there is no deal, no vow, no blood promise that changes that.”

The words stung in my chest even though I already knew them. I bit my lip, unable to look at them.

My voice was barely a whisper. “…I was going to handle it.”

Lennox, who was closer to me, sucked in a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, but he didn’t say a word. Instead, he moved away from me and sat on the sofa.

“No,” Lennox cut me off, stepping closer until I could feel his breath. “You don’t understand. We will not let him take you. Not in a month. Not ever.”

“She didn’t say. But she sounded… serious.”