My chest tightened, anger blazing hot in me. Simple? He spoke as if my life, my choices, were just lines on a page he could rewrite.

Frederick stiffened, his head snapping toward the pale woman on the bed. His smirk faltered, replaced by concern.

Something in me snapped. I had held back, swallowed my anger, played his twisted game – but I was tired of that smirk, tired of his arrogance, tired of him comparing me to Hailee like I was some secondhand version of her.

A frown twisted his face, but I continued. “Sadly, my great-grandmother was a fool. Allowing a man like you to get close to her… what was she thinking? Maybe she wasn’t as wise as the stories make her out to be. Maybe she was weak – too weak to see through you.”

Frederick’s jaw clenched. His hands curled into fists at his sides, but he said nothing.

Don’t get me wrong – I don’t hate children. Never. My wolf softened at the very thought of them, innocent and pure. But this wasn’t about a child. This was about him. About Frederick trying to twist me into something I wasn’t, into someone he could claim and control.

We stopped at a tall door at the end of the hall. He pushed it open and stepped aside, waiting for me to enter first.

My wolf bristled instantly, growling inside me. My hands curled into fists at my sides as I turned sharply toward him.

His hand shot out and wrapped around my throat, cold and strong. He slammed me back against the wall, the air in my lungs vanishing as his grip tightened. My wolf snarled, thrashing inside me, but my body froze against the sudden rush of fear.

My jaw clenched. I wished I could spit in his face and tell him over my dead body, but I had to keep up with my act.

I forced a glare onto my face. “That wasn’t part of the deal.”

The room was large, lined with velvet curtains and a massive carved bed at the center. The faint scent of cedar and smoke clung to the air. But what caught my attention wasn’t the size or the luxury. It was the little details: his coat thrown across the chair, his boots by the corner, his gun placed on the side table.

My brows furrowed deeply. “This… this is your room.”

Frederick shrugged. “Hailee had triplets at your age and became a wonderful mother. If she could do it with three pups, you can do even better with one.”

Feeling drained, I let out a heavy sigh. “I need to rest,” I muttered, rubbing at my temples. My body felt heavier than it should. Back home, it had only been morning when I left… but here, in this strange country, it was already night.

Frederick arched a brow, clearly unbothered by my outburst. “Is something unclear?”

The smirk never left his lips, but there was something darker behind his eyes now. “Not ‘somehow,’ Olivia. It is what will happen. Felix is mine. Soon, you will be mine. That makes him yours. It’s simple.”

Frederick moved immediately, his hand brushing across his mother’s arm once more before straightening. Without a word, he gestured for me to follow. His long strides carried him down the dim corridor, the silence pressing in around us.

Olivia’s POV

“Excuse me.” The words slipped from my lips sharper than I intended, slicing through the heavy air in the room. My wolf growled inside me, restless, clawing at the edges of my control.

I steadied my breath and forced my glare onto him. “I am not Hailee,” I said sharply, my angry voice echoing through the room. “And I will never be her. Stop looking at me like I’m some replacement for the woman you couldn’t have.”

Before I could move, before I could even draw breath, he was on me.

I stood frozen, my heart pounding. My wolf stirred inside me, unsettled but… curious. Why was she defending me?

“She is not Hailee,” she whispered, her words slow but firm. “Do not make the mistake of turning one into the shadow of another.”

“Yes,” he said smoothly, stepping inside behind me. His voice was low, calm, but it carried a weight that made my stomach twist. “We are sharing a room.”

I walked in – and froze.

Frederick’s mother smiled faintly from her bed, her tired eyes following me as I turned toward the door. “Go on, child. Rest.”

The moment the words left my mouth, I saw it.

His smirk faded for a moment, and then he opened his mouth to speak, but his mother beat him to it. “Stop it, Frederick.”

His face was inches from mine now, his voice a dark growl. “Don’t you dare speak her name to me like that again.” His eyes blazed, every ounce of his control burned away. “Hailee was more than you could ever dream to be. Watch your tongue, Olivia… or I’ll tear it out.”

His lips curved into that same maddening smirk. “What’s wrong? Afraid you won’t be able to control yourself around me?” he taunted in a mocking tone.

If he wanted to play, I’d give him a move he didn’t expect.

I blinked, startled. The way he touched her – it was careful, reverent, even loving. For the first time, I saw him as something other than the smirking demon who haunted me.

“Mother-” he started, his tone unusually careful.

His smirk vanished. His eyes, glowing red, widened in fury. For the first time, I saw his mask slip completely.

The old woman’s gaze never left mine. “Child,” she said softly, “just try to understand him…” She coughed weakly, and Frederick immediately stepped closer, brushing a hand across her arm with a tenderness that didn’t fit the monster I knew.

I leaned back against the edge of the bed, folding my arms, my lips curling into a sharp smile. “Control myself? Don’t flatter yourself, Frederick. Maybe if you weren’t still hung up on Hailee” – I spat – “you wouldn’t be so desperate to trap me here. Tell me, did it break you when she never wanted you back? Is that why you’re trying so hard to use me as her replacement?”

“I accepted to be with you, thought I’d become a mother… I’m just eighteen. I’m not ready to be a mother now or in a few years to come.” I frowned. But actually, it was a lie. I loved children. After this nightmare, I wanted pups – wanted them with the triplets.

My wolf snarled, and I could feel her pressing against me, demanding I lash out. But I couldn’t – not yet.

My hands curled into fists at my sides. Unclear? Everything about this was unclear. My mind spun, trying to grasp what he had just said. A son? Three years old? And he expected me – me – to step into that role?

I lifted my chin, forcing myself to stay calm. “You think I’ll just… accept that? That you have a child, and somehow I’m supposed to become his mother?”

But she raised a trembling hand, silencing him. Her eyes, weak but still sharp, shifted to me. That strange, warm smile returned.

My anger intensified, and it took every inch of control from me not to yell at him. I hated what he was doing… comparing me to my great-grandmother Hailee… it was as if he loved her… like it was she he always wanted but was forced to have me, like I was some pale copy of his long-lost dream.

I turned slightly toward the pale woman on the bed – his mother – who was watching me with that strange, warm smile. She looked at me like I was already part of them, already tied to this cursed family.