Lennox’s POV

It was almost 9 p.m.—just two minutes to go—and then we’d be barging into Olivia’s room. Where we sat in silence, in the comfort of my dimly lit room, not one of us said a word. We were each trapped in the echo chambers of our own thoughts. I took a sip of Whisper and shut my eyes. Damn it. I hadn’t been myself all day.

My mood today was spoilt the moment those roses were brought for Olivia. I couldn’t do a thing today; couldn’t attend meetings, couldn’t train, couldn’t attend to documents. In fact, the three of us had been in my room pondering our different thoughts. I had sent a spy to watch Olivia, hoping to track down the bastard who dared to send her flowers. I couldn’t wait to get the report.

“What if she refuses us?” Levi asked suddenly, breaking the silence. “You know we can’t touch her against her will.”

I scoffed. “She can’t reject our touch, Levi. The mate bond works in our favor.”

Levi went on. “So… we’re fucking her not because we want to, but because we can’t bear to see another man take what’s ours? Is that it?”

A strange unease bloomed in my chest. Then Levi hit harder. “Do we even love her?”

My jaw tensed. My frown deepened. “I did,” I said coldly. “That was before she broke me. Now… I feel absolutely nothing for her.” I ground the words out between clenched teeth, but deep down, I knew I was lying. Yes, I was angry. Yes, I hated her for what she did. But had I ever truly stopped loving her?

“It’s 9 p.m.,” Louis said quietly. “We should go.”

I glanced at my watch. He was right. I downed the last of my drink, set the glass on the table, and stood. My brothers followed. I could feel the tension radiating from them—an unspoken nervousness hanging between us. Tonight, we were about to make Olivia truly ours.

The walk to Olivia’s room felt like a slow march to war, our steps heavy with the weight of unspoken words. The hallway was dimly lit, shadows dancing on the walls like they knew what was about to happen. My heart pounded harder with every step, not from fear—but from anticipation, frustration, and something I wasn’t ready to name just yet.

We stopped outside her door. No one moved. Louis exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “Are we sure about this?” he asked again, voice low, uncertain.

“She’s ours,” I said simply, my voice colder than I intended.

Levi glanced between us, then reached for the handle. “Let’s get this over with.”

The door creaked open slowly. My brothers and I stepped into Olivia’s room, but the sight that greeted us wasn’t what we had expected. Lying on the bed was Olivia, but not just that—her personal maid, Lolita, and Nora were seated beside her, administering care. Nora was pressing a towel on her forehead.

I froze, my wolf already howling worriedly. Olivia’s skin looked pale, a fine sheen of sweat coating her forehead. Her eyes were closed, her breathing shallow. My heart skipped a beat, and I took a step forward instinctively, the possessiveness I’d felt moments ago now overridden by worry.

“What’s wrong with her?” I demanded, voice harsher than I intended.

Lolita looked up, startled, her eyes wide with surprise at our sudden presence. “She collapsed earlier,” she said quickly. “Right after her bath.”

“Collapsed?” Levi echoed, stepping beside me, his brows furrowed. “Why didn’t anyone tell us?”

“She insisted it was nothing,” Nora spoke, still gently pressing the cold towel to Olivia’s forehead. “Said she just needed to rest. But her fever’s been climbing.”

Fever? I stared at her—Olivia—lying there so still. Vulnerable. Fragile. This wasn’t the fire-tongued girl who glared at us with defiance in her eyes. This wasn’t the woman who always found a way to challenge me, push my limits, twist my insides with every word and glance. This was someone I was supposed to protect. And I had walked in here ready to claim her… without even asking if she was okay.

“Leave us,” I said quietly, not looking at the maids.

Lolita hesitated. “But Alpha—”

“I said leave us,” I growled, sharper this time.

The two women exchanged looks, then nodded, gathering their things and slipping quietly out of the room. The moment the door shut, silence fell again—but it wasn’t the same as before. It was heavier.

I walked closer to her, watching her chest rise and fall. I could smell the sickness on her. Her wolf was fighting it, but not strongly. She was weak. And I hated that more than anything.

Louis pulled up a chair beside the bed and sat down slowly, staring at her with a worried look. “They should have told us,” he muttered under his breath.

Levi stood at the foot of the bed, his eyes filled with concern. “They thought we wouldn’t care.”

I didn’t reply. Instead, I sat on the edge of the bed and gently reached out, brushing a strand of damp hair from her face. She stirred slightly but didn’t wake.

“We should get a healer,” I whispered, more to myself than them. “She can help reduce the fever…”

But then, faintly—barely audible—a soft sound slipped past her lips.

“No…” Olivia’s voice was cracked, hoarse, fragile. “No healer… I’ll be fine…”

I stilled. Levi’s eyes widened, and Louis leaned forward immediately.

“She’s awake,” Levi murmured.

I leaned in closer, my face hovering inches above hers. “Olivia,” I whispered her name like a prayer.

Her lashes fluttered, barely opening. Her lips trembled as another shiver coursed through her body. She tried to speak again, but only let out a weak whimper.

“She’s freezing,” Louis said, already pulling off his shirt. “We need to warm her up now.”

“Blankets won’t be enough,” Levi added, understanding what I was already thinking.

I nodded. “Then we do it the old way. Skin-to-skin.”

Without another word, I stripped off my shirt and kicked off my pants, leaving only my briefs. Olivia shivered again, her body reacting involuntarily. I slid into the bed beside her and pulled her frail, burning form into my chest, wrapping my arms around her protectively.

The moment her body touched mine, she let out a soft, satisfied moan and instinctively curled into me, burying her face against my chest.

My breath caught in my throat. She clung to me like I was her anchor. Like I was the only thing tethering her to this world.

“Levi,” I called, my voice husky. “Come.”

He didn’t hesitate. Stripping down, he got into bed and slid behind her, his warm body pressing against her back. His arms came around her waist, holding her steady between us.

She whimpered again, her small hand twitching slightly on my chest, her body sinking deeper into our warmth.

“Louis,” Levi said quietly. “Your turn.”

Louis stripped quickly and climbed in from the bottom of the bed. He took her legs gently and cradled her thighs, his palms running up and down in slow, soothing motions to generate heat.

We lay like that, wrapped around her. Surrounding her. Protecting her.