The line went dead, and with it, so did a part of me.
She smiled after the call ended. A full, bright smile. Like nothing was wrong. Like she hadn't just taken a dagger and stabbed it straight into my soul with those three damn words.
"I love you, Gabriel."
The sound of it kept echoing in my head, looping like a curse I couldn't exorcize.
Olivia sat back, finally relaxed for the first time since she woke up. Her hands weren't trembling anymore. Her breathing was even. She even gave a soft hum like she felt… safe.
She stretched slightly, then looked up at us like a doe blinking away the rain. "I'm… hungry," she said, rubbing her stomach gently. "Could I… have something to eat, please?"
Nora and Lolita immediately stepped forward. "Of course. We will prepare something for you."
She smiled at them. "Thank you."
I watched her in silence. She wasn't shaking anymore. The fear had passed. Her walls had lowered.
And I—fool that I am—saw that as a chance.
I stepped closer, dragging the nearest chair out and sitting across from her.
She didn't flinch. That was something.
She looked at me curiously. "You are Lennox, right?" she asked.
The words burned like acid.
I forced a smile, even though my jaw ached from how hard I was clenching it. "Yeah. I'm Lennox."
She tilted her head, studying me with soft sea-blue eyes that held no recognition—no sign of connection. Just empty curiosity. "You're quiet."
I shrugged. "I was just… thinking."
She nodded. "I've been thinking too. About everything. About why I'm here. It's strange, but… Gabriel said I'm safe. So, I'll trust you."
Her trust—given to me, but only because of him.
I cleared my throat. "Can I ask you something?"
"What's the last thing you remember before waking up here?"
Her expression softened. A dreamy smile touched her lips.
"I remember… lying with Gabriel. We'd made love. He held me so tightly, like I'd disappear if he let go. I remember falling asleep with his arms around me…." She gave a little laugh, almost bashful. "Then I woke up in a strange bed. Alone. And here I am."
How the hell did such memories make up in her head? An event that never happened!
I felt my heart sink. I looked away quickly, afraid she'd see it in my eyes.
Suddenly, Levi walked forward, holding a mirror toward her. "Look at the left crook of your neck and tell me how many marks you see."
Olivia took the mirror from Levi with a puzzled expression, her brows slightly furrowed. She tilted her head, brushing aside the strands of her hair as she examined the left crook of her neck.
Then her lips parted.
Her fingers froze against her skin.
"One… two…" she murmured. Then her voice faltered. "Three?"
She turned to us, confusion darkening her features. "Why do I have three mate marks?"
Her eyes searched our faces, panic creeping into them again. "I remember only having one mark. What—what does this mean?"
Levi stepped forward, his mouth opening as if to speak.
"No." My voice was low but firm, stopping him. "Don't."
Levi looked at me, his face twisted in conflict. "I can't pretend, it's killing me," he said through mind link.
"Not now," I said, my voice sharp through the mind link. "We can't risk overwhelming her."
Olivia's gaze ping-ponged between us, confusion deepening.
I exhaled slowly, forcing calm into my tone. "It's possible Gabriel marked you again. Sometimes, when wolves have strong bonds, the mark can… intensify. Multiply. Maybe you were injured, and he had to mark you again to strengthen the bond."
She blinked, trying to process that. "So… the other two are also from him?"
"Could be," I lied through my teeth, praying she'd believe it.
She seemed to relax slightly, nodding slowly. "Okay… that makes sense. I guess. It just… surprised me, that's all."
I nodded stiffly. "It's okay. You're safe."
Just then, the door creaked open.
Anita stepped inside with her annoying presence, her eyes scanning the room before they landed on Olivia. "What is this I'm hearing?"
Olivia's eyes widened, then narrowed slightly. She looked at us, her eyes filled with curiosity. "Is she your wife?"
Levi's and Louis' too.
At the exact same time, we all said, firmly—"No."
Anita blinked, clearly not expecting that.
"She's not our wife. Never was. Never will be," I said, my voice colder than I intended. Follow current novᴇls on novel✶fire.net
Olivia glanced between us and Anita. "But she has your marks."
Levi crossed his arms. "She is our concubine."
Anita huffed, but I shot her a warning glare, daring her to speak.
Olivia frowned, clearly still confused. "You guys are not married yet?" she asked, her questioning gaze fixed on us.
We three exchanged glances, not knowing if we were to say yes or no.
Anita suddenly stepped forward. "They were once married, but she is dead."
My frown deepened as I glared at Anita. "Keep your mouth shut!" I sneered.
Anita didn't care. Rather, she folded her arms and stared right at Olivia, who had a frown on her face—perhaps it seems she doesn't like Anita.
Olivia's eyes stayed on Anita, her frown deepening. "How long has she been dead?" she asked, her voice low but clear.
Anita shrugged like it didn't matter. "A little over a month ago."
I could feel the storm building before Olivia even opened her mouth. Her body stiffened, her eyes moved to each of us—me, Louis, Levi—with a slow, cold look.
And then she said it.
"What kind of men take in a concubine just weeks after their wife dies?"
She didn't even look confused.
"That's disgusting," Olivia said, standing up now. "Gabriel would never do something like that. Never. Not even if he was broken. He would wait. He would grieve."
"Olivia—" Louis tried speaking.
"You're saying you had a wife. A mate. And a month after she died, you brought in another woman? No. That's not grief. That's disrespect."
I looked away, jaw tight, but Anita—of course—had to open her mouth again.
"Actually," she said, smirking just a little, "they took me as their concubine while their wife was still alive."
"What?" Olivia turned to her sharply.
"They didn't and never loved her," Anita said with a shrug. "It was me they wanted. Besides, she could never satisfy them like I do."
Olivia stared at her for a second like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Then she turned back to us.
"You did that?" Her voice shook, but it wasn't from fear anymore. It was disgust. "Your mate was alive… and you still brought another woman into your bed?"
I opened my mouth. Nothing came out.
There was nothing I could say that wouldn't sound worse.
Now as I think about it, I realized how horrible I and my brothers were. Taking in Anita as our concubine just a few days after marriage. Fucking Anita in her presence on our wedding night? How did Olivia feel about all this! She must have been so hurt but we? We were blinded by revenge and didn't stop to even think.
"Gabriel would never do that," she said again, shaking her head. "He wouldn't even look at another woman if I was gone this early. He'd mourn me at least for a year. But you… you had a concubine. You slept with another woman before she was even gone."
Her words were like ice. They didn't scream. They didn't need to. They cut deep, straight to the bone.
She sat back down slowly, turning her face away like she couldn't stand to look at us anymore.
My frown deepened as I glared at Anita. She had just made things worse for us. "Louis, take Anita out of here before I snap her head off her neck!" I growled to Louis through the mind link, and he obeyed, grabbing Anita's arm and dragging her out of the room.
"Please, I would like to be alone… can you two leave too?" Olivia murmured, sounding angry.
I exchanged a glance with Levi, who looked like he wanted to speak, but I subtly signaled him not to, and together we walked out of the room.