The moment Olivia left with Damien and Dad, I turned around and glared at Anita.
"You bitch!" I roared, seething with rage as I stormed toward her. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel fire.net
But Mom stepped in front of her, spreading her arms wide. "And what do you think you're doing?" she demanded, her eyes flashing with anger.
I clenched my fists, my entire body trembling. Every nerve in me wanted to drag Anita out of this room myself and to the dungeon.
"Mother, move," Lennox growled from behind me, voice like thunder
But she didn't budge. Her frown deepened as she turned to look at Lennox. "No. I won't," she said firmly. "You three are not thinking clearly. You're angry, and I will not let you do something you'll regret."
"We're not going to regret anything," Louis snapped. "She deserves to pay for what she did."
He turned to the guards standing by the door. "What are you waiting for? Take her to the cells. Lock her up!"
But Mom raised her hand and shouted, "No!"
"She's pregnant," Mom said, her voice trembling. "She's carrying my grandchildren—the Luciano bloodline. I won't let you throw her in a cold dungeon while she has two of our own growing inside her."
"Mother—" I started, but she cut me off.
"I'm not saying she won't be punished," she said firmly. "She will. But not . Not while she's pregnant."
Anita stood behind her with a triumphant smirk curling her lips.
I glared at Anita, rage boiling in my blood. "How do we even know those babies are ours?" I snapped. "She could be lying!"
But Mom didn't look convinced. She turned to me, her voice calm but serious. "Of course, they're yours," she said.
I frowned. "You don't know that."
"Oh, please," she scoffed, crossing her arms. "You think I didn't know you boys were constantly sleeping with her around that time? Don't insult my intelligence."
She turned her sharp eyes to Anita. "Tell me, Anita. How far along are you?"
Anita blinked, then gently placed her hand on her stomach. "The healer said around three months."
I quickly started thinking back, trying to remember the last time we had slept with her.
And then it hit me—hard.
It was the night of the wedding.
The night we married Olivia.
Guilt and anger twisted in my stomach. We had spent that sacred night with Anita… when it should've been Olivia in our arms.
"She said she was on birth control," I muttered, more to myself.
Mom nodded slowly. "Then she lied. And you believed her."
"This pregnancy is yours. All of yours," Mom said firmly. "You might not want to admit it, but you know it deep down. And if you still doubt it, then wait."
"Wait?" Louis echoed, confused and angry.
"Yes. When the pregnancy hits five months," Mom said, "your wolves will be able to sense it. They'll know if the pups share your blood. No one will be able to lie about it then."
I stayed quiet, my jaw clenched tight. Because part of me already knew.
Anita could be a lot of things, but she definitely didn't fuck other men while with us. Yes, we didn't meet her as a virgin, but she didn't dare sleep with another man.
I stepped closer, my voice low but full of threat. "Whether those babies are ours or not, Anita… you will pay. You'll pay for putting Olivia's life in danger."
She blinked, her face dropping the smug expression just a bit. But before she could speak, Lennox cut in sharply.
"How do we even know she's not the one who forged that letter?" he snapped, his eyes narrowed.
The thought hadn't even crossed my mind—until now. But now that he said it, it made sense. She had every reason to forge that letter. If she could really sell Olivia to traffickers, then there is nothing she can't do. But can a fourteen-year-old Anita do such? That letter was well written. The hurtful words were too deep for a fourteen-year-old to think about and write—and certainly not someone as dumb as Anita.
My brow furrowed as I stared at her. "Is that true, Anita?" I asked, suspicious thick in my voice. "Did you write that letter? Did you fake it just to make us hate Olivia?"
Her eyes widened. She looked back and forth between us, then shook her head quickly.
"What? No! I swear—I don't even know what letter you're talking about," she said, sounding genuinely confused. "What letter?"
She looked at all of us, seemingly confused. "I didn't write anything. I don't even know what you all are talking about. I didn't do anything of such. I swear on my pups."
I watched her carefully.
She looked like she was telling the truth. Her voice shook. Her eyes were wide. She didn't stutter or hesitate.
But I couldn't fully trust her. Not anymore.
Not after all the lies.
Maybe she didn't forge the letter… but possibly, she knew who did.
I stayed quiet, but the suspicion was already there, burning in my gut.
But something told me Anita wasn't innocent in this. Not completely.
Mother spoke again. "I know Anita deserves to be punished, but remember that is your seeds growing inside of her," Mother said, and my frown deepened while Lennox growled angrily beside me.
Mother glared at Anita. I could see she wasn't happy that she was helping Anita out. "Let her deliver these babies safely, then you can carry out your judgment. But until then, I won't let you do anything that would harm those pups."
I frowned deeply at Mother, not liking her words one bit.
"Mother…" I began, my voice low and tense.
"Enough," she snapped, not giving me a chance to argue. "I'll personally keep an eye on Anita. Until those babies are born, she stays under my watch."
She turned and grabbed Anita's arm firmly—not with affection, but with anger. "Don't think this means you're free," she muttered to Anita, just loud enough for us to hear. "I may be protecting you, but I'm not blind to your sins."
Anita frowned and looked away.
Mother turned back to us. "You men have enough to worry about. If I were you, I'd be more concerned about Damien… he looked pretty serious about claiming Olivia."
And with that, she turned and led Anita out of the room.