I managed to force myself out of bed. My whole body ached and throbbed, but I pushed through the pain and approached Olivia.
My heart was breaking—not just because she made out with someone else, but because of what my brothers and I made her go through. Right now, I would do anything… anything to turn back the hands of time and make things right. But that was just a wish.
Getting closer to Olivia, I perceived the smell of the wolf on her, and immediately I knew it was Gabriel. My weakened wolf howled possessively inside me, but I shoved the feelings down.
"Olivia…" I reached for her hand, but she yanked it away and frowned even deeper.
"Don't touch me!" she spat.
I nodded and let my hand drop to my side.
"We're sorry, Olivia… we're so sorry," I said, apologizing from the depths of my heart. I wished she could see it—my heart, the hearts of my brothers. We were truly sorry. Sorry for all the miserable things we did. But deep down, I knew that being sorry would never be enough.
Olivia's frown deepened, clearly not moved by my apology.
"I don't fucking need your apology. It's too late for that. All that's left is the meeting. Once we get there, I'll tell the council I no longer want the bond. I'll tell them what the three of you did to me. And once I'm set free, I will leave you three and this godforsaken pack," she spat, so much hate and anger for us in her eyes.
My heart ached at her words, and my wolf whimpered inside me. I couldn't speak. So Levi stepped forward.
"Liv… you once loved us, didn't you?" he asked, struggling to leave the bed as he approached us.
Olivia's gaze snapped to him, her jaw clenched tight. "Don't," she warned coldly.
"You don't get to bring that up," she hissed, her voice trembling—not with fear, but anger. "You three killed that love. You destroyed it with your own hands."
Then her shoulders slumped slightly. "You think saying sorry will fix this?" she asked, her voice softer but filled with pain. "You think one apology erases what you did?" ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel~fire~net
"No," I said quietly. "We know it doesn't. But we'll keep saying it anyway."
Levi stepped closer, ignoring the ache in his limbs. "We don't want to lose you, Liv. Not . Not because we were fools."
She stared at him for a long, heavy moment, then shook her head.
"You already lost me," she whispered.
And with that, she turned and walked away, leaving the three of us in silence, surrounded by our shame, our regret, and the heavy truth we could no longer escape.
An awkward silence hung in the air as neither I nor my brothers said a word to each other.
My legs couldn't hold me for long—I was far from fully healed. I sank onto the couch nearby and buried my face in my hands.
What the hell were we thinking?
What were we thinking when we did all those horrible things to Olivia?
I once cherished that girl. No… I worshipped her. And now I could barely face the reflection of the man I had become. The pain in her eyes—how could I have caused that?
I lifted my gaze and looked at my brothers. They sat in silence too, each lost in his thoughts. Levi looked particularly troubled, while Louis stared blankly at the wall like he was trying to disappear into it.
I cleared my throat, trying to find my voice. "Are we sure…" I paused, unsure how to phrase it. "Are we sure we weren't under some kind of spell?"
Louis blinked and turned to me slowly. "What?"
I rubbed my face, frustration and confusion knotting my gut. "I'm serious. Think about it. The letters. The way we started acting. The coldness. The decisions we made… It wasn't normal. That wasn't us."
Levi straightened slightly, frowning. "You think someone used magic on us?"
I nodded. "Maybe not directly. But something's off. What if the letters had a spell or enchantment? What if we were manipulated somehow?"
Louis's eyes narrowed as he thought it through. "That… would make sense. There were moments I'd act and then wonder why I even said or did something. Like I was detached, watching myself screw everything up."
"I felt it too," Levi muttered, jaw tight. "I kept blaming it on anger or hate, but now… now it feels like something else was controlling our emotions."
There was a moment of shared realization between us.
Levi closed his eyes briefly. "I'm making a mind-link to the Seer."
We all sat in tense silence as his eyes glazed over, clearly tapping into the pack link. A few seconds passed before he nodded slowly, his voice firm.
A strange mixture of hope and dread settled over us. If we had been under a spell… maybe there was still a way to make things right. Maybe we weren't just monsters.
But if we weren't under a spell?
Then we were exactly what Olivia believed us to be.
And that truth might be even harder to live with.
A few moments later, a knock came at the door.
I didn't need to ask who it was. The familiar scent told us it was our mother.
She didn't wait to be invited in. The door creaked open, and she stepped inside, balancing a tray of herbal tea. Her expression was calm, but I could see the worry in her eyes.
"The healer said this will help you regain your strength," she said gently, making her way toward us.
She handed each of us a cup. When she got to me, I took it with a quiet "thank you" and gave her a brief nod.
The moment the cup touched my lips, the sharp scent of mint and bitter roots hit my nose. The taste followed just as quickly—earthy, with a burning tingle at the back of my throat. It wasn't pleasant, but I didn't complain. I knew it was meant to heal.
She sat down across from us, her hands folding in her lap.
"How are you feeling?" she asked softly, her voice warm but cautious.
"We're fine," I replied flatly. Levi and Louis nodded in agreement, though none of us really were.
She hesitated. I knew she wanted to say more—her eyes gave her away. I beat her to it.
"Mom… please. Not now," I muttered. "We're not in the mood."
"It just seems…" she started slowly, her gaze falling toward the door Olivia had left through, "it seems Olivia was touched by someone else."
The room tensed instantly.
I swallowed hard, forcing my face to remain blank. "Don't bother yourself with our affairs, Mother."
She gave a slow, resigned nod. "I only say it because… she doesn't seem to like you anymore. Any of you."
Louis scoffed. "What do you expect? That she'll accept us back with open arms?" His voice trembled with frustration, but it wasn't directed at our mother. "We hurt her… we caused her pain. We tortured her. What woman in her right mind would want us back?"
Mother swallowed hard. For a moment, she didn't say anything. The silence pressed in around us until she finally spoke.
"I called Doctor Martha," she said suddenly. "She checked on Anita… and confirmed she's pregnant."
A sharp frown creased my face, but I didn't flinch. I wasn't surprised. The signs were already there—her sudden mood swings, the frequent nausea and illness.
But hearing it confirmed still stirred something ugly in my chest.
Mother looked at us with concerned eyes. "What if… what if the babies are really yours?"
I met her gaze, frowning deeply. "That's not our main concern, Mother."
Her expression fell slightly, but I wasn't done.
"You're so desperate for grandchildren that you're not even bothered by the kind of person the mother is," I said coldly. "Anita will never make a good mother. You know it."
Louis nodded in agreement, his jaw clenched. Levi didn't say anything, but the way his fists tightened on his knees said enough.
Mother looked away, guilt flickering across her face.
"We'll handle Anita on our own," I added firmly. "You don't need to get involved."
A sudden knock came at the door.
One of the guards stepped inside and bowed slightly.
"The Seer has arrived."
I stood, setting aside the unfinished cup of tea.
"Please excuse us, Mother," I said—not rudely, but with finality.
She looked as if she wanted to argue, but instead, she nodded slowly, stood, and quietly left the room.
As she walked out, the Seer stepped in.