The moment she stepped out of the bathroom, I knew something was wrong.
Olivia’s smile was small—too small. Forced. And her scent... it carried that faint bitter note she always had when she was trying to hide something.
My eyes stayed on her face, watching the way she avoided my gaze, the way her shoulders were just a little too tense.
"You sure?" Levi asked again.
"Yes," she answered too quickly.
I took a step closer, my gaze steady on hers. "You yelled in there, Olivia."
Her eyes flicked to me for a split second before sliding away. "It was nothing."
Her heartbeat spiked. I heard it. So did my wolf.
Something happened in there. Something she doesn’t want us to know.
I crossed my arms slowly, letting her know I wasn’t buying her story. "Fine. But whatever it is... it’s written all over your face."
She froze just a second before moving toward the bed, like she didn’t hear me. Levi followed her instantly, helping her sit. Louis moved around and sat on the edge near her feet.
But I stayed standing, watching her.
Her scent still carried unease. She was thinking about something—no, someone. I could see it in her eyes.
She sat there for a moment, her gaze unfocused, like her mind was somewhere far from this room. Then she finally looked at us and said quietly, almost distracted, "I... I need to go back."
Louis frowned. "Back? Olivia, it’s—" he glanced toward the clock on the wall— "it’s just after three in the morning."
Levi leaned forward, concern tightening his voice. "Why? You’re still weak. You should rest here."
Her fingers twisted in her lap. "I just... I need to be at home."
The way she said it made my wolf bristle. It wasn’t the tone of someone going home because they wanted to—it was the tone of someone who felt compelled. Like something was pulling her.
I took a step forward. "Olivia—"
But she didn’t let me finish. With one last glance at us, her expression unreadable, she whispered, "I’ll be fine," and in a blink, she was gone—teleporting out of the room, leaving only the faint trace of her scent hanging in the air.
I clenched my jaw, staring at the empty space where she’d been just a heartbeat ago.
For a few seconds, the room was silent after she disappeared.
Louis was the first to speak, his brows furrowed. "Something’s not right with her."
Levi let out a slow breath, his gaze still fixed on the spot Olivia had just vanished from. "No... it’s not. She’s hiding something. And whatever it is—it’s serious."
I didn’t need them to tell me. I could feel it. Smell it. The unease in her scent was still lingering in the air like smoke after a fire.
Louis rubbed the back of his neck. "We should let her be for now... but I don’t ."
"Neither do I," I muttered. My wolf paced inside me, restless, demanding I reach out to her, but I held it back. She clearly didn’t want us to trouble her.
We exchanged a few more quiet words before finally deciding to call it a night. Each of us drifted back to our own rooms, but sleep? That was impossible.
I sat at my desk, staring at the scattered papers in front of me, barely seeing the words. My mind kept replaying her face, the tightness in her voice, the way she left so suddenly.
With a frustrated sigh, I shoved the papers aside and leaned back in my chair. Finally, I gave in and reached for the one thing I knew I shouldn’t do but couldn’t resist.
I mind-linked her. Olivia.
A few seconds passed before her voice came. It was calm but not convincing. "I’m fine, Lennox."
The words were exactly what I expected. And just like before... I didn’t believe them for a second.
I didn’t break the link. I leaned forward in my chair, resting my elbows on my knees as if somehow getting closer to her voice would make her speak the truth.
"Olivia," I said again, softer this time. "You know you can tell me anything. Anything that’s bothering you."
There was a pause on her end, just her breathing—steady but faint.
I pressed a little further. "We promised, remember? Not to keep things from each other. Not when it matters."
"Tell me," I urged. "Whatever it is, you don’t have to carry it alone. You have us."
Her answer came quicker this time, and it made my jaw tighten. "I’ll handle it myself."
I sat there for a long moment, gripping the arm of my chair. My wolf growled low in my head, furious that she was shutting us out again. But her tone told me one thing—she wasn’t going to say more tonight.
"Fine," I finally said, masking my frustration. "But just know... I’m here. We all are."
Her voice came again, softer now, like she wanted to end the conversation before I could push further. "Goodnight, Lennox."
It was such a simple thing to say, but the way she said it... it didn’t feel like a goodnight. It felt like a door closing.
The link went quiet. I sat there in the stillness of my room, the faint ticking of the clock filling the silence. My wolf prowled in my mind, uneasy, growling low. My gut twisted in the same way it did before something bad happened.
Something wasn’t right with Olivia—and the worst part was, she was shutting me out.
I rubbed my face with both hands, trying to shake the heavy, restless feeling weighing on me, but it didn’t work.
Sleep never came. My mind stayed locked on her until the sky outside my window began to lighten.
By morning, I was running on no sleep but forcing myself to focus. We had an Alpha council meeting later, and I was already preparing the reports in my office. Papers were spread across the desk, and I was halfway through making a note when a sudden voice hit my mind.
"Alpha Lennox," one of the border guards mind linked urgently. "I’m one of the guards at the northern gates."
I stiffened. "Yes? What’s going on?"
There was a pause before he answered, and I could tell he was uneasy. "Lord Frederick is here. He says he wishes to enter the pack... and that he has something important to tell you."