I couldn’t believe it. My ears felt hot. Did he really say that? Frederick wanted me to apologize to Selene—or she would do to me what I did to her? This was unbelievable... it felt like a dream.
"Apologize?" I asked, lifting a brow.
"Yes," he said, his face cold and hard.
I gave a small laugh, then nodded. "Okay."
I walked toward Selene, my heels clicking on the floor. She stood still, her lips curved as if she had already won.
I stopped right in front of her. Then, without warning, I raised my hand and—Smack!
The slap rang loud in the room. Selene’s head jerked to the side, her hair flying across her face.
"That," I said, my voice low and full of rage, "was the slap I didn’t give back."
Her eyes went wide in shock, and for once she didn’t look so sweet. She couldn’t act innocent.
Frederick’s eyes darkened, his whole body tense, like he was about to explode, but I didn’t care.
He stormed toward me, his aura flaring, choking the air. His hand shot up, and my breath caught—he was this close to hitting me. My wolf growled, ready to fight, but I stood tall, refusing to flinch.
"Enough!" Frederick roared. His chest rose and fell fast as he glared at me. "What the hell is wrong with you? Acting like some jealous little brat?"
I clenched my jaw, my hands curling into fists. "She deserved it," I spat. "She’s not as innocent as she looks."
But Frederick’s rage only grew. He glared at me, and I could see he was just a string away from hitting me. "You think this is a game? First you act like you don’t want me, like I’m nothing to you. Now you see Selene and suddenly you attack her like a madwoman?!" His voice shook with fury. "You’re out of control, Olivia!"
Selene whimpered softly behind him, holding her cheek, her tears sliding down as if she had been the one wronged. Frederick glanced back at her, and that only made my blood boil more.
He turned to me again, his hand trembling as if he was still fighting the urge to strike. "You are becoming more unbearable by the day. I can’t stand you." he spat.
I scoffed and folded my arms. "It’s simple—let me go. Break the vow and let me go."
He scoffed and shook his head. "Never happening. You think I’m a fool? You think I don’t know why you are acting this way? You want me to get irritated and let you go... but that is never happening, Olivia. You are mine forever."
My frown deepened. What the hell is wrong with this man? What is his obsession with me?
Ignoring me, he turned to a crying Selene and cupped her face with both hands like he was holding something fragile. "Just forget about her, okay?" he pleaded.
Selene, who was great at her act, nodded through tears, and then Frederick glared at me before leading Selene away.
I was enraged, but I forced myself to remain calm while I established a mind link with the triplet.
"I don’t trust Selene—" I started, breathless. Google seaʀᴄh novel-fire.ɴet
Silence hummed for a beat, then Lennox answered, "Where are you? Come to the study."
I blinked and reappeared in the study. The boys were already gathered—Lennox with that tight jaw, Levi calm as always, Louis pretending not to be worried, though his fingers drummed on the table.
I told them everything while my hands clenched and unclenched. I left out nothing: the dinner, the way Frederick watched Selene, how he’d demanded an apology, the slap, and the way he cupped her face. I could feel the anger inside me like a live wire.
Levi was the first to speak. "We’ll contact Selene. Make sure she’s still on our side."
Lennox’s eyes flicked to me and then to Louis. "If she’s still playing along, good. If not, we deal with it."
Louis inhaled, then reached out through the bond to Selene. A moment later his face tightened. "She says she’s fine—still in the mansion. Claims she’s doing all this to get Frederick closer to her." He looked up at me. "Everything is fine, Oli."
I didn’t like the sound of it. "She could be lying. They could be plotting something."
Lennox leaned forward, his brow furrowed. "Olivia... if anyone who didn’t know you saw how you reacted tonight—they’d probably think you were jealous."
My mouth opened. "Jealous? Why would anyone think that?"
Lennox met my eyes. "Because of the way you acted. You walked in all heated, you made a scene, you said things that sounded like—" he searched for the right word, "—like someone who wants the man in question. Oli, look at yourself in the mirror; you are practically fuming."
"And I don’t like it," Levi added.
Louis sighed. "Even my wolf thinks you’re jealous. That’s how strong it came across."
Where I stood, I went speechless... What are they even saying? Me jealous? Why should I be? I’m not jealous—I’m worried. Why can’t they seem to see it?
"I’m not jealous. I’m worried. Selene is lying. She’s playing both sides. If she falls for him, the plan is over."
Lennox rubbed his forehead. "We know you’re worried, Liv..."
"Then why will you guys think I’m getting jealous?" I frowned.
"Because that’s how it looks," Louis muttered, glancing away.
My frown deepened. "Looks? What does that even mean?" My anger spiked to its peak. First it was Selene who thinks I’m jealous, now it’s the triplets... My jealousy is an act for Frederick, and my unease is about not trusting Selene.
I shook my head. "This is unbelievable."
"Even you three think I’m jealous?" I asked.
Lennox looked away first. He ran a hand over his face. "No — not like that," he said. His voice was rough. "We mean you’re acting like someone who wants him. That’s all."
Levi folded his arms. "We didn’t mean to make you feel worse, Liv. We just noticed how it looked from the outside. To others, it could be mistaken for jealousy."
My shoulders sagged under the weight of their misunderstanding. I hated it. I hated that they couldn’t see the truth.
"Fuck you three," I spat, then vanished, teleporting away.