We left Anita at the hospital. The doctor said she'd be discharged later in the day, so there was no point sticking around.
The drive back home was tense. Heavy. Silent.
I was in the driver's seat. Levi sat beside me, and Lennox was in the back. I glanced at Levi briefly. He looked completely lost in thought, staring out the window like the road wasn't even there.
I wondered what was running through his mind.
Was he having second thoughts about saving the pups?
I didn't care how loud their tiny heartbeats sounded on that screen or how weak one of them looked. There was no way I'd make Anita my mate. Not for them. Not for anyone.
Because doing that… would mean losing Olivia.
And I'd rather lose everything—my rank, my power, my pride—than lose her.
That woman… Olivia. I'd rip my own heart out before I let us hurt her again.
She already hates us for everything we did to her—for all the ways we broke her. For the pain we caused her just because of a stupid payback. And now, what? We're to mate Anita? Officially tie ourselves to the one woman who caused her pain, too?
I didn't care if the pups were mine.
I didn't care if they were all of ours.
There was no going back.
Suddenly, from the back seat, Lennox groaned.
"Ugh. This is a damn mess," he muttered, dragging a hand down his face. "I can't get the image out of my head."
"You mean the ultrasound?" Levi asked, finally speaking up, his voice flat.
"Yeah. That," Lennox answered grimly.
"They might not be ours," I snapped, gripping the steering wheel tighter. "We don't even know for sure. Until we do, we're not doing anything."
An awkward silence filled the air again.
Levi leaned back, rubbing his temples. "And if they are? What then?"
"We deal with it then," I replied coldly. "But we are not making her a mate. That's not even an option."
"I agree," Lennox said. "Olivia is the only one I'd ever mark as a mate. Ever. I don't care what the healer says. If those pups die because of that… then so be it."
I exhaled deeply, jaw still clenched.
"I hate that it's come to this," Levi muttered. "It didn't have to be this way."
"Well, it is," I said. "And we're going to live with it. We already made our choice."
The car felt heavier with every mile we passed.
But no matter what guilt tried to crawl its way into my chest…
Nothing—nothing—was worth losing Olivia.
And I think we all knew that.
Even if we didn't say it out loud.
We pulled into the mansion just as the afternoon sun was dipping behind the trees, casting long shadows across the yard.
As we stepped out of the car, I spotted our mother—waiting by the entrance, with a tight expression and arms folded across her chest.
Her eyes swept over us sharply, narrowing with worry. "I heard from the staff," she said, her voice tight. "They said Anita was rushed to the hospital. What happened? Are the babies okay?"
"They're fine… for now," I muttered, not meeting her gaze.
"But," Levi added, "the doctor said there's a chance… the pregnancy might not survive."
Her eyes widened. "What? Why? What are you talking about?"
We stepped closer. I took a breath and laid it out.
We told her everything.
The bleeding, the fainting, the ultrasound… the healer's verdict. That the only way to truly give the pups a fighting chance was for the three of us to mark Anita again—this time as our mate, not just a concubine.
When I finished, her eyes were wide with disbelief.
"You mean to tell me," she said slowly, her voice rising, "you would let your children die just because you refuse to mark their mother?"
"They might not even be ours," Lennox snapped, stepping forward. "We're not making permanent decisions over a maybe."
She stared at us like we were insane.
"Rubbish," she snapped. "Absolute nonsense! Anita may have her flaws—yes, she's loud, manipulative, and entitled at times—but she's not a whore. She's not the kind of woman who sleeps around. You three know that damn well."
Levi clenched his jaw but didn't speak.
"And even if you're scared," she continued, her voice rising, "even if you're unsure—those pups exist. They are already growing inside her! And what do you do? Stand there acting like it's nothing? You're all cowards. Terrible fathers."
Her words affected me more than I expected.
I felt Levi grunt beside me. Even Lennox didn't have a snarky comeback.
"You think Olivia will be proud of you for this?" she added sharply. "For letting innocent children die just so you can prove your loyalty to her? This isn't love. It's fear. Selfish, stubborn fear."
She looked at each of us with disappointment in her eyes.
"They will live," she said firmly. "With or without your mark. But when they grow up, they'll know exactly what kind of fathers they had."
And with that, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving us standing on the steps like scolded boys.
For a long time, none of us moved.
I stared at the floor, my chest tightening.
I didn't even know if they were mine… and yet her words still felt like a slap.
But even then—even then—I knew one thing:
I would not lose Olivia.
No matter what it costs.
A maid appeared at the doorway, bowing her head slightly. "Alphas… lunch is served."
I blinked, suddenly aware of the tight, hollow feeling in my stomach.
We hadn't even had breakfast.
We'd spent half the day at the hospital. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel✶fire.net
"I'm not even hungry," Lennox muttered.
"Neither am I," Levi added, but his body was already moving toward the dining hall.
"Doesn't matter," I said quietly, following them. "We'll sit. Even if we don't eat."
As we walked down the hall toward the dining room, the sound of laughter stopped us.
Her laugh floated through the corridor like a ghost we didn't deserve. We rounded the corner and saw her—seated at the long dining table, her fingers brushing a glass of juice, smiling brightly at something Uncle Damien had just said. He was beside her, chuckling.
The room seemed to orbit around her. She didn't just glow—she eclipsed everything.
Beautiful. Effortless.
My wolf growled low in my chest. A surge of protectiveness and possessiveness twisted in my gut. She was laughing. Without us. With someone else. And it wasn't just anyone—it was him.
Lennox stiffened behind me.
Levi stopped breathing for a second.
But before any of us could react, the doors banged open behind us and Father's voice thundered through the hall.
"Lennox. Levi. Louis—what is it I just heard?!"
He stormed into the room, with Mother right behind him.