"She can't leave. We need Selene. But I agree—Olivia won't stand for her unless she understands why Selene's here. So… we tell her. Not everything, not the full plan—but enough."
I frowned. "Enough to calm her? Or enough to get her to trust Selene?"
"Both," Lennox answered. He moved away from the window, his expression carved in stone. "Olivia's smart. If we feed her lies, she'll know. If we hide too much, she'll tear us apart for keeping secrets. But if we give her a piece of the truth—a controlled piece—she'll at least understand why Selene has to stay."
My wolf rumbled inside me. I didn't like it. Not one damn bit. "And what happens when she realizes we didn't tell her everything? What happens when she learns how dangerous this really is?"
Lennox's jaw tightened. "Then we'll deal with it when it comes. For now, we give her just enough to keep her close. We can't afford to lose her over this, Levi."
Louis exhaled slowly, dragging a hand over his face. "So we play carefully. We choose our words. We let her think she knows the whole plan, when in truth… she only has the surface."
I ground my teeth, but deep down I knew Lennox was right. Olivia would never accept Selene without some kind of explanation. And if controlled transparency was the only way to keep her from getting angry… then maybe that was the risk we had to take.
Still, I wasn't at rest. "If we do this, then we make sure it's tight. No cracks. No slips. Olivia is smart." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝕟𝕖𝕥
Lennox nodded once. "Agreed. When Olivia returns… we'll give her the truth. But only the part of it she needs."
I sighed. "I should mind-link her to come," I suggested, and Louis and Lennox both agreed.
Drawing in a deep breath, I reached for her through the bond. At first, she ignored me, but after pushing harder she finally answered, her tone sharp and annoyed.
"Have you sent her away?"
I smirked to myself, thankful she couldn't see my face. A jealous Olivia. Gods, she had no idea how much her jealousy thrilled me, how it proved over and over that she cared, that she loved us.
"Not yet," I answered carefully, keeping my tone even though my wolf wanted to purr at the heat in her words. "But we need to talk, Liv. Come home. Please."
She was quiet for a long moment, and through the bond, I felt her hesitation, her hurt, her pride battling with the pull that always brought her back to us.
Finally, her voice slipped through, low and annoyed. "If Selene is still there when I arrive, I'm leaving again. I meant what I said."
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to stay calm. "Olivia, just give us a chance to explain. That's all we're asking. You'll understand why she's here once you hear it from us."
Her scoff echoed faintly in my head. "I doubt it."
But she didn't cut the link. That was a victory in itself.
Behind me, Lennox gave me a look, his eyes steady but carrying that silent warning only brothers understood: Don't push her too hard.
Louis crossed his arms, his wolf restless. "Is she coming?"
I gave a small nod. "She's thinking about it. She's angry, jealous, but she's listening. That's more than enough for now."
Lennox exhaled slowly, tension easing just a fraction.
Louis muttered under his breath, "She'd better hear us out before she tears Selene apart."
I almost smiled. That sounded exactly like Olivia. And gods help me—I loved her for it.
"I'll be there in a minute," she finally said, before cutting the link.
I turned to my brothers. "She's coming."
A heartbeat later, Olivia appeared in the doorway, her eyes sharp, her body tense.
Her gaze flicked straight to me, then to my brothers. Her voice full of annoyance.
I swallowed a growl. The fire in her voice made my wolf both restless and thrilled. Gods, even in anger, she was beautiful.
"No," Lennox said carefully, stepping forward. "Olivia… listen. She's not here for games. She's here because she's the only one who can help us kill Frederick."
Olivia's eyes narrowed, but she didn't walk away. That was a win.
Louis spoke next, his tone calm but firm. "Selene isn't just any wolf, Liv. Her mother was a pure vampire. Her father a wolf. That makes her… something rare. A pure hybrid."
Olivia's brows furrowed, suspicion still written all over her face.
"And why does that matter to us?"
I drew a steadying breath. "Because every vampire craves a taste of her blood. It is known that if a pure hybrid allows a vampire to drink willingly, that vampire will become immensely powerful…"
Her frown deepened, but I continued. "The good thing is—her blood can also destroy Frederick. All she has to do is poison it, and once he drinks, he'll be nothing but a vegetable. Then we'll strike and finish him off."
Olivia's frown remained as she tried to process our words.
But what none of us told her—what we would never tell her—was the risk. That if Selene's poison didn't work, Frederick would absorb her blood's power instead. And then he'd be unstoppable.
Olivia stared between us, her jaw tight, her wolf bristling under her skin. "So you're telling me she's the key. And I'm just supposed to… accept that?"
"Yes," Lennox said firmly. "Because this is our only chance."
Louis stepped in. "Frederick doesn't know who she is. He doesn't know she knows us and we have a plan. Once he ever catches her scent, he'll realize her blood is powerful. More powerful than anything he's ever tasted. He will want it."
Olivia's jaw clenched, her eyes snapping to me. "So what's your plan? Frederick is smart. You can't fool him."
"We know," I said quickly. "That's why we've set a trap. We'll stage it—make it look like an accident. Selene will 'happen' to cross paths with Frederick. She'll be injured just enough so her blood spills. When he takes the bait, she'll poison it. The moment he's weak, we strike. We kill him and burn his body so he can't come back."
The room fell into silence. Olivia's frown deepened. She looked between us, then shook her head.