Olivia POV
Only the sound of our heavy, panting breaths filled the room. Our sweaty bodies were pressed together as I rested my head on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. God… I had missed this. I had missed him so fucking much.
An awkward silence settled in the air as none of us said a word… the atmosphere was tense, and I wondered what he was thinking… I would pay anything just to know what was going on in his head.
I felt him inhale deeply beneath me. Then, slowly, carefully, he shifted me away.
I felt bad, but I held back my emotions and went for the blindfold. I untied the blindfold and saw that he did the same… Our eyes met, and he stared at me with those brown eyes that were so different from Lennox's, and somehow now it made me feel like I had just fucked a stranger.
But I shook my head inwardly… I didn't sleep with a stranger. I slept with Lennox.
He didn't say a word. He stood up, picked his boxers off the floor, and pulled them on. I wrapped the blanket tightly around myself and watched him walk toward the small window. He stopped there, standing with his back to me, shoulders tense.
"Will you tell him the truth?" my wolf asked softly.
I stayed silent. Right now, all I wanted was to know what he was thinking.
Another stretch of silence passed before he finally spoke.
" You called me Lennox," he said quietly. "Why?"
I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. The room felt tense. I sat up slowly, pulling the blanket tighter around myself, my fingers knotting in the fabric as if it could keep me steady.
I could lie.
I had lied so many times already.
I exhaled shakily. "Because… that's who you felt like."
He turned then. Slowly. Cautiously. His eyes searched my face, confused.
"What do you mean?"
I swallowed hard… should I tell him the truth… should I tell him I know he is Lennox?
"Yes…" my wolf urged. "Tell him."
I swallowed hard… I should have taken the advice of my wolf, but you know me—I never take my wolf's advice.
"With you, I feel like you are Lennox… I can't explain it… but I see my Lennox in you."
Lennox's eyes widened, and quickly he looked away so I wouldn't see the unease, but it was already too late—I had seen the unease.
"So you let me fuck you because I remind you of your lost mate," he said with gritted teeth, sounding furious about it.
I frowned. I wanted to spit, to tell him of course that was never the reason… I let him fuck me because I know it was him, but of course I can't tell him that.
"This was a mistake," he said, his voice tight. "It shouldn't have happened. And it can never happen again."
I stared at him, my chest aching.
He turned his back to me again, shoulders stiff. "We keep this between us," he continued. "No one can know. Please… leave before anyone starts to suspect something."
Leave?
That word hurt more than his anger.
I swallowed hard, fighting the lump in my throat. I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to ask how he planned to keep wearing another man's face while standing right in front of me. I wanted to ask how he could watch me hurt and still hide.
But I didn't say any of it.
I forced myself to nod.
"Fine," I said quietly.
I slipped out of bed and got dressed, my hands shaking as I pulled on my clothes. He didn't turn around. He didn't stop me.
I paused at the door, hoping—stupidly—that he would call my name.
He didn't.
So I opened the door and walked out.
The hallway felt cold. Empty.
As I walked away, my chest burned and my eyes stung, but I didn't cry. I just continued forcing my legs to move until I got to my room. Reaching my room, I collapsed on the floor, sat with my back against the wall, my knees pulled close to my chest. The room was quiet, but my head was loud. Too loud.
Everything felt wrong.
For a moment, doubt crept in.
Was Kaine really Lennox?
I knew he was. I felt it. My wolf knew it. My heart knew it. But his words… his distance… the way he pushed me away like I was nothing more than a mistake—it hurt in ways I couldn't explain.
The Lennox I knew would never look at me like that.
The Lennox I knew would never call what we shared a mistake.
Tears finally slipped down my cheeks, slow and silent. I wiped them away angrily.
"No," I whispered to myself. "You're not imagining this."
I stood up and paced the room, my arms wrapped around myself. Every memory replayed in my head—the way he moved, the way his scent calmed me, the way my wolf went quiet around him. The empty grave. The way he took the lashes without fighting back. The way he looked at me when he thought I wasn't watching.
He was Lennox.
But he was scared.
Scared of something. Scared of someone.
And that scared me.
I stopped pacing and looked at my reflection in the mirror. I barely recognized the woman staring back. She looked tired. Hurt. Angry. Confused.
"If you think pushing me away will protect me," I said softly, "you don't know me at all."
My wolf stirred inside me.
He's hiding for a reason, she said. And whatever it is… it's dangerous.
I nodded slowly.
"Then I'll find out," I whispered.
I didn't sleep until past midnight.
I turned and turned in bed, my mind refusing to rest. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him—the way he looked at me, the way he pushed me away, the way he said it was a mistake.
By morning, my head hurt and my body felt heavy.
After I bathed and dressed, I went down to the dining hall for breakfast. The long table was already set. Levi and Louis were there, sitting across from each other.
The boys were not around.
They had left early for class.
The moment I sat down, I felt it.
The tension.
It hung in the air like something sharp. No one spoke. Forks scraped softly against plates. Cups were lifted and set down again.
Then the door opened.
Kaine walked in.
He didn't sit.
He didn't speak.
He only bowed and stood quietly in the corner, like always. My personal guard. Head lowered. Hands behind his back.
My chest tightened.
I felt uneasy the moment I saw him. My fingers curled slightly on the table. I tried to look away—but I couldn't stop myself from noticing him.
Levi noticed.
So did Louis.
Their eyes followed my gaze.
Levi's jaw tightened.
Louis frowned.
"Guard," Louis said sharply. "Leave."
Kaine didn't hesitate. He bowed his head.
"Yes, Alpha."
He turned and walked out.
The door closed behind him.
Silence slammed down on the table.
I hadn't even touched my food.
Levi pushed his plate away and leaned back in his chair, his eyes burning as he stared at me.
"Olivia," he said slowly, his voice tight with anger, "you must be fucking kidding me."