“What the hell are you saying, Uncle…?” I snarled, my voice shaking with fury. My wolf was already pushing through, growling, demanding control.

Uncle Damien didn’t flinch. He looked straight at me, his expression calm but serious. “You heard me, Lennox,” he said flatly. He turned to Olivia, pulling her closer and wrapping his arm tightly around her waist. “Olivia is now… my woman.”

My vision turned red. A deep growl ripped from my throat as my wolf surged forward. My claws shot out, and my eyes burned gold. I couldn’t stop it. I didn’t want to. She was ours. My mate. Our mate. And he dared to claim her?

I lunged forward, ready to rip him apart, but a body blocked me. “Enough!” my father’s voice boomed like thunder as he stepped in front of me. “Calm down, Lennox!” he ordered, his hand on my chest, trying to hold me back. But I was shaking, snarling, barely holding myself together. “Your wolf is clouding your mind.”

“Get out of my way, Father!” I roared, my voice deeper—beast-like. “He is claiming her! He dared to say she’s his!” “She’s ours!” my wolf howled inside me.

“She’s not yours if you threw her away,” Uncle Damien said casually from behind my father. “You lost that right the day you made Anita your concubine.”

My anger intensified. I tried to attack him again, but my father shoved me back hard, his eyes flaring. “Lennox—stand down!”

My chest heaved, my claws still out. I could barely breathe. The rage… the pain… the guilt—it was too much.

Father turned to his brother slowly, his voice cold and calm but deadly. “Damien… this is your nephew. You know what this is doing to him. To all of them.”

Damien didn’t blink. “Then maybe they should’ve thought about that before they let her live in pain for years.”

“This is not right, Damien,” my mother whispered quietly behind me.

My eyes were locked on Olivia. She wasn’t moving, didn’t say anything. She just stood there, close to Damien, her expression blank. Her eyes met mine, and she seemed… comfortable. My wolf growled as a terrifying thought buzzed in my head—last night Olivia was on heat, the magical choker was around her neck… did she and my uncle…? I shook my head, unwilling to believe it, but deep down I was scared… it could really happen, and we wouldn’t feel it… because of the damn choker.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by Louis and Levi attacking Uncle Damien, both together. With angry growls, they rushed at him—Louis from the side, Levi straight on. Their wolves were nearly in control, and they didn’t care anymore.

I didn’t move. I should have. I wanted to. But my mind was spinning. I couldn’t stop thinking about Olivia, the collar, the possibility that something happened between her and Damien last night. The thought made me sick.

Damien moved fast. He grabbed Levi’s arm, twisting it behind his back and flipping him to the ground with one smooth move. Then, as Louis swung at him, Damien ducked and punched him hard in the ribs, knocking him into the wall.

They both staggered, groaning. Damien stood tall, barely breathing hard. “I’ve trained warriors,” he said quietly. “Did you think I wouldn’t be ready for you?”

But before anyone else could move, Olivia’s voice rang out. “Stop!”

We all froze. She stepped forward, her eyes blazing with anger. She wasn’t crying. She wasn’t scared. She was furious.

“What do you even want from me anymore?” she shouted. “You rejected me! You hated me! You hurt me for four years! And now you want to fight for me?!” Her voice shook, her frown deepened.

“You let me suffer while Anita walked around this pack like a queen,” she continued, her voice rising. “She’s pregnant with your children. Your children!”

None of us could look her in the eye. We all looked away. She looked between the three of us, pain and anger blazing in her eyes. “You should be focusing on that—on what’s growing inside her—not chasing someone you threw away like trash!”

My heart cracked open again. Because she wasn’t wrong. Not even a little.

Olivia turned away, breathing hard, like she was holding herself together with pure willpower. Damien stepped beside her, protectively wrapping his arms around her waist, and she didn’t pull away.

I growled, ready to snatch her away, to do anything—but Father spoke. “Lennox, Levi, Louis… calm down…. let me have a word with my brother.”

I glared at Father, then at Damien, who simply held my gaze, looking as if this were normal… I couldn’t understand what the hell was going on.

Father took a long breath, his hand still raised in warning as he turned to Damien. “Come with me,” he said. His voice was calm again, but serious. “We need to talk.”

Damien didn’t argue. He nodded and was about to move—until he looked down at Olivia. “Come,” he said to her gently, touching her back.

That one word—come—snapped something inside me. I growled loud and deep, the sound ripping out of my chest before I could stop it. Why does she seem so comfortable with him? She didn’t look scared or nervous. She was just… so calm.

My claws twitched. My wolf howled and thrashed, demanding we do something. Anything. But I couldn’t move. Not because I didn’t want to. Because I wanted to respect Father and believe he would handle the situation properly. Because if he didn’t, then this was going to be war.

Father turned to me sharply, his eyes filled with warning. “Lennox. Stand. Down. I’ll handle it.” He said it as if he was reading my thoughts.

I growled but didn’t attack. I just watched as Olivia—my Olivia—walked away with my uncle’s arm wrapped around her.

The second part of this story just began.