A heavy silence filled the combat ground. Everyone watched, but I only looked at Lennox. Our eyes met, and I saw the disappointment in his. This fight meant everything to him, and he had just lost.

Unable to bear his gaze, I looked away, my eyes falling on his injured arm. It was gushing blood; the wound was deep and red. I frowned, then glanced at Alpha Damien, whose face remained unreadable—neither pleased nor angry, just blank. He gave a short nod before turning to Lennox.

“I believe you know the deal,” Damien said calmly. “Since you lost… Olivia gets to slap you. As many times as she wants.”

I swallowed hard, my heart thudding, looking around. I knew Lennox wouldn’t agree. He was an Alpha—how could he let me slap him? Disrespect him in front of hundreds of warriors? The news would spread like wildfire through the pack.

“Fine… she can do it,” Lennox said, surprising everyone, including me. My eyes widened. Soft gasps rippled through the crowd as the warriors stared in shock.

I frowned. What was he doing? What was he trying to prove?

“I’m not interested,” I said.

He stepped toward me, his expression serious. “I want you to do it,” he insisted. “You need to.”

I stared at him, my frown deepening. “You don’t deserve it.”

His jaw clenched, but his voice remained steady. “Let yourself feel the pain, Olivia. Let yourself hit me. I deserve every bit of it.”

I shook my head, stepping back. “I don’t want to—”

He stepped closer. “Yes, you will… because I deserve it.”

I took a shaky step back. “Lennox, I don’t want to do this.”

“But I want you to,” he said, his voice calm, almost heartbreakingly so. “You need to.”

I shook my head, feeling the heat rise in my chest. “You don’t get to decide what I need—”

“Think of the pain,” he gently interrupted. “Think of everything I’ve done to you.”

My lips parted. I stood there, fists clenched, breath trembling. But I still didn’t move.

He stepped closer again, his voice low and rough. “Think of our wedding night… the pain you endured.”

The memory struck me like a blade to the heart. Tears stung my eyes. My hands tightened into fists. Yet, I remained unmoved.

“Remember when we accused you of stealing? When we humiliated you in front of the pack?”

I turned my face away, my chest rising and falling sharply.

“Remember when I struck you without even hearing your side?”

My hand twitched.

He looked into my eyes. “You remember, don’t you?”

Tears slid down my cheeks.

“Don’t make me do this,” I whispered.

“I’m not making you,” he replied. “I’m asking you. Begging you. Let me feel some of that pain for once.”

I closed my eyes. My hand lifted slowly, trembling. Then I dropped it again.

But he stepped closer once more, his voice raw. “Hit me, Olivia. For the pain. For the betrayal. For every night you cried alone while we shared a bed with someone who wasn’t you.”

My fingers curled. Tears flowed freely.

“I hate you,” I whispered.

“I know.”

I raised my hand again. And this time, I slapped him.

His head turned from the force, but he didn’t flinch. He didn’t move. He turned back to me, nodding once.

“Again,” he said quietly. “For when we laughed while you suffered.”

Slap.

“For when we rejected you publicly.”

Slap.

“For every hurtful word we uttered. Every time we treated you like nothing.”

Slap.

Each strike carried a memory; each memory tore open an old scar. The pain, the rage, the heartbreak—everything I thought I had buried surged to the surface like fire under my skin.

“Remember the nights you needed us,” he said softly. “And we didn’t show up.”

Slap.

I lost count of how many times I struck him after that. All I knew was the ache in my arm, the tremble in my bones, the burning in my lungs as I sobbed and hit and sobbed again.

Until finally, I had nothing left to give. My knees shook. My vision blurred. And I just stood there, gasping. Lennox’s cheek was swollen, red, bloodied. But he stood still, like a man trying to atone for his sins. And where I stood, I didn’t know what to feel. Relief? No. It was far from it.

Suddenly, Damien stepped up beside me. “Even this isn’t enough.”

I swallowed hard and looked at Lennox. He stood there like a broken man, and no matter how much I wanted to harden my heart, I couldn’t. Not completely.

“Let’s go,” Alpha Damien said, wrapping his arm around my waist.

I flinched, and my eyes met Lennox’s again. That’s when I noticed the tears brimming in his eyes. My wolf let out a soft whimper, but I quickly looked away and walked out of the combat ground with Damien.

As we walked away, the weight of what had just happened clung to me like a heavy blanket. My heart pounded, not from anger anymore, but from confusion, pain, regret. The moment I slapped Lennox, it hadn’t brought the relief I’d expected. It hadn’t fixed anything. It hadn’t erased the heartbreak. All it had done was remind me of everything I’d survived.

Damien’s hand rested firmly around my waist as we exited the training ground. I didn’t resist; I couldn’t. I didn’t have the strength to pull away. My mind raced, and the fire in my chest refused to die down.

“You did well,” Damien murmured, his voice calm. “He needed that. You needed that.”

I didn’t respond. Because I wasn’t sure if he was right.

I glanced back once, just once, and saw Lennox still standing there. His head was bowed, his shoulders rigid as stone. He hadn’t moved. He hadn’t wiped the blood away. He just stood there… like he was trapped in a storm of his own making. And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t know if I hated him… or if I hurt for him.

Damien guided me toward the steps of the pack house, but I paused before entering. My hand hovered over the railing, and I found my voice again.

“I didn’t want to do that,” I said softly, more to myself than anyone else.

“But you needed to,” Damien said again, his tone still gentle. “Don’t forget what they did, Olivia. Don’t let your heart grow weak again.”

I frowned at his words but said nothing. Instead, I slowly pulled his arm from my waist. “I’m exhausted… I need to rest,” I said and began walking up the stairs. Reaching my room, I unlocked the door, stepped in, and went straight to my new cell phone. I opened it and noticed a few missed calls from Gabriel. I thought about calling, but decided to text instead.

“I missed your calls,” I sent.

His response came quickly. “Yes. Can we meet? It’s important. It’s about your father’s case. I have something to show you.”

I replied immediately. “Yes… let’s meet at the boundary in an hour.”

His next message was just as quick. “Sure… see you soon.”

I stared at the screen long after the conversation ended, my mind racing. My father’s case. What had Gabriel found?