188 Lose Two Things

Olivia POV

With furrowed brows, I watched the scene unfold. Sir Damon marched up to his sons, his face thunderous. “And what is this I’m hearing? That you’d rather lose your children than mark Anita?” he spat, glaring at his son.

My confusion deepened. From Nora and Lolita’s gossip, I knew Anita had been crying in pain, and the Alphas had rushed her to the hospital. But now this? The realization that they were being told to mark her—to save the pups? “Father, we’ve made our decision—” Lennox began, but Sir Damon cut him off sharply.

“What fucking decision, Lennox? A decision to abandon your own blood? To let innocent pups die instead of marking their mother?”

A long, heavy silence followed. I remained frozen, my eyes bouncing between them, trying to understand. Then Louis stepped forward, his voice authoritative. “Because marking Anita… means losing Olivia.”

They all turned to look at me. Levi’s jaw clenched. “And we won’t let that happen.” Lennox nodded. “Not now. Not ever.”

My heart slammed against my ribs. I didn’t know how to feel. Part of me felt empathy for the children, but another part—one I didn’t want to admit—ached at the sincerity in their voices. Lady Fiona opened her mouth, but Lennox cut her off. “That’s enough.”

His voice was calm but final, making even Sir Damon pause. “This situation with Anita and the babies… it’s our responsibility. Not yours. You raised us, yes. You care, we know. But don’t forget something important…” He looked his parents in the eyes. “We are Alphas now. Not boys. You may be our parents—but these decisions, this life… is our business… only us.”

There was another long silence before Lady Fiona stepped forward, worry etched on her face. Her voice was calm, but every word trembled with restrained anger. “You think this is just about duty? About the title? About being Alphas?” She paused, looking at each of them. “I had complications when I was pregnant with you. All three of you. My body was weak, and the healer told me I should terminate. That none of you would make it. That if I continued, I might die.”

Her voice cracked, but she recovered. “But I refused. I chose you. All of you. And do you know who stood beside me?” She turned toward her mate. “Your father. He didn’t hesitate. He stayed up every night. He argued with the healers, begged the Moon Goddess, fought to keep me and all of you alive.”

Her eyes welled with tears, but her voice sharpened. “That’s what it means to be a father. You don’t walk away because it’s hard. You don’t look at your unborn children and say, ‘Not worth it.’ You fight for them. You give them a chance—even when it’s not convenient, even when it wasn’t planned.”

A tense silence hung in the air until Levi stepped forward, anger etched on his face. “That’s different,” he said quietly. Lady Fiona blinked. “How?” “Because you were his mate. He loved you,” Levi said, his voice tightening. “He wanted those children with you. But Anita…”

He shook his head. “We don’t love her. We never did. We didn’t plan for this. We never wanted children with her. And she knew that.” Lennox’s jaw tensed. Louis folded his arms, saying nothing—but agreeing.

Levi looked directly at his mother. “You were his mate. You carried the children of love. Anita’s not our mate. She never will be. This isn’t the same.” Lady Fiona’s frown deepened. Clearly, this wasn’t what she expected.

Then Louis spoke up, his voice low but firm. “We get it, Mother. You want grandchildren.” He paused, his gaze drifting to me. I held my breath. He looked at me for a long second, until I awkwardly looked away. I had waited so long to feel seen. And now that they finally saw me… it was already too late.

He continued, “But you’ll get them. Just not this way. Not with someone we don’t love.” His voice hardened slightly. “You’ll have your grandchildren. But only with the woman we choose. The one we love.”

I swallowed hard, my gaze focused on my food. Sir Damon groaned, furious. “You’ll regret this foolishness,” he spat before storming out, followed by Lady Fiona.

A tense silence hung in the air. I kept my eyes on my plate, pretending to be focused, even though my hands trembled. I could feel their stares. All three of them. But I didn’t look up.

Then Alpha Damien, who had been sitting beside me, calmly set down his fork. “If the pups are really yours,” he said, his tone calm, nonchalant, “then my advice is simple: mark Anita.”

I froze. The air shifted. The tension thickened instantly. Alpha Damien looked at the three of them, his expression blank. “Because as far as I see it, you’ve already lost Olivia.”

I looked up, sharply. He didn’t stop. “When she testifies against you at the council,” he went on, “they’ll accept her rejection. You won’t be her mates anymore. Not by law, not by bond, not by anything.”

His voice got colder. “And when that day comes… you’ll lose two things at once. Your mate bond with Olivia, and your innocent pups.” Damien didn’t flinch when Lennox slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet.

“Shut up!” he yelled, his voice shaking with rage. “Just fucking shut up!” Alpha Damien didn’t flinch. He simply looked up at Lennox, his expression calm as ever. “This is just the truth,” he replied. “Because unlike your father, I’m not trying to control you. I’m just telling you the truth.”

I held my breath again. Everything felt like it was about to explode. Lennox’s chest rose and fell heavily. Louis glared at his plate, fists clenched. Levi said nothing—but his eyes were locked on me. And I—I didn’t know what to feel anymore.

Because what Alpha Damien said… it wasn’t a threat. It was just the truth. When the time for the council meeting comes… I am going to reject them.