Sharing a room

Fine, Frederick. Let’s play this game.

I reached for the switch on my side of the bed and flicked the light back on.

Minutes later, he returned – dressed simply, his hair damp, his pale skin almost glowing under the dim light. Without a word, he crossed the room, slid into his side of the massive bed, and lay back against the pillows.

Still deep in thought, my body went stiff when the door creaked open. My head turned sharply, and there was Frederick – walking back into the room.

This time, he didn’t spare me a glance, as if I wasn’t even there. He moved straight to the wardrobe, pulled out dark silk pajamas, and disappeared into the bathroom.

Hailee.

“Turn off the lights. All of them. I can’t sleep with them on,” he ordered.

A small, tired smile tugged at my lips, even as my eyes stung. “I know. That’s why I love you three.”

“Exactly.”

Louis was calmer, but I still felt his worry. “Talk to us, Liv. Tell us what’s happening.”

I heard the water run, the sound of him moving inside, and I sat frozen on the edge of the bed, my frown deepening.

“In his fucking dreams,” Levi growled.

And suddenly… I was eager to know more.

The truth hit me like a bucket of cold water. The way his chest moved up and down, the way his hands opened and closed – it wasn’t just anger. It was sadness. A sadness so deep it had cut into him for years, and now it leaked out through the cracks in the mask he always wore.

What had really happened between them? Had he ever told her how he felt? Or had he stayed silent, letting her slip away into another man’s arms? Did she reject him, choosing her husband instead? Was that why he carried this shadow in his heart, this bitterness?

I found myself wanting to know their story because it was clear. Hailee was more than just a memory to him. She was his wound, his obsession… his weakness.

“You’ve been too quiet. What is going on?” Levi asked quickly.

His voice finally came, flat, calm, without warmth.

I nodded, though they couldn’t see me, sinking onto the bed as I rubbed my sore neck. “He was, and still is… his actions make it obvious,” I whispered.

I felt Levi’s frustration through the link. “Olivia-”

Then he walked away, leaving me standing there with a thousand questions burning inside me.

My throat tightened. The pain from Frederick’s grip was still there, a reminder of how close I had come to danger. Part of me wanted nothing more than to run to them, to let them hold me, to let the three of them shield me from all of this. But I couldn’t. Not yet.

Frederick shifted slightly, his head turning just enough for me to see the corner of his pale face in the dim glow. His eyes glinted red for a brief moment, then softened back to that calm, collected expression that infuriated me more than his smirk ever could.

It was a lie, but I delivered it with enough effort to make it sound real.

My heart raced as I shut the curtain quickly. I need to find it. But where do I start?

“I’m fine,” I lied, forcing my voice steady. “Don’t worry. But… there’s something you need to know.”

Their voices rushed in immediately, quick, urgent, and tangled with worry.

I drew in a shaky breath and opened the mind link. “Lennox? Levi? Louis?”

I paused, then whispered, “Frederick… he was in love with your great-grandmother, Hailee.”

Silence hit the link. Heavy. Thick. I felt their shock slam into me all at once – Lennox’s rage, Levi’s disbelief, Louis’s unease.

My wolf shifted uneasily inside me. “He loves her.”

“Olivia.” His voice was sharp, pulling me back. He was still not facing me. “For your own good, never say her name again.”

I inhaled slowly. “There’s more. He has a three-year-old son with a human. The mother is dead. I haven’t met the child yet.”

“And we love you,” they chorused in unison.

And maybe, just maybe, if I could uncover the truth of what happened between them, I could find the key to defeating him.

“Olivia. If you can teleport to us right now, do it. I need to see you with my own eyes. I need to be sure you’re okay,” Lennox pleaded, still sounding worried.

“No,” I whispered, firm but soft. “I can’t. Not tonight.”

“Tomorrow,” I interrupted, steadying my voice. “Tomorrow, I’ll come. I promise.”

Aggressively, he let go of me and turned his back on me. My throat still burned from his grip, but I stood frozen, staring at him. His shoulders rose and fell sharply, his breath ragged, heavy – like I had torn something open inside him. His back was turned, but I didn’t need to see his face to know my words had struck deep. He wasn’t smirking anymore. He wasn’t taunting me. He was… hurting.

The questions suffocated me; they made me restless and insistent.

“Please do,” Lennox urged.

“Bastard,” Levi spat.

Just her name, spoken aloud, was enough to unravel him. And in that moment, I realized something. This man – this monster – was in love with her. Not a passing desire, not a fleeting hunger. He loved her. Obvious, painful, desperate love.

Louis’s response was sharp. “So he wants you to step into her place? To play mother?”

“Lies don’t suit you, Olivia,” he said evenly, his voice low, almost amused. Then, without waiting for my reply, he reached out, flicked the small switch on his side of the bed, and the last dim light blinked out. Darkness swallowed the room whole.

“It looks like we’ll be sleeping in separate rooms then,” I snapped. “Because I sleep with the lights on.”

“Olivia, what’s going on? Are you okay?” Lennox’s voice was rough.

Olivia’s POV

Louis’s calm voice broke through, though I felt the tightness in his chest. “You’d better keep that promise, Liv. Because if you don’t, we’re coming for you – whether you like it or not.”

After ending the mind link, I took off my sandals and glanced around the room. I walked to the window and pulled the curtain just a little. Night had already fallen. The moonlight made the garden outside glow, but the shadows felt long and cold. Somewhere inside this mansion, maybe even close by, was the vessel that housed his soul. The one thing keeping his power strong.

I drew in a long breath. “I have to go. I’ll reach out if anything happens.”

“What?” Lennox exclaimed in shock.

I clenched my jaw, the silence pressing down thick and heavy between us. My wolf stirred uneasily inside me, growling at the audacity of this man – this monster – lying beside me like we were husband and wife.

My frown deepened as I glared at his back. Did he really think I would jump to his orders? Joke’s on him.

The silence in the room was suffocating. He didn’t look at me, didn’t even acknowledge me, as if I were just another piece of furniture in his space.