385 Can’t Send Her Away

Louis’s POV 1

“What the hell was that?” I snapped the moment we stepped into the living area. My voice thundered through the room, sharp enough to make Selene flinch before she masked it with a smirk. She folded her arms, her chin high. “I said what needed to be said.”

My wolf bristled, pushing hard against my control. “No, you insulted my mate. In our house. Do you realize how close I was to breaking you right there in front of everyone?”

Her eyes narrowed, and she scoffed. “Mate or not, someone has to remind her of the truth. She acts like she’s untouchable, but she’s not. She’s selfish. She’s weak. And one day, she’ll bring you all down with her.” My hands clenched into fists, nails biting into my palms.

“Watch your mouth.” My voice echoed with rage. “You don’t know Olivia. You don’t know what she’s been through. And you sure as hell don’t get to judge her.”

Selene rolled her eyes, like my fury meant nothing. “I only said what everyone else is thinking but too afraid to admit. She’s jealous. Possessive. And dramatic…”

“Enough!” I thundered, my wolf snarling inside me. “You may be family, Selene,” I continued coldly, “but Olivia is our mate. And if you ever speak to her like that again, you won’t just be leaving this house—you’ll be crawling away in pieces.”

Her face drained of color.

I leaned in, my voice dropping to a low, lethal whisper. “When she comes back, you’ll apologize. I believe I make myself clear.”

Selene didn’t answer, but I knew she wouldn’t dare defy me.

Footsteps sounded behind me. I turned to find Levi entering, his brow furrowing as he caught the thick tension. His gaze flicked from Selene to me. “What’s going on?”

Just then Lennox walked in but didn’t say a word. He only eyed Selene and then communicated to us through the mind link. “Let’s meet in my room.” Levi looked at me with confusion but gave a short nod. I let out a breath, forcing myself to calm down. I gave Selene one last hard look—a warning. Then I walked past her without another word.

When we got to Lennox’s room, he stood by the window, staring outside at the wide stretch of trees. His back was stiff, his hands clasped behind him.

“What happened?” Levi asked, clearly still confused about what happened.

I sighed but didn’t go into details. “Olivia and Selene didn’t get off on the right foot.”

Levi’s frown deepened. “Then Selene has to leave.”

Lennox pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling sharply. “Selene isn’t here for pleasure. She’s here for work—for Frederick. She knows things, things Olivia doesn’t. But how do we explain that without revealing too much? Olivia doesn’t trust her. She barely trusts us.”

I growled under my breath. “Then Selene needs to learn her place. If she can’t respect Olivia, she has no business being here, no matter what she knows.”

Lennox finally turned from the window, his eyes sharp and stormy. “She can’t leave,” he said, his voice firm. “We need Selene. Whether Olivia likes it or not, she’s our only chance to gain an advantage against Frederick. She knows his movements, his weaknesses. She’s more valuable than you think.”

I frowned, my wolf snarling in protest. “Valuable or not, if she keeps running her mouth about Olivia, she’s nothing but trouble.”

Lennox shook his head, jaw tight. “That’s why we have to control her. We can’t throw her out now. Not when we are this close. If we do, we lose information we can’t get anywhere else. All we need to do is maybe…” his voice lowered, hesitantly, “…tell Olivia about our plan. Make her see why Selene has to stay.”

“No,” I cut him off sharply, my voice echoing in the room. My wolf pushed hard, angry at the thought. “Olivia will never agree to it. You know her, Lennox—she’ll be too scared for us. Too protective. She’ll shut it down before we even start.”

Levi finally spoke, his arms still crossed tightly. “Louis is right. Olivia won’t go along with something this dangerous. If she thinks we’re putting ourselves in danger, she’ll fight us harder than she fights Selene.”

I nodded grimly. “Exactly. So telling her isn’t an option. If Selene stays, it has to be on our terms. Olivia can’t know the full extent of what we’re planning—not yet.”

Lennox sighed heavily and sat on the bed, rubbing his face. “The problem now is Olivia demanded Selene leave before she comes back… What do we do about that? How do we calm her down?”

I leaned back against the wall, my arms crossed, my wolf pacing with agitation. The question dug deep, because I knew Olivia. I knew her heart. And I knew this wasn’t just about Selene’s words—it was about the way Olivia felt when someone else tried to stand too close to us.

“Olivia’s always been like this,” I muttered, half to myself.

Levi arched a brow. “Like what?”

“Jealous.” A small smile tugged at my lips despite the tension in the room. “Even when she was just twelve.”

Lennox lifted his head, curious despite the heaviness in his expression.

I chuckled softly, the memory flashing bright in my mind. “Do you remember when we had that training session with the River Moon pack? One of their girls—what was her name… Mina—kept following me around, bringing me water, asking me questions.”

Levi smirked faintly. “I remember.”

“Yeah,” I continued, shaking my head, “Olivia stormed right up and told Mina to back off. Said I didn’t need her water, because she was already taking care of me.” I laughed under my breath. “She was twelve, barely reaching my shoulder, glaring like she could tear Mina apart with her teeth.”

The memory softened something in me. “That’s Olivia. She loves hard. And when she loves, she doesn’t want to share—not even a drop. Selene touching my arm…” I shook my head. “To Olivia, it’s not harmless. It’s a threat.”

Silence filled the room after my words. Lennox rubbed the back of his neck, his expression tight. Levi sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, his face thoughtful.

“So what do we do?” Levi asked.

Lennox suddenly spoke. “I have an idea.”