I was awakened by the alarm on my bedside table. Groaning softly, I forced myself out of bed, said my morning prayers, but then lay back, staring at the ceiling as the memories of yesterday crept into my mind. The feeling of his touch, his moans, the intense sensation of his mouth on my—they all flooded back, and I frowned, closing my eyes.

“Come on, Olivia… forget about it. What you should be thinking about is the one request to give him,” I muttered to myself, opening my eyes. I have to think. I have to think of that one request. What could I actually ask of him? I have so many things to request, but I really need to think about the most important ones.

All through the morning, I lay in bed lost in thought, and from time to time, memories of last night would replay in my head, but I ignored them.

Suddenly, a knock sounded on my door. I knew it wasn’t Nora and Lolita because I had asked them not to disturb me. Then I caught his scent and realized it was Lennox. My frown deepened as I wondered why he was there.

Lennox kept knocking, and I was forced to leave my bed. I dragged my feet to the door, still groggy, still half-lost in my thoughts. My fingers curled around the knob, and I pulled it open slowly.

Lennox stood there—arms folded, eyes scanning me from head to toe as if inspecting a crime scene. His brows were furrowed, and his usual calm was absent.

“Why haven’t you left your room all morning?” he asked, his voice sharp but filled with worry.

I blinked, trying to find the words, but before I could speak, his eyes suddenly dropped to my neck—and froze. His expression twisted. In one swift movement, he stepped forward, his hand shooting out to grab my arm, pulling me in and slamming the door shut behind him.

“What the hell is that?” he snapped, his hand reaching up and grazing my neck—not gently. “Lennox—”

“Don’t ‘Lennox’ me!” he barked, backing me into the room until I stumbled against the foot of the bed. His eyes blazed. “Why the hell are there hickeys on your neck?!”

My heart jumped in my chest, panic clawing at my throat. I hadn’t even noticed—I’d been too lost in everything else. I tried to pull away from his intense gaze, but he wouldn’t let up.

I turned abruptly and walked straight to the mirror. My breath caught. A deep red-purple mark just under the curve of my jaw, then another near my collarbone—half-hidden by the neckline of my sleepwear. My fingers rose slowly, brushing over them. He left marks. Damn him!

But instead of feeling angry, my cheeks flushed with heat—not just from embarrassment but from the memory of Louis’s lips trailing down my skin, the way his mouth had worshipped me. Lennox’s reflection loomed behind me in the mirror.

“I asked you a question,” he growled.

“I don’t owe you an explanation,” I said firmly, though my voice wasn’t as strong as I wanted it to be. “What I do is none of your business.”

“Don’t give me that shit, Olivia… who touched you last night? Who gave you such hickeys? Was it any of my brothers?” he asked, angrily but also with jealousy.

I turned around slowly to face him, holding his stare. “What makes you think I will allow you or your brothers to touch me?”

Lennox looked like he was about to explode. In a blink of an eye, he rushed to me and grabbed me by the arms. His grip was tight, almost bruising, and his face was inches from mine—his jaw clenched, nostrils flaring. His rage was thick, his jealousy practically pulsing off him.

“If it’s not me, Levi, or Louis,” he seethed, “then who touched you? Who gave you those damn hickeys?! Who dared lay their hands on what doesn’t belong to them?”

That got me even more annoyed. The way he said it. What doesn’t belong to them? I wasn’t a damn object. And I wasn’t going to let him get away with pretending he cared while he and his brothers paraded their little concubine around like a trophy.

I forced myself to relax in his grip and gave him the sweetest, most infuriating smile I could muster. “Oh, Lennox… don’t be so worked up.”

He blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in my tone.

“You know,” I said slowly, deliberately, “since your precious werewolf laws permit Alpha males to have concubines—like your lovely Anita—I figured it was only fair I enjoy the same privilege as your Luna.”

His face twitched. “What the hell are you saying?”

I leaned in, letting my breath fan against his cheek. “I’m saying… I haven’t chosen a man to pleasure me yet—but after last night? I’m very, very tempted.”

He yanked me back, eyes wild. “What man?!”

“Oh,” I whispered, tilting my head to expose the mark just enough to taunt him, “he was strong, taller than you. Rough hands, but he knew exactly what he was doing. His tongue?” I let out a fake, breathy sigh. “Let’s just say… I screamed a little.”

Lennox’s pupils dilated, and his hold on me tightened.

“Stop lying,” he growled, his voice trembling with anger. “You’re lying. You’re just trying to piss me off.”

“Am I?” I said with mock innocence. “Why would I lie? After all… you and your brothers made it very clear you didn’t want me.”

His hand twitched. “But someone else did. Someone else made me feel wanted… needed. Tasted me like I was the only thing he ever craved.” I smiled again. “And you know what the best part is?”

He didn’t answer—just stared, trembling with rage. I leaned forward, lips nearly touching his ear. “He wasn’t afraid to leave marks.”

And with that, I yanked my arm free and stepped back. “Now, if you’ll excuse me,” I added, walking toward the bed, “I have better things to do than entertain the jealousy of men who don’t even want me.”

I could feel his gaze burning into my back, shaking with the weight of everything I’d just said. And gods, it felt good to lie. Even if my heart whispered a different name in the silence. Even if all I could really remember was Louis’s mouth, Louis’s fingers, and the way he made me feel like I mattered.

“I will be back, you just wait,” Lennox spat before storming out of my room.