<h4>Chapter 310: The Vow</h4>


    Lennox’s POV


    Lord Frederick?


    What the hell was he doing here?


    Thest time I saw him was years ago, during Great-Grandmother Hailee’sst birthday celebration. I still remember that night vividly. My brothers and I were young then, and she had introduced him to us with a proud smile.


    "This is my friend, Lord Frederick," she had said warmly.


    Even back then, I knew exactly what he was—a vampire. And from the moment I caught his scent, cold and metallic like winter blood, I didn’t like him. There was something about the way he looked at people... calm, polite, but calcted. Like he was always two steps ahead, already deciding how you fit into his ns. And even though Great-Grandmother trusted him, I could never shake the feeling that there was more to him than he let on.


    As if my anticipation were right, just a few hours after she introduced us to him, I saw her having a heated disagreement with him that caused Great-Grandfather Nathan to send him away. Ever since then, we haven’t spoken to him, and our paths haven’t crossed—although I saw him at Olivia’s wee party. We only exchanged looks but never talked.


    Now he was here, at my borders, asking to enter my pack.


    And iming he had something important to tell me?


    I didn’t believe for a second that it was just a casual visit.


    "Let him in," I said to the guards.


    I rose from my chair, mind-linking Levi and Louis immediately. "Meet me in the visitors’ room. Lord Frederick is here."


    Louis’ response came first, sharp andced with irritation. "Lord Frederick? What the hell does he want?"


    "We’re about to find out," I muttered through the link.


    Levi’s tone was calmer, but there was tension under it. "On my way."


    I grabbed my jacket and made my way out of the study room to my room so I could freshen up.


    By the time I entered, Levi and Louis were already there, both wearing the same curious expression on their faces.


    Lord Frederick stood near the far end of the room, hands sped neatly behind his back, posture straight. His presence was the same as I remembered—calm, but somehowmanding. His dark eyes flicked to each of us as we approached, and the faintest curve of a smile formed on his lips.


    "Alpha Lennox," he greeted smoothly, inclining his head slightly. "Alpha Levi and Alpha Louis. It’s been... far too long."


    I didn’t bother returning the smile. "Lord Frederick. You wanted to speak with us. What’s so urgent that you had toe to our pack unannounced?"


    His gaze sharpened, but his tone remained calm. "Because what I have to say... cannot be delivered through a message."


    Louis crossed his arms, clearly annoyed. "Then say it."


    Frederick’s eyes lingered on him for a moment before returning to me. "It’s about Olivia."


    My wolf instantly went on alert, ears pricking at the sound of her name. "What about her?" I asked, my voice dropping low.


    Frederick took a slow step forward. "Whatever path she is trying to take, she has to stop it."


    Levi’s eyes narrowed. "What exactly do you mean by that? What path?"


    The vampire’s lips curved again, but it wasn’t a pleasant smile. "Your great-grandmother didn’t tell you?"


    I felt my jaw tighten. "Enough with the riddles. Speak inly."


    He tilted his head slightly, studying me. "Hailee and I made a deal."


    I took a step closer, my gaze locked with his. "What kind of deal?" I asked, already sensing something wasn’t right.


    "Hailee gave the next special one to me," Lord Frederick said, his voice smooth, almost satisfied. "And that... happens to be Olivia."


    For a second, the room felt like it tilted. My wolf snarled violently inside me, his rage punching through my chest.


    Louis straightened instantly, his arms falling from their crossed position, his voice low and full of anger. "What the hell are you talking about?"


    Frederick’s eyes shifted briefly to him before returning to me. "I saved the life of your great-grandmother, and in return she promised Olivia to me. This vow was sealed by her blood."


    The moment those words left his mouth, something inside me snapped.


    Olivia.


    Our mate.


    And this leech was standing here iming she belonged to him?


    My wolf lunged inside me, roaring so loud it rattled my bones. The air in the visitor’s room shifted—thick, heavy with the raw rage pouring from me and my brothers.


    Louis stepped forward first, his voice a low, venomous growl. "You just made the biggest mistake of your undead life saying this to us."


    Levi’s eyes were zing gold now, his wolf fully pressing against the surface, wanting to be grateful. "She’s ours. Not yours. Not anyone’s. You don’t touch her. You don’t even breathe her name."


    Frederick’s expression didn’t falter, but I saw it—the tiny flicker in his eyes. He’d expected anger, but maybe not this. Not the fury of three Alphas ready to kill.


    I moved closer, the air around me radiating anger. "You listen to me, and you listen well, Frederick. Whatever deal you made with Hailee? It means nothing to us. Olivia is our mate."


    Louis’s snarl was vicious. "And if you think for a second we’ll let you so much as look at her the wrong way, you’re dead wrong. And I do mean dead."


    Frederick’s gaze flicked between us, hisposure still holding, though I caught the way his jaw tightened. "You may think your bond can protect her, but you have no idea the forces at y here. You don’t know what she is—"


    I cut him off with a growl that shook the room. "I know exactly what she is. She’s ours. And if you ever try to im her, I will rip your cold, undead heart out and feed it to the fire."


    Levi’s tone was pure Alphamand now. "Get out of our pack, Frederick. You’ve overstayed your wee."


    For a long moment, he just looked at us, as if weighing his next move. Then that cold, annoying smile slid back onto his lips. "She has just a month to get married to me or else her life will be in danger."


    Louis stepped forward like he was ready to attack, but I caught his arm. "Leave," I ordered, my voice low but filled with Alpha power. "Before I decide your head will look better mounted on my wall."


    His eyes lingered on mine for onest heartbeat... then he turned and walked out, the air in the room slowly loosening with his absence.


    But the rage? That stayed.


    I closed my eyes and made a mind link to Olivia.


    "Olivia," I called out, trying my best not to let my anger show in the tone of my voice.


    "Lennox," she responded. Her voice shaky... Now I understood. This was why she’d been so withdrawn.


    "Can we see you now? It’s very important."


    There was a moment of silence over the mind link before she responded. "Yes..."