Olivia''s POV


    Levi frowned, then—just like Louis—he stood up. Without a word, he walked away.


    Of course, the boys noticed. Children always do.


    They felt the shift, the tension hanging thick in the air, the way something that was supposed to be fun suddenly turned wrong. And deep down, it hurt me more than anything else.


    What kind of parenthood were we building like this?


    "I''m sorry," Liam suddenly whispered, his small voice cracking. "I thought it was going to be fun… I didn''t mean to make them sad."


    My heart shattered.


    I pulled him into myp immediately, wrapping my arms around him and holding him close. Over his shoulder, I saw Leon and Leo watching us with wide, uncertain eyes. They weren''t babies anymore. They could sense the rot beneath this so-called happy family outing.


    "It''s okay, darling," I whispered, smoothing Liam''s hair. "This isn''t your fault. Not at all. The adults are just… we''re just having a hard day."


    But Liam didn''t look convinced.


    He looked guilty—like a child who had identally broken something precious and realized toote that it could never be fixed.


    I lifted my eyes over Liam''s head and looked at Lennox.


    He was still sitting there, leaning back on one elbow, his posture rxed. Too rxed. Theke behind him was calm, reflecting the sunlight—and he looked just like it.


    He didn''t look guilty or sorry. He looked like a man who had done exactly what he intended to do.


    "Was it worth it?" I asked, my voice trembling with a cold, sharp anger.


    Lennox tilted his head slightly, his eyes hidden behind his sunsses.


    "Making sure they face the reality of their neglect?" he said evenly. "Yes, Olivia. It was."


    "You used my son," I hissed, lowering my voice once the boys had wandered a few steps away to y by the sand. "You used a game meant for a child to humiliate your brothers."


    Lennox frowned. "How did I humiliate them, Olivia?"


    "By agreeing to the game in the first ce," I snapped. "You could have said no. You should have said no. But you didn''t. You chose to embarrass them instead. How childish of you."


    I stood up, anger boiling over.


    "What?" I continued bitterly. "You think knowing so much about me will make me love you more? Want you more?"


    Iughed harshly.


    "Never. We''re not even mates anymore."


    The words left my mouth before I could stop them.


    And the moment they did, I knew those words hit Lennox.


    Even though I couldn''t see his eyes behind the sunsses, I saw it in the way his jaw clenched. The way his body went still. He didn''t argue. He didn''t shout.


    He simply stood up.


    Without looking at me, he walked toward the boys and joined them, kneeling down to help Liam build something in the sand.


    Like nothing had happened.


    I sat back down slowly, my chest tight.


    God… I felt like an idiot.


    A big one.


    Those words—they were never meant to leave my lips.


    How could I have said that to him?


    My wolf stirred uneasily.


    Go talk to him, she urged.


    But fear held me back.


    I was panicking. I didn''t know how he would react. And with the kids around, I knew—or at least told myself—that it was better to stay away.


    Momentster, Louis and Levi walked back together. From the look on their faces, I could tell they''d talked.


    They sat down across from me, both of them unusually quiet.


    "We''re sorry," Levi said first, his voice low and sincere. "We''ve realized something."


    Louis nodded. "We haven''t been putting in enough effort. Not in this rtionship. Not with you."


    My chest tightened.


    "You''re our mate," Louis continued. "And yet… we barely know you anymore. We took you for granted."


    Levi swallowed. "We want to do better. To love you better. To try."


    They looked at me with something close to hope.


    "Please," Louis said quietly. "Give us another chance."


    Emotion welled up in my throat.


    "Of course," I said softly. "We''re all learning. None of us has done this perfectly."


    They both smiled, relief easing their faces.


    But Louis didn''t look away from me.


    His gaze sharpened slightly.


    "Something happened between you and Lennox," he said carefully. "Didn''t it?"


    My heart dropped.


    "Yes," I admitted.


    Louis frowned. "What did you say to him?"


    I swallowed hard.


    "I told him…" My voice shook. "I told him we''re not mates anymore."


    The silence that followed was heavy.


    Levi''s face paled, and he let out a long, slow breath. "Olivia… that must have really hurt him. Even for Lennox, that''s a jagged pill to swallow."


    He looked toward the shoreline, where Lennox was patiently helping Leon with a sandcastle, his movements mechanical and distant.


    "You should talk to him. Not here, not with the boys watching—but when we get back. You need to fix that bridge before it finishes burning."


    I just nodded, the guilt sitting like a lead weight in my stomach.


    The drive back was an exercise in agony.


    On the surface, Lennox was the perfect father. Heughed at the boys'' jokes, pointed out the constetions beginning to peek through the twilight, and made sure everyone was buckled in.


    But to me, he was a ghost.


    He didn''t look at me once. Not in the rearview mirror. Not when he handed me a water bottle. Nothing.


    It was as if I had truly be the stranger I imed he was.


    The unease followed me into the mansion like a physical chill.


    After the long day, the boys were exhausted. I spent an hour bathing them and tucking them in, lingering longer than usual just to avoid the inevitable.


    Finally, the hallway was quiet.


    The mansion felt cavernous and empty.


    I found myself standing in front of Lennox''s heavy oak door. My hand trembled as I raised it to knock.


    After the second knock, the door didn''t just open—it was pushed wide with a suddenness that made me jump.