Joyce’s POV


    “You can’t do that, William. No one asked for those videos to be shown. Why would you do that? Are you trying to ruin us? Aren’t you supposed to defend us?” I cried out.


    “I am defending you, Joyce. You and Sasha assured me again justst night that the videos were never threatening or nderous. That you didn’t intentionally defame the intiff. I’m just trying to prove that what she alleged never happened. They’re part of the chain of evidence in this trial. I’m going by your own words.


    I want everyone to see that the videos in question weren’t that bad. Most of the jury has never even seen them. I know that for the jury to make an informed decision, they need to have all the facts. I’m trying to diligently defend you.


    I had to tell them. I couldn’t keep swallowing it down, pretending like I was fine, pretending like what happened didn’t still haunt me every single day.


    “I know,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I know we were supposed to leave everything behind. To move forward. To heal. But I can’t. Not fully.”Their eyes stayed on me, heavy and piercing, but I pressed on, because if I stopped, I’d break.


    “Even knowing you were spelled… even knowing it wasn’t your fault—I still can’t cope with it sometimes. I still get… triggered. Every time I see another woman close to you, every time one of you smiles or lets someone touch you…” My throat closed, my wolf whimpering inside me. “It’s like I’m right back there. Like I’m about to live that trauma all over again.”


    I wrapped my arms around myself, holding in the ache that wed through me. “I’m scared,” I admitted, my voice cracking. “I’m so scared of losing you. And that fear—it’s eating me alive. It’s making me jealous, bitter, insane. And I hate it, because I hate who it makes me. But I can’t stop.”


    Silence hung in the air, and through the bond, I felt their emotions full of pain, love, and worry. Levi was the first to move.


    His arms wrapped around me gently, pulling me into his chest. The warmth of him, the steady beat of his heart, made my wolf exhale shakily.


    “Liv,” he whispered into my hair, his voice breaking with love, “that will never happen again. I swear it. You’ll never lose us like that. You’ll never have to relive that pain.”I shook against him, my fingers clutching the fabric of his shirt. “I know… I know you say that. But I’m still scared.”His hand rubbed slow circles down my back,forting me. “Then let us carry that fear with you. Don’t hold it alone. We love you so much, Olivia. We’ll spend the rest of our lives proving that to you.”


    Before I could answer, another warmth closed around me. Lennox. His presence was overwhelming and strong, like a wall shielding me from everything else.


    He pulled me into his arms, cupping my cheek with one rough hand. His thumb brushed away a tear that had escaped, and his eyes—goodness, those eyes—burned straight into me.


    “We cannot be spelled again,” he said firmly, his voice calm and unshakable. “We’re Alphas now. No witchcraft, no spell, no trick can touch us. That mistake only happened because we weren’t yet what we are today. And it will never happen again.”


    His hand pressed tighter to my cheek, his forehead almost touching mine. “I love you, Olivia. So much. Sometimes I wish you could see my heart—just so you’d know there’s no space in it for anyone else but you.”The truth of his words hit me like a wave. I couldn’t see his heart, but gods…I could feel it. His love. It was real, deep, burning through me until I couldn’t breathe.


    And then Louis’s arms slipped around me from behind, pulling me fully into the safety of all three of them. His lips brushed the top of my head, his voice low and fierce.


    “You’re ours. Always. No spell, no woman, no mistake will ever change that. We’ll fight for you until ourst breath.


    Surrounded. Shielded. Loved.


    For the first time, the fear inside me loosened, just a little.


    I hugged Louis, and he wrapped his arms around me. I let the tears fall as I rxed in thefort of his arms. I knew my healing process would take a long while, but having this conversation with them gave me a little assurance, and I felt a heavy load leave my shoulders. Louis kept whispering words to me as he rubbed invisible circles on my back while I just remained in his arms.


    My eyes closed. I pressed my face into Louis’s chest, listening to the rise and fall of him. My hands found Levi’s and Lennox’s and I squeezed, a small, stunnedugh escaping me. God, I loved these men so much. If something happened—if I lost them—I didn’t know how I would live with it. Louis lifted up my head and leaned down to kiss me. I opened my mouth and kissed him deeply, pouring out my emotion into the kiss.


    The kiss deepened. I melted into it, parting my lips, tasting him, letting all the emotions I had bottled up for so long spill into the way I kissed him back.


    My hands slid up his chest, clutching at him like he was the only thing keeping me tethered. His arm tightened around me, his tongue brushing mine, and for that brief moment, I felt whole. Safe. Loved.


    Levi began trailing soft kisses on the back of my neck while I felt Lennox lifting up the hem of my gown. God, I loved them. All of them. The thought of losing even one made my chest tighten, but here—like this—I could almost believe we were inseparable.


    And then—knock. Knock.


    The sound shattered the bubble we had built. We froze. Louis pulled back, his breathing rough, his forehead still pressed against mine.


    The knock came again, softer this time, followed by a too-familiar voice. “Brothers? It’s me. Selene. Can we talk?”


    My frown deepened. Why was she calling them brothers? It sounded so fake to me.


    The tension in the room snapped back like a whip. My wolf bristled instantly, ws raking at me from the inside. The warmth of the kiss drained, reced by cold anger curling in my stomach.


    Louis muttered a curse under his breath. Lennox’s jaw clenched. Levi squeezed my hand tighter, his eyes flicking toward the door.


    And me? I wanted to rip it off its hinges.


    The door creaked open before anyone could answer the knock. Selene stepped in, her eyes sweeping the room, and that little smirk I already hated tugged at her lips.


    “Hope I’m not interrupting,” she said sweetly, though her tone dripped with anything but innocence.


    “You are,” I snapped, my frown deepening as I red at her.


    Her eyes flicked to me, and she rolled them like I was nothing but a child throwing a tantrum. My wolf growled inside me, but before I could lunge, she turned her attention away from mepletely—straight to the triplets.


    “I just got some information,” she announced, her voice suddenly serious.


    The shift in her tone made Lennox stiffen, Louis’s hand drop from my waist, and Levi’s posture straighten instantly.


    I hated it.


    I hated the way shemanded their attention in seconds.


    I arched a brow, tilting my head slightly. “Smart? Maybe. But you’re not wless. And when ites to Frederick, one mistake is all it takes. I won’t risk it.”


    Selene’s jaw tightened, and for a moment I saw her wolf bristle in her eyes. But she didn’t argue further—she just scoffed under her breath and turned her face away, clearly biting back whatever insult she wanted to throw.


    Lennox’s jaw tightened as he finally spoke, his voice low but edged with frustration. “I hate it,” he admitted, his eyes locked on me, burning with possessiveness. “I hate the thought of people seeing you with Frederick. Of him even standing beside you.”


    My chest ached at the raw honesty in his tone. I reached for him without hesitation, my hand curling around the back of his neck as I pulled him down to me. Our lips met, and I kissed him deeply, pouring all my defiance and love into it.


    “It’s only for a while,” I whispered against his mouth before kissing him again, harder this time. My wolf hummed with satisfaction as I made sure the kiss lingered, hot and passionate, knowing full well that Selene was watching.


    Her presence prickled at the edge of my awareness, and the thought of her seeing us like this made me press even closer to Lennox. My nails dug lightly into his shirt as I deepened the kiss, staking my im without words.


    Through the bond, I felt Lennox’s wolf purr, and then his chuckle brushed against my mind link. “I know exactly what you’re doing, Liv. And gods, I love it.” That made me smile against his lips, even as Selene scoffed faintly in the background, her annoyance rolling off her like smoke.


    I finally pulled back from Lennox, my lips still tingling, my chest rising and falling. Turning to Selene, I forced a sharp smile that held no warmth. “Thank you for the information,” I said, my tone clipped. “Now you can leave. We were in the middle of something before you interrupted.”


    Her lips twitched, but instead of walking out quietly, she tilted her head, her eyes glinting with something sharp. “I just hope,” she said smoothly, “that you can keep them forever.”


    Her words sliced through the air like a de. My wolf bristled, but before I could fire back, Levi’s voice cut through the tension, loud andmanding. “Watch your tongue, Selene.” His gaze was steady, hard. “Olivia isn’t just anyone. She is our mate. Ours. She doesn’t have to ’keep’ us—we belong to her. That’s how it is, and that’s how it will always be.”


    Louis stepped closer too, his arm wrapping protectively around my waist. His voice was sharp, edged with finality. “If you’re here to help against Frederick, then focus on that. But don’t you ever forget your ce when ites to Olivia.”


    Selene’s smirk faltered, her eyes flicking between the three of them before finallynding on me. For a heartbeat, I swore I saw irritation and hate sh across her face—but she said nothing more. With a scoff, she turned on her heel and walked out, her footsteps echoing down the hall.


    I exhaled slowly, leaning into Louis’s hold as my wolf hummed in satisfaction. For once, I didn’t have to fight. My mates had spoken for me. And it felt damn good.


    Lennox’s gazended on me, his lips curling into that half-smirk that always made my stomach tighten. “So,” he drawled, his voice low, “we were in the middle of something, huh?”


    My breath caught as his fingers went to the buttons of his shirt. One by one, he began undoing them with deliberate slowness, his eyes never leaving mine. The sound of fabric sliding against skin filled the silence, and heat rushed up my neck. My wolf stirred restlessly, caught between pride and the undeniable pull of him.


    “Lennox…” I whispered, warningced in my tone, but my voice betrayed me—it was already trembling.