Joyce’s POV


    I stood and walked up to be sworn in, with my heart racing. This was it. I had epted what was toe. I was fine with it, as long as Sasha got the greater amount of time. Now that I know she had those jury tampering charges against her, I knew that anything else would just be the cherry on top.


    I hadn’t realized how it felt to be sitting up here. So close to the judge who was watching me. along with all the people in the gallery. I hadn’t realized how many people were actually here. There were even more cameras in here now. All were waiting to see what was about to happen. I had already spoken to William about it. He was going to phrase the question in a way that would allow me to say my piece at the end of my questioning.


    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.


    At least… a little sense.


    But I wasn’t buying it. Not fully.


    “I don’t agree to this.” My arms folded tight across my chest, my voice sharp as a de. “I already have a n. I’ll find the vessel, destroy it, and kill Frederick myself. I don’t need a stranger to get involved. A stranger I don’t trust.”


    The words spat out of my lips. And I couldn’t even tell if I said them because I didn’t trust her—or because I couldn’t stand the sight of her standing so close to my mates.


    Either way, I didn’t care. I wasn’t epting this idea of theirs.


    Louis stepped toward me, his expression calm but his wolf restless inside him. “Olivia, you can’t face Frederick alone. You know that. He’ll tear you apart before you even touch the vessel.”


    I scoffed. “Better me than letting her be near you three.” My re flicked toward the door as if I could see her from there.


    “Liv,” Lennox said carefully, his voice deep and pleasing. He moved closer, close enough that I could feel the heat of his presence. “She’s a weapon Frederick doesn’t expect. That makes her valuable.”


    My wolf growled inside me, furious at his calm tone. “Valuable?” I snapped. “So am I worthless to you now? You’d rather rely on her than on me?”


    Levi stepped in quickly, his voice firm but soothing, the peacemaker as always. “That’s not what we’re saying. You are everything, Olivia. But Frederick… he’s not just another enemy. He’s older, stronger, and darker than anything we’ve fought before. If we ignore Selene’s blood, we’re walking blind into death.”


    I clenched my fists, every muscle in my body trembling with anger and hurt. Their logic pressed against me like iron, but my heart screamed louder.


    I didn’t care if Selene’s blood was poison or power. I didn’t care if she was the “key.”


    All I saw was another woman in my house, too close to the men who were mine.


    And gods help me—I wasn’t ready to sit back and watch it happen.


    My frown deepened, my voice sharp. “It’s not happening. We don’t need her help. I have a n, remember? And besides, we can’t trust her. What if she betrays us?”


    Louis’s jaw tightened. “She won’t. Selene can’t betray us, Olivia. She’s family. Her bloodline ties her to us just as much as it ties her to the fight against Frederick. She gains nothing by standing against us.”


    I scoffed, my wolf snarling inside me. “Family means nothing. You should know that better than anyone. Blood betrays. Blood lies. Don’t stand there and act like it’s a shield.”


    Lennox stepped closer, his eyes full of worry. “Olivia, listen to me. You can doubt her all you want, but the fact remains—we can’t do this without her. Selene is the weapon Frederick won’t seeing. She’s the reason we might finally have a chance at ending him.”


    I red at him, my chest heaving. “So you’d rather put your faith in her than in me?”


    God, I was drowning in jealousy.


    Levi’s voice cut in before Lennox could answer, calm but carrying weight. “This isn’t about choosing her over you, Liv. It’s about using every advantage we have. Selene doesn’t rece you. She strengthens us. With her, and with you, we stand a chance.”


    Louis’s eyes locked on mine, his tone final. “She can’t betray us, Olivia. Not with what’s at stake. She knows Frederick as well as anyone, and she wants him dead just as much as we do. That makes her an ally we can’t afford to throw away.”


    Their voices suffocated me. My wolf wed inside me, screaming for me not to yield.


    But for the first time, I realized—they weren’t bending. They weren’t going to let go of this n, no matter how much I fought it.


    And that made my blood boil.


    The silence between us was suffocating. Their arguments stacked against me, their n was logical, but all I could feel was the heat of my jealousy burning through my chest.


    And before I could stop myself, the words slipped out.


    “Why don’t you just say it? You like her.”


    The second it left my lips, I wished I could swallow it back down.


    The room went still.


    Their faces changed—Louis’s jaw tightened, Levi’s eyes widened, and Lennox’s gaze snapped to me like I’d just ripped something vital out of him. The hurt in his eyes sank into me before he even spoke.


    “Olivia,” Louis said softly, his voice pained.


    I cursed myself immediately, guilt crashing through me. I hadn’t meant to say it, not like that. But the words were out, and I couldn’t take them back.


    Lennox’s chest rose and fell heavily, his wolf restless inside him. He stepped closer, his voice low and pained. “So that’s what you think of us?”


    I froze.


    His eyes burned into mine, full of anger and heartbreak. “You think we’d look at another woman? You think we’d do something with Selene?” His voice cracked, just a little. “Don’t you still get it? We love you. So, so much.”


    My throat tightened, my eyes stinging.


    He didn’t stop. “What happened with Anita…” He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “We weren’t in our right minds, Olivia. We were charmed. Twisted. And goodness we hate ourselves for it every single day. But you—” His voice broke, his hand curling into a fist. “You’ll never let it go, will you? You’ll always see us as men who would pick another woman over you.”


    My wolf whimpered inside me. Guilt shredded through my chest, leaving me breathless.


    I wanted to deny it, to tell him he was wrong, but my silence betrayed me.


    Because maybe, deep down, that was the fear I could never shake.


    Lennox’s chest rose and fell like he was holding himself back from saying more. He just turned around and faced the window—and that broke me more than his anger.


    “I…” My voice faltered. The guilt was sharp, burning, but the fear still wed inside me. “I don’t want to think that. I don’t. But every time I see her near you—I see anotherdy near any of you—I feel like I’m back there again. Back when Anita happened. Back when I wasn’t enough to keep you from…” My throat closed. I couldn’t finish.


    Louis’s face twisted with hurt. “Olivia, no.” His voice was firm, but it trembled underneath. “Don’t do that to yourself. Don’t do that to us. You are enough. You’ve always been enough. What happened with Anita will never happen again.”