Fated To Not Just One, But Three

Chapter 241: Their Reasons

Lennox’s POV

Silence.

The kind of silence that swallows you whole.

The kind that sinks its claws into your chest and squeezes until you can’t tell if you want to scream, vomit, or laugh.

Cousins.

After everything... after the bond we thought we had? After the way we loved her?

Louis turned around so fast his boots scraped the marble, his fists clenched, so tightly his knuckles looked like bone. "No... no, this can’t be right."

But it made sense. It made horrible, painful sense.

I thought back to Great-grandmother Hailee’s words. "Something is coming... something that will break you. But don’t be afraid—it was meant to be."

This was what she meant.

It was Olivia.

I buried my face in my hands. "Why... why didn’t you tell us? Why keep this a secret?"

Father exhaled slowly. "Because it wasn’t my place. Parker told me Olivia’s story in confidence. But when I discovered the truth... when I realized she was part of our bloodline, I knew things had to end between you."

I looked up at him sharply. "So you forged letters and destroyed her life instead?"

"She’s family, Lennox!" Father snapped suddenly, the calm in his voice breaking for the first time. "You were falling for her. All of you were. It wasn’t right."

"You could’ve told us the truth!" Levi shouted.

"And what would you have done?" Father shot back. "Would you have believed me? Or would you have loved her anyway? And besides, I knew none of you would have left her."

"We would have had the right to know!" I roared.

Father looked at me, pain flashing in his eyes. "Maybe. But I wasn’t willing to take that risk. So yes, we forged the letters. We gave them to the guards to pass on. I acted as if I believed Parker had stolen from the pack, though I didn’t. But I needed Olivia to be cast down. I needed her to become someone you wouldn’t look at again."

My stomach churned.

"So you turned her into an omega," I muttered bitterly. "Just so we’d reject her."

"Just so you’d forget her," Mother added softly. "We didn’t know the letters would be spelled. We only wanted her to leave you. We never wanted her dead."

Father ran a hand through his hair, looking more exhausted than I’d ever seen him. His voice lowered.

"The plan was working," he said, as if trying to convince himself more than us. "You hated her. She had no place in your hearts anymore. She was an omega, disgraced, avoided by everyone. And you... you were slowly moving on."

Mother nodded faintly. "You were getting closer to Anita. We thought... maybe you’d finally forget Olivia."

But the moment she said it, something snapped inside me.

Forget her?

They wanted us to erase Olivia like she was nothing. Like she hadn’t been our whole damn world at one point.

Father continued before I could speak. "Then the Moon Goddess... decided to bind you to her. All three of you."

He looked at each of us, his eyes dark. "Your mate. Your blood. The same girl we fought so hard to push away from you three."

Louis cursed under his breath and turned away, shaking.

fists, his jaw

stood there.

knew we couldn’t stop it anymore. But we also couldn’t

His voice broke slightly. "So I did

He sighed.

you to mark

with tears, but shame. "I was pained... Goodness, I was. I knew what I was asking you to do. Marking her meant sealing the bond

knew she was related to us," I said hoarsely, "and you

with guilt. "An Alpha must never reject his mate—it would have raised alarms. Questions. And if the truth of her parentage came out, there would be consequences for everyone. For you. For the pack. For her. So I forced the bond to

silence fell

I couldn’t breathe.

fought for, hurt, and broken—was our

Our distant cousin.

made me

of the truth settled on my shoulders like a

I hated myself for it. But it was still

me to her. Even knowing the

they felt the same. Maybe

he had told us the truth back

have

would have held

far

broke the silence, his voice hoarse. "Who are her

tensed immediately. "That’s not

like he’d break Father’s neck with his bare hands. "You made us hate

stood firm. "I promised Parker I’d protect that part of her story. I won’t

now?" I growled.

barely above a whisper. "He’s right.

laugh and shook my head, pain swelling

turned her into a ghost in her own home. And now you want to act noble? Now you

Neither of them answered.

the first time

will never be forgiven for

Not for the letters.

making

for forcing us to destroy

Neither of them spoke.

tried to defend their

throne room, not looking back. I didn’t want to

heart aching. I didn’t know where I was

The library.

came here anymore. It was always quiet... cold...

how I needed

wash over me. I walked slowly through the aisles, trying

I wanted to scream.

corner near the windows. I thought I

"Lennox?"

I froze.

saw

seen her—still dressed in that flowing white gown, her long

she whispered. "I didn’t know

staring at her. Her gaze drifted over me slowly... and then

redness in my

my fists

closer, gently, like she was approaching something fragile. "Lennox...

muttered, turning my face

move to leave—quick, sharp steps—but she moved faster, blocking my path