Chapter 700

History Repeating Itself
​The atmosphere in the East Wing guest suite was unlike anything the mansion had ever seen. Zane and Emma had expected to be treated like prisoners or, at best, unwelcome guests. Instead, they found themselves at the center of a royal guard made of children.

​Liam stood by the door, his arms crossed over his chest, mimicking his father Lennox’s authoritative stance. Leo was busy rearranging the pillows on the large bed to make sure Scarlett was comfortable, while Leon stood at the foot of the bed, his sharp eyes watching the door as if expecting an army to burst through.

​”You can put her down now,” Liam said to Zane, his voice surprisingly firm. “The bed is warm. Sarah brought the heated blankets.”

​Zane looked at the young Alpha-in-training, slightly stunned. He slowly laid Scarlett down. The little girl looked tiny against the silk sheets, her breathing still shallow.

​The four-year-old twins, Lana and Lyra, hovered by the bedside. They didn’t understand the special pull, but they saw how much their brothers cared, so they placed their favorite dolls on the nightstand for Scarlett.

​A few minutes later, the door opened. Olivia walked in, now clean and dressed in fresh clothes. Behind her were Lennox, Levi, and Louis. The three Alphas looked at their sons, who hadn’t moved an inch from Scarlett’s side.

​”Alright, boys,” Olivia said gently. “I need space to work. You three need to step back.”

​”We’re staying, Mom,” Liam said. It wasn’t a question.

​Olivia looked at Lennox, who simply shrugged with a tired smile. “Let them stay, honey. I don’t think you could drag them out.”

​Olivia sighed affectionately and sat on the edge of the bed. She took Scarlett’s small, cold hand in hers. Closing her eyes, Olivia began to hum—a low, melodic sound that seemed to vibrate through the floorboards. Slowly, her hands began to glow with a soft, golden light.

​Olivia’s brow furrowed as the golden light from her palms flickered. She felt a strange, oily resistance beneath Scarlett’s skin. It wasn’t just exhaustion or a common fever; it felt like a trap.

​She pulled her hands back and looked at Zane. “Did you have healers in the rogue camp?”

​Zane nodded quickly, his eyes full of worry. “Yes, we had a few. But they couldn’t do anything. My cousin, the King, told me he would look for a more powerful healer, but he never brought one. He just kept telling me to wait and keep working for him.”

​Olivia shook her head, her expression turning dark. “He wasn’t looking for a healer, Zane. He was the one causing this. Your daughter was being poisoned with a very rare, dark toxin. The reason your healers couldn’t fix her is because of how this poison works: to heal the person, the healer must physically draw the toxin into their own body and neutralize it there.”

​Zane and Emma both paled. Zane gripped the bedframe so hard the wood creaked. “So… he was poisoning my little girl just to make sure I stayed loyal? That monster!”

​”Mom,” Leo whispered, his face turning white as he looked at Scarlett. “What can we do? You have to help her.”

​Olivia looked at her son, then at her own stomach, where her new baby was growing. A heavy silence filled the room.

​”I can take the poison,” Olivia said softly, her voice trembling slightly. “My power is strong enough to neutralize it. But… I am pregnant. If I take that toxin into my body, it could harm the baby. It’s too dangerous for the little one.”

​The boys’ hearts sank. Liam’s fists clenched at his sides, and Leon looked like he wanted to punch the wall. The thought of Scarlett suffering was unbearable, but the thought of their new sibling being hurt was just as bad.

​”We can’t hurt the baby,” Liam said, his voice sounding much older than eight. He looked at Scarlett with a pained expression, his heart torn in two.

​Olivia looked at Lennox and his brothers, who all moved closer to her protectively. “We will send for other healers immediately,” she promised. “We’ll call the High Healers from the Northern Packs. Maybe if three or four of them work together, they can share the poison so it doesn’t kill any of them.”

​But as she spoke, Scarlett’s breathing became even more ragged. A dark purple vein appeared on the little girl’s neck, spreading toward her heart.

​Olivia gently placed her hand on Scarlett’s forehead one last time, whispering a small stabilizing spell to keep the girl’s heart from slowing further. It wouldn’t cure her, but it would buy them a few hours.

​”Lennox, please,” Olivia said, her voice strained. “Send the fastest message. We need the Circle of Healers from the North. If they arrive by dawn, they can save her together.”

​Lennox nodded, his face grim. He placed a hand on his sons’ shoulders, guiding them toward the door. “Let’s give her some quiet, boys. The healers are coming.”

​The triplets followed reluctantly, their feet dragging as they looked back at the small, pale girl on the bed. Once the room was quiet, with only Zane and Emma whispering prayers by their daughter’s side, Olivia stood by the window and watched her sons in the hallway.

​She leaned against the doorframe, her hand instinctively resting on her pregnant belly. Her mind was racing. She had seen that look before—the raw, desperate intensity in their eyes. It wasn’t just “likeness.” It was a primal, magnetic pull.

​Is this the mate bond already? she wondered, a knot of anxiety forming in her chest.

​She swallowed hard, her heart aching for her boys. History had a strange way of repeating itself. Her three husbands—Lennox, Levi, and Louis—shared her, and while their love was the strongest thing she knew, the journey had been a path of pain and blood. She had spent years proving her love was equal, balancing three powerful Alpha egos, and managing the weight of a triple bond.

​Please, not them too, she prayed silently. Don’t let Scarlett be their shared mate.

​The thought of her three sons fighting over one girl, or having to navigate the complicated, hectic life of a shared bond, made her head spin. It was a beautiful life, but it was a heavy one. She wanted them to have it easier. She wanted them to find three different girls, to have three different lives, so they wouldn’t have to face the same constant struggle for balance that she did.

​She looked at Scarlett, then back at her sons standing like sentinels in the hall. If the bond was already speaking to them at eight years old, Scarlett was doomed to a life of intense, suffocating protection from three future Alphas.

​Maybe it’s just because she’s ’special’ like me, Olivia tried to convince herself. Maybe they just feel her power and want to protect a fellow gift-user. It doesn’t have to be the bond.

​But deep down, as she saw Liam’s jaw set in that familiar “Lennox” way, she feared she already knew the truth.

​Hours later, Olivia found the Alphas in the private study. The room was dim, lit only by the glowing embers in the fireplace. Lennox was leaning against the desk, while Levi and Louis were poring over maps. When Olivia walked in, the tension in their shoulders eased slightly. She walked over and sat on Louis’s lap, resting her head against his chest.

​Lennox looked up, his eyes tired but focused. “All the hidden bombs have been found and removed, Olivia. The rebuilding of the training ground will start tomorrow. The pack is safe for now.”

​”That’s a relief,” she whispered, but she could hear the “but” coming.

​Levi spoke next, his voice grim. “But we still haven’t found our father. He is out there roaming around, and that’s a massive problem. He knows our secrets. If he meets another group of rogues, he could lead them right back to our doorstep with a better plan.”

​Olivia frowned, her fingers tracing the fabric of Louis’s shirt. “Maybe I can find him,” she suggested. “I can try to think of him, lock onto his energy, and teleport directly to his location.”

​Lennox immediately shook his head, his jaw tightening. “Not a good idea, Olivia. You’re pregnant, and we have no idea where he is. What if he’s reached the Kingdom of Rogues? You’d be teleporting into a death trap alone.”

​”I’m strong enough, Lennox,” she countered. “Let me just try to get a glimpse.”

​”No,” Lennox said firmly, his Alpha tone leaving no room for argument. “I won’t risk you or the baby on a ’maybe’.”

​Just as the room fell into a tense silence, the sharp ring of Lennox’s private phone cut through the air. He pulled it out and stared at the screen. It was an unsaved number. He put it on speaker, and a cold, familiar voice filled the room.

​”I heard you were looking for me, son.”

​The air in the room seemed to freeze. Lennox’s grip on the phone tightened. “Father,” he spat.