Chapter 443: Something Is Wrong
Lennox’s POV
"Ahhh..." I felt an unbearable pain hit my chest. The pain was so severe that it almost sent me stumbling to the ground if I hadn’t grabbed the edge of the desk. I wanted to move and instantly realized something was wrong. "Olivia!" I whispered, my lips trembling, while my wolf answered with a raw, keening howl inside me, confirming every terrible suspicion.
Before I could move, the study door burst open. Louis stumbled in first, followed by Levi. Both looked pale and shaken, their eyes already wide with the same fear twisting inside me.
"You felt it too?" Louis asked, his voice trembling.
Levi didn’t even wait for my answer. "Something’s wrong with Olivia," he said sharply. "I can’t feel her. The bond—it’s weak, almost gone."
I tried to link to her, focusing on the spark that always connected us — but nothing came back. No warmth, no voice, no trace of her mind. Just silence.
"Olivia!" I called again through the link, forcing the bond to open, but it was like shouting into an empty void. Blocked.
Panic rushed through me. Just a few minutes ago, she had been here. We’d drafted a plan. She was supposed to go talk to Frederick — to make a deal. The plan was simple: she’d convince him that if we helped him find Selene, he’d let her go, break the blood vow. After that, she was supposed to return and tell us if he agreed.
That was all. A conversation. A negotiation.
So why couldn’t I feel her now?
Louis slammed his fist on the desk. "She should’ve been back by now!" he shouted. "What if something happened—"
Levi cut him off, his voice low but trembling. "The bond wouldn’t react like this unless she was in danger."
I clenched my fists. The panic turned into fury. "We have to talk to Frederick."
Levi’s hands were shaking as he pulled his phone from his pocket. "I’m calling him," he muttered, already dialing Frederick’s number.
We all went silent. The only sound was the ringing. Once... twice... three times. No answer.
Louis cursed under his breath. "Pick up, damn it!"
Levi tried again. Still nothing. I could feel my heartbeat pounding in my throat. My wolf paced inside me, growling low and uneasy. Every instinct screamed that Olivia was in danger.
"His mansion is at least four hours away," Louis said, his voice tight. "If something happened—"
"Don’t," I cut him off sharply, clenching my fists. "Don’t even say it."
The air felt heavy. I could barely breathe. I tried the bond again, pouring all my strength into it — Olivia, answer me. But it was like hitting a brick wall.
My panic turned to rage. "We’re not waiting," I snapped. "We’re going to Frederick."
Levi looked at me, hesitant. "Lennox, we don’t even know if he is home—"
"I don’t care!" I shouted. "She’s in trouble. I can feel it."
Levi exhaled shakily and nodded. "Fine. Let’s go."
We were already heading for the door when Levi’s phone rang.
Frederick.
Levi put it on loudspeaker immediately. "Where is Olivia?" he demanded.
There was silence on the other end. No background noise, no breath — just stillness.
Then Frederick’s voice came, low and strained. "You need to calm down."
Louis growled. "Don’t tell us to calm down! Where the hell is she?"
Something in Frederick’s tone made my chest tighten. "Something... happened," he said. "I’m on my way to you now."
"What do you mean something happened?" I roared. "What did you do to her?!"
"I said I’m coming," he snapped, his voice breaking for the first time. Then the line went dead.
Levi’s hand dropped, the phone slipping from his fingers.
For a moment, no one moved. The room was silent except for the sound of our ragged breathing.
We went downstairs, but the panic followed us. None of us spoke. We didn’t even know what to do — wait? Run? Fight? My wolf was restless, pacing and clawing at my insides.
Louis kept pacing in front of the window, his hands in his hair. "What if she’s—"
"Don’t," I snapped. My voice cracked. "Don’t say it."
Levi sat on the edge of the couch, phone clutched in his fist, staring at the dead line like he could force Frederick back onto it.
Minutes crawled by, every tick of the clock like a knife in my chest. We had to know what happened before we could act. We had to.
Then I heard it — the low growl of a car engine rolling up the drive.
I was already moving before Louis could even speak. We ran outside. Gravel crunched under our boots.
Frederick’s car came into view, headlights slicing through the dark. It rolled to a stop. The moment he stepped out, I was on him.
I grabbed him by the collar of his coat and slammed him back against the hood. "Where is Olivia?!" I roared, my wolf’s voice blending with mine.
He didn’t fight back. His face was pale, his eyes hollow. "Listen to me—"
"Tell me now!" I snarled, shaking him.
Frederick’s jaw tightened. He looked at each of us once, then said quietly, "The kidnappers... they wanted Olivia in exchange for Selene. She accepted."
Louis staggered back like he’d been struck. "She what?"
"She told me she had a plan," Frederick went on, his voice low, almost shaking. "She believed she could handle it. We went to the exchange point, but when we got there..." His eyes darkened. "They refused to release Selene."
Levi’s hands balled into fists. "So you just—what—let her go?!"
Frederick’s lips pressed together. "They had Selene wired with a bomb. One wrong move and she would die. Olivia insisted. She—"
"Bastard!" I snarled and punched him across the jaw. He stumbled back against the car, blood blooming at the corner of his mouth.
"She is our mate!" I roared. "How dare you let her walk into that!"
Frederick wiped the blood from his lip, his eyes still burning but calm. "I’m going to get her and Selene back," he said quietly. "But you need to understand—if we rush in, they’ll kill her and Selene both."
I shook my head, my whole body trembling with rage and pain. "I feel like killing you right now." I spat at Frederick as I felt the urge to hit him again, but I knew now wasn’t the time for that. With a panting heart, I moved away from him. My wolf howled inside me, while I was already plotting a move.