Fated To Not Just One, But Three - Chapter 588

Chapter 588: Something’s Strange
Olivia’s POV

Kaine didn’t hesitate.

Not even for a heartbeat.

“The Luna wanted me to run an errand for her,” he said calmly.

His voice was steady. Calm. Respectful. Not panicked like he was lying.

Levi’s gaze snapped from me to him, sharp and furious. The corridor seemed to tighten around us, the air thick with tension. His jaw clenched slowly, muscles working beneath his skin as his Alpha instincts flared.

“What errand?” Levi asked coldly, though his eyes never left Kaine.

I lifted my chin before Kaine could speak again. “I asked him to retrieve something for me,” I said flatly. “I changed my mind.”

Levi’s eyes flicked back to me.

For a moment, I saw doubt there.

Then suspicion.

Then something darker.

“Inside his room?” he asked.

I didn’t blink. “Yes.”

Silence stretched between the three of us.

Then Levi exhaled sharply through his nose—and released it.

His Alpha aura rolled out like a living thing.

Heavy. Commanding. Oppressive.

The corridor seemed to bow under it. Any other guard would have dropped instantly. Knees bent. Head lowered. Submission forced by instinct alone.

I felt it too, pressing against my chest, demanding acknowledgment.

But Kaine—

Kaine didn’t move.

He didn’t bow. He didn’t drop his gaze. He didn’t even tense.

He stood there, calm as stone, eyes steady, posture relaxed but respectful.

My breath caught.

That wasn’t possible.

Levi narrowed his eyes.

“Why,” he said, his voice edged with power, “was the Luna in your room?”

The command was clear now.

Answer truthfully. Submit. Obey.

Kaine inclined his head slightly—not in submission, but in acknowledgment.

“I just told you,” he said calmly. “She needed me for an errand. Alpha Levi… don’t you trust your Luna?”

The words were respectful.

But the tone—

Too steady.

Too confident.

Too unafraid.

Levi’s aura spiked.

“Watch your mouth,” he snapped, stepping forward.

“Enough,” I said sharply.

Both of them stopped.

I turned fully toward Levi now, anger burning hot beneath my skin. “Do not use your Alpha command on my guard in a public corridor.”

His eyes widened slightly. “Olivia—”

“No,” I cut in. “You don’t get to do that. Not here. Not over this.”

Something ugly flickered in his expression.

Something protective. Something controlling.

Something I didn’t like.

But something else was clawing at me now.

A thought I didn’t want.

Why didn’t Kaine submit?

That question lodged itself deep in my mind.

I shook it off immediately.

No.

That was ridiculous.

Lennox was dead.

I watched him die. I buried him. I cried over his decaying body until my voice broke and my heart nearly followed.

Kaine wasn’t Lennox.

He couldn’t be.

I stepped closer to Levi and grabbed his arm before he could say another word.

“We’re done here,” I said tightly.

Then I teleported.

The world shifted violently.

Air ripped away.

And suddenly we were inside my room.

I released Levi’s arm and turned on him the moment my feet hit the floor.

“What was that?” I demanded.

He ran a hand through his hair, pacing once like a caged animal. “I made a mistake.”

My chest tightened. “Explain.”

“I shouldn’t have assigned him to you,” Levi said bluntly. “I’m withdrawing the order.”

I stared at him.

“What?”

“Kaine will be reassigned,” he continued. “Border patrol. Outer watch. Far from the mansion.”

Something sharp twisted inside me.

Sadness.

Sudden. Unwanted. Unreasonable.

I buried it instantly.

“You don’t get to do that without telling me,” I said coldly.

Levi stopped pacing and turned to face me. “Olivia, you’re not thinking clearly.”

My anger flared. “And there it is.”

He exhaled harshly. “You are vulnerable.”

I laughed once, humorless. “Don’t.”

“You just lost Lennox,” he pressed on. “You’re grieving. You’re isolated. And Kaine—”

“Kaine what?” I snapped.

Levi hesitated.

Then he said it.

“He looks like Lennox.”

The room went very still.

My blood turned cold.

“Excuse me?”

“He does,” Levi said, frustration bleeding through his voice now. “Not the face. But the build. The height. The way he carries himself. His presence. Olivia, I don’t want you—”

I didn’t let him finish.

My hand moved on instinct.

The slap echoed loudly in the room.

Levi froze.

I was shaking.

“Do you take me for a slut?” I demanded, my voice breaking with fury. “A whore? Something that will jump into another man’s arms because he looks like my dead mate?”

“That’s not what I meant—”

“Then listen,” I snapped. “Listen carefully.”

I stepped closer, pointing a finger at his chest.

“First—Kaine remains my guard.”

But why does it feel like I was lying?

Levi opened his mouth.

“Second,” I continued, “I am your Luna. Not your concubine. Not your child. Not something you get to police because you’re uncomfortable.”

His jaw tightened. “Olivia—”

“You don’t get to decide what I can handle,” I said, my voice low and shaking. “And you don’t get to insult me under the excuse of concern.”

He looked genuinely shaken now.

“I was trying to protect you.”

“Then protect me by trusting me,” I said. “Or get out.”

Silence stretched.

Finally, Levi bowed his head stiffly. “As you wish.”

He turned and left without another word.

The door closed behind him.

And the room felt empty again.

I sank onto the edge of the bed, my heart racing, chest tight.

Why did the thought of Kaine being reassigned feel like a loss?

Why did the idea of him leaving twist something painful inside me?

I pressed my hands over my face.

“This is grief,” I whispered.

It had to be.

But deep down, a seed had already been planted.

Kaine hadn’t submitted.

His presence felt too familiar.

His words sounded like Lennox’s.

And no matter how much I told myself it was impossible—

Something wasn’t right.

And for the first time since Lennox died…

I was afraid of what I might discover next.

Throughout the day, I stayed in my room. I only left to check on the boys, who apparently were still trying to move on with life. Especially Liam, who, in just a few days of meeting Lennox, was already so attached to him, and it felt unreal… like there was a special connection between them that I just couldn’t explain.

After checking on the boys, I went back to my room and sat back on the bed.

I didn’t know how long I sat there—staring at nothing, listening to the silence press in from every corner. The mansion felt too big again. Too empty. Like it was holding its breath, waiting for something I couldn’t name.

My argument with Levi replayed over and over in my mind.

The slap.

The words.

The way Kaine’s name had settled in my chest like a weight.

I hated that.

I hated that even now, when I should have been angry—when I was angry—part of my thoughts kept drifting back to him.

His calm voice.

His steady eyes.

The way he hadn’t bowed when Levi released his Alpha command.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

No.

Enough.

This was grief. This was exhaustion. This was my mind looking for something solid to lean on when everything else had collapsed.

I lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, my arms wrapped around myself like that might hold me together.

I don’t know when night fell.

I only realized it when a soft knock sounded at my door.

I stiffened.

Another knock followed. Gentle. Controlled.

“Luna,” a familiar voice said quietly.

My chest tightened.

Kaine.

I pushed myself upright, irritation flaring instantly. “What is it?”

The door opened just enough for him to step inside. He was fully dressed, dark uniform neat, posture respectful. He stopped a few steps in, head slightly bowed.

“I came to say goodnight,” he said.

The words hit wrong.

My temper snapped.

“I didn’t ask you to come,” I said sharply. “You shouldn’t be here.”

He didn’t argue. He didn’t bristle.

“I know,” he replied calmly. “But after what happened today… I wanted to make sure you were alright.”

That only made it worse.

Why was he not acting the way every guard should? Why did my heart—my whole being—feel this unusual way?

I frowned. “I don’t need you checking on me,” I snapped. “That is not your place.”

His jaw tightened—just slightly—but his voice remained steady. “It is my duty.”

“No,” I shot back. “Your duty is to stand where I tell you to stand. Not to decide when you get to step into my room.”

Silence fell between us.

I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears. The anger was sharp, but underneath it was something else—something messy and uncomfortable.

Shame.

For breaking down earlier.

For needing him.

For letting him see me like that.

“You shouldn’t have come,” I said again, more tightly. “Get out.”

He hesitated.

Just for a second.

Then he nodded. “As you wish, Luna.”

He turned toward the door.

Relief should have followed.

It didn’t.

The space he left behind felt too large. Too cold.

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

“Stop.”