The Enemy Within
1718 Words
Olivia's POV
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Silas’s smile soaked in blood. Riven’s confession echoing in my ears. Kael’s unreadable stare carved into the back of my mind.
The bond was pulling. All three of them. And it wasn’t just physical—it was soul-deep. Like I’d been born just to unravel with them.
By dawn, I was dressed and downstairs, because hiding wasn’t an option anymore.
“Morning, sunshine.”
Lucy’s chirpy voice made me pause at the bottom of the staircase.
She stood in the hallway, all pastels and practiced smiles, holding a tray like some perfect beta’s daughter out of a storybook.
My stomach twisted.
“Morning,” I said cautiously.
She looked exactly the same—golden hair in a braid, doe eyes, sweet perfume that made my skin crawl. People adored Lucy. But I remembered the subtle digs. The smiles that didn’t quite meet her eyes when she spoke to me alone.
“I made you breakfast,” she said, stepping forward. “Figured you could use it. Everyone’s been talking…”
She trailed off, waiting for me to ask what they were saying. I didn’t.
Instead, I stared her down. “Why?”
She blinked. “Why… what?”
“Why are you really here, Lucy?”
Her smile faltered. Only for a second. But I saw it. The c***k in her porcelain facade.
“You looked like you needed a friend,” she said smoothly. “And the triplets? Well, you know how they are. Intense.”
Understatement of the century.
I took the tray from her, but didn’t thank her. Something about her felt too polished, too rehearsed.
As I turned away, she called out sweetly, “You should be careful who you trust, Olivia. Alpha Kael plays a long game. And Silas… well, he always was a little off, wasn’t he?”
I stopped mid-step, a chill curling down my spine.
How did she know about Silas?
Before I could ask, she was gone.
I found Kael in the strategy room, pouring over maps and reports like war was a puzzle only he could solve.
“You were right,” I said.
He looked up slowly. “About?”
“Lucy.”
His jaw clenched.
“She’s playing innocent, but I think she’s watching me.”
“She’s loyal to her father,” he said flatly. “Which makes her dangerous.”
“And yet you let her roam the packhouse?”
Kael stood, coming around the table. “Do you think I don’t have eyes on her?”
He was close now—close enough that I could see the cracks in his armor. The subtle tension in his jaw, the tightness in his fists.
“You’re changing,” I whispered. “You’re not as cold as you pretend to be.”
He reached out and brushed his fingers against my cheek, just once.
“You’re making it hard to stay that way.”
The moment was cut short by the sound of a door slamming.
Riven stormed in, shirtless, chest heaving, a gash across his shoulder.
“Rogue ambush,” he growled. “South border.”
Kael didn’t move. “Handled?”
“Obviously. But it’s not just rogues anymore. Someone’s organizing them.”
Then his eyes landed on me.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
He scoffed. “She’s not fine, she’s stuck in a house with a psychopath, a control freak, and me.”
Kael’s glare could’ve frozen lava. “Don’t speak for her.”
Riven looked between us, something breaking behind his eyes.
“I told you how I feel,” he said to me, voice rough. “And if you choose him—”
“I haven’t chosen anyone,” I snapped.
“That’s the problem,” he muttered, and stormed out again.
Later, I found Silas sitting on the balcony, legs dangling off the edge like gravity didn’t apply to him.
“I saw Lucy in your room earlier,” he said without turning.
“She wasn’t in my room.”
“Oh, darling.” He glanced back, eyes gleaming. “She will be. People like her always find cracks to crawl through.”
I sat beside him, ignoring the drop below.
“Do you trust anyone?”
He tilted his head. “No.”
“Not even me?”
He smiled. “Especially not you. You make me feel things I don’t understand. That’s dangerous.”
I should’ve pulled away when he reached for my hand.
Instead, I let him hold it.
And I didn’t flinch when he leaned in, his breath brushing my ear as he whispered, “If they try to take you from me, I’ll kill them both.”
***
That night, I stood alone in the garden, the moonlight carving silver paths around my feet. The bond burned hotter with each of them, like a tug-of-war inside my chest.
Kael made me feel seen.
Riven made me feel wanted.
Silas made me feel… owned.
And I didn’t know which scared me more.
But I knew one thing: something was coming.
And when it hit, this whole pack—this whole world—might not survive it.
Especially not me.
I didn’t recognize my reflection anymore.
The girl who once tiptoed through life, ducked her head, and swallowed her rage—she was gone. What stared back in the mirror had sharper eyes, harder edges, and secrets under her skin that pulsed with a rhythm older than this pack.
But that didn’t mean I had control.
Far from it.
Everywhere I turned, one of them was there—Kael, Riven, Silas. Watching. Waiting. Wanting.
And now, even Lucy had joined the stage with her venom-dipped smiles.
That morning, I left my room early, needing space.
I barely made it past the stairwell when Kael’s voice clipped through the air like a blade. “She shouldn’t be left alone.”
“I’m not a glass doll,” I said, glaring at him as I descended the stairs. “Stop trying to wrap me in bubble wrap and call it protection.”
Kael didn’t blink. “You’re bonded to three dominant wolves, and you think you're not in danger?”
Riven stepped out from the hallway, shirtless, stretching like he hadn't just woken up but finished a damn fight club session. “Let her breathe, Kael. She’s not your prisoner.”
Kael's jaw twitched. “You wouldn’t know restraint if it bit you.”
“And you wouldn’t know passion if it walked up and licked your neck,” Riven shot back, eyes glittering.
I groaned. “Great. I’m the prize in some primal testosterone-fueled showdown. Love that for me.”
They both looked at me.
Silas appeared behind me like a shadow, calm and terrifyingly silent. “Then maybe you should stop being so tempting.”
I whirled around, heart thudding. “You’re stalking me now?”
He tilted his head. “Would you like me to?”
I shoved past him, heading for the backdoor. “I need air before I suffocate.”
The forest was quieter than usual, too quiet. Even the birds seemed to be holding their breath.
Then I heard her.
Lucy’s voice.
I ducked behind a tree, instincts flaring. She was talking on her phone again. Whispering.
“No, not yet… She hasn’t figured it out… I’ll keep watching her, okay?”
A pause.
“Yeah, he’s getting worse. And the Moon Goddess? She hasn’t made her move—yet.”
I stepped out from behind the tree. “Funny how you always show up where the secrets are, Lucy.”
She spun around, face flushed. “Olivia! I—”
“Cut the crap. Who were you talking to?”
She clutched her phone like a lifeline. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me.”
Her eyes darted around. “You don’t know what’s at stake. You were never supposed to be the Luna. You were a decoy.”
I stiffened. “A what?”
Lucy stepped forward, eyes wild. “They were supposed to pick me. I trained for this. I followed every damn rule. You— you were nothing. A mistake. And now everything’s unraveling because of you.”
The woods behind us erupted in a roar. Wolves. Rogues.
We both turned. A pack of them burst from the shadows.
Lucy screamed.
I shifted mid-air, teeth sinking into one before it could reach her. Blood hit my tongue, metallic and burning.
More came. Dozens.
Then—fire.
Literal fire.
Riven crashed into the clearing, a wild snarl ripping from his throat as he tore one rogue apart. His eyes found mine. “Stay behind me!”
Silas followed next, expression calm, almost… amused.
He didn’t fight.
He just stood and watched.
When one of the rogues lunged at him—it stopped.
Stopped.
Mid-attack.
Then backed away.
Like it was trained.
Silas turned, smiling at me through the chaos.
Chills erupted down my spine.
Kael arrived seconds later, taking out two rogues with brutal efficiency. “Everyone out. Now!”
***
Back at the packhouse, blood smeared across my cheek, I cornered Silas in the hallway.
“You’re working with them.”
He raised a brow. “Am I?”
“I saw it. That rogue obeyed you.”
He didn’t deny it.
“I’m not like my brothers,” he said softly. “They think this is about the Alpha seat. But it’s not.”
“Then what the hell is it about?”
His smile widened. “You. It’s always been about you.”
He stepped closer, and for the first time, I saw it. The mask slipping.
This wasn’t infatuation. It wasn’t love.
It was obsession. Control. Possession.
“You’re mine,” he whispered. “The bond says so.”
“No,” I said, stepping back. “The Goddess never meant for this.”
His smile cracked. Just slightly.
Then he said something I’ll never forget.
“She told me herself.”
That night, I couldn’t sleep again.
Not because of the nightmare.
But because now I knew the truth—
The enemy wasn’t just outside our walls.
He was sleeping in the next room.
And he had my scent memorized.
- Writer
