Chapter 252: The Act
Scarlett’s POV
I almost broke.
The moment I saw the look on Liam’s face, I almost broke. The pain in his eyes was unbearable, a raw, bleeding agony that was so much worse than anything I had imagined. For a terrifying second, my resolve slipped. I nearly reached across the mattress, grabbed his trembling hand, and screamed the truth at him.
I still love you. I still love all of you. Every single word coming out of my mouth is a lie.
But then the memory came rushing back, crashing into my mind.
The vision. The Red Wolf’s vision.
I closed my eyes for a second, and immediately, I was back there. I was standing in that strange, red-tinted world—the void between consciousness and unconsciousness where I had finally met her. My wolf.
No. Not just my wolf. The Red Wolf.
She had stood before me, massive and terrifying, larger than any creature I had ever seen. Her red fur seemed to stretch endlessly into the darkness, and her glowing eyes were ancient, filled with a crushing weight of knowledge that felt older than time itself.
And she had shown me the future. A future I knew would hunt me until the day I died.
I had seen Liam and Leonard standing in the center of a battlefield covered in blood. I had seen Leo desperately throwing himself between them, trying to stop the madness. I saw rage. Jealousy. Pain. Hatred. Everything was spiraling completely out of control until the three brothers I loved more than life itself were violently tearing each other apart.
Because of me. Because none of them could let me go. Because none of them could share me.
I remembered screaming, begging the Red Wolf to stop, covering my ears to block out the sounds of their bones snapping and their agonizing howls. But she hadn’t stopped it. She had forced me to watch every horrible, bloody second of their destruction.
And when the vision finally faded into darkness, her voice had echoed through my soul, leaving behind a single sentence that still haunted me:
"If you don’t act quickly, they will destroy each other."
A hot tear slipped from the corner of my eye. I quickly and subtly wiped it away against the pillow before any of them could notice.
Moon Goddess, I hated this. I hated every single second of it.
Liam looked entirely broken, staring at me as if the world had just ended. Leonard looked like someone had physically reached into his chest and ripped his heart out. Even Leo, always so calm and collected, looked completely devastated.
And I was the one causing it. Again.
But what choice did I have? If I told them the truth right now, nothing would change. Liam would still demand I choose. Leonard would still fight for me. Leo would still want me. The toxic rivalry would spark right back to life, and eventually, the vision would come true. One of them would get hurt. Or worse... one of them would die.
The vision had made that much clear. The Red Wolf had not given me a warning; she had given me a choice. Save them, or keep them.
I couldn’t do both.
Deep inside my mind, my wolf whimpered softly, a sound of pure grief. It hurt. Everything hurt. Because the agonizing truth was that I still loved them so much it consumed me. I loved Liam’s fierce, unyielding protectiveness. I loved textbook-loyal Leonard. I loved Leo’s quiet, devoted strength. I loved all three of them, and nothing about that had changed. Not a single thing.
But they could never know that. Not anymore. Not if I wanted them to survive.
Swallowing the lump of glass in my throat, I forced my facial expression to remain perfectly blank. Cold. Distant.
"I remember everything," I repeated softly. "But the feelings are gone."
The lie sliced through my own heart, but the reaction from the room was worse. Liam physically flinched, stepping back as if I had struck him.
My heart screamed at me to move, to comfort him. My mate. My Liam. The man I loved. And I was willingly destroying him.
Instead of reaching out, I curled my fingers tightly beneath the thick blanket, burying them in the fabric to force myself to stay still.
You have to do this, I whispered to myself, chanting it like a mantra to keep from sobbing out loud. You have to. For them. For all of them.
"What do you mean by that, Scarlett?" Leo asked carefully, stepping closer to the bed. His sharp, analytical eyes searched my face, looking for any crack, any hint that this was a nightmare he could wake up from.
I forced myself to look back at him with wide, empty eyes, acting as confused as I possibly could. "I... I don’t know how to explain it," I stammered, putting on my best act. "It’s just... the feeling is gone. I know who you are, I remember everything we went through, but looking at you now, there’s nothing. No spark. No pull. It’s like the bond completely broke inside me."
Panic erupted in the room instantly.
"That’s impossible! The bond can’t just break!" Liam shouted, his voice cracking as he slammed his fist into the wall, a desperate, terrifying wildness taking over his features. "We are your mates, Scarlett! You can’t just stop feeling it!"
"Liam, back off!" Leo barked, though his own hands were shaking as he stared at me. "You’re crowding her!"
"Hey, hey, everyone just calm down," Leonard said, his voice remarkably soft despite the deathly pale color of his face. He stepped forward, pushing past his brothers, and tried to project a calmness he clearly didn’t feel. "Calm down, Scarlett. It’s okay. You’re safe."
He reached out, his hand trembling as he went to gently cup my cheek, wanting to offer comfort. But the moment his fingers brushed the air an inch from my skin, I flinched and pointedly moved away, pulling the comforter tighter around my shoulders.
Leonard froze. He looked down at his empty hand, a flash of pure, agonizing pain crossing his features before he quickly masked it with a tight, understanding nod. He swallowed hard, stepping back to give me space.
The rejection sliced through my own soul, but I couldn’t let it show. I had to send them away. I had to get them out of this room before I completely broke down and confessed everything.
"Can you all please leave?" I whispered, rubbing my temples and letting my voice sound exhausted and faint. "The room feels... crowded. My head is pounding, and I just need to be alone."
I needed them gone. If they stayed a second longer, if I had to keep looking at their shattered faces while faking this cold act, the lie would collapse—and with it, their only chance at survival.