Chapter 31. Childhood of the Four
Chapter 31. Childhood of the Four
Logan's POV
"Don't lie to me, Olivia."
She blinked rapidly before replying, "I'm not."
I sighed and tried not to smile. She had always done that even if she didn't know it. Whenever she lied, she would blink rapidly and her voice would take on a higher pitch than normal.
It was cute, just like how everything about her was.
Woah, focus Logan. No sappy shit.
"I saw her smirk just after you slapped her, and also when the Beta declared what your punishment would be. It got me thinking, and I'm not as blind to Helen's faults as my brothers are. I know she might be capable of things my brothers wouldn't believe.
She sighed and crossed her arms, "Why do they trust her so much? They treat her like…"
"It's a long story."
"Tell me."
I finished dressing her injuries, and closed the first aid box, placing it back on the floor before turning to face her. I removed my jacket and wrapped it gingerly around her and smiled when she brushed enchantingly.
I cleared my throat and sat beside her. Then I started telling her the story of how my brothers and I met Helen and how we got so close.
"My brothers and I met Helen when we were only six years old, then Helen was four years old. Her mother, Mrs Benley, was our mother’s friend. They had been best friends since their childhood. My mother even told us that there was a time Mrs Benley fancied herself in love with our father but as fate would have it, my mother was chosen as the Alpha’s mate."
I saw a smile flash across Olivia’s face when I mentioned the love triangle between our parents and Mrs Benley.
Oliva looked at me with an eyebrow cocked and gestured for me to continue. I smiled and did so ignoring the emotions that coursed through me as she stared at me intensely.
She's only enthralled by what you are saying, nothing else.
"Mrs Benley gave up on our father once she realized that her best friend was his mate. Oddly enough, they didn't stop being friends and they remained close as ever despite everything that had happened. A few months after that, she realized Beta Benley was her mate and then they got married. Beta Henley wasn't the Beta then, but he was one of Dad's trusted advisors. I guess this only served to draw them all closer.
Apparently, we knew each other as babies but due to the fact that Mrs Henley was away for a couple of years, we didn't really meet until we were much older.
Helen first came to the palace when she was four years old and her mother was back. Her mom always brought her along whenever she came to visit our mom. We were six years old boys and still thought girls had cooties, so imagine our annoyance when our mom introduced her to us and told us to always care for her and protect her like she was our sister."
Olivia's giggle brought me out of my reminiscent haze and I basked in it before going on.
"My mom had a difficult time during her pregnancy with us and she was advised to not have any more kids. She had always wanted a girl, and so she treated Helen like she was hers and even spoiled her. Well, I couldn’t blame her. My brothers and I were terrors as kids".
I gave Olivia a mock glare when she said, "And you still are."
"Anyways, we terrorized the entire palace and several nannies quit because they couldn't handle us. We were always playing outside, wrestling, climbing trees and generally causing trouble, so when Helen, who loved tea parties and dressing up and all that girly stuff, came around, my mom fell head over heels in love with her. She demanded that Helen's mom bring her to the palace to visit her every day.
And so, our fathers would be having their discussions and meetings while we would grudgingly hang out with Helen in the garden while our mothers also spent time together."
"That sounds…sweet," Olivia said.
I looked at her to see her wrinkling her nose adorably. If my suspicions about Helen bullying her were right, I knew that it would be difficult for her to listen to something like what I was saying at that moment.
I wanted her to understand why my brothers were so attached to Helen so I went on, "There was a time when Helen's mom took her to visit her sister who was mated to a man from another pack. Even though we had always acted like she was an annoying little sister we didn't want around, we soon began to miss her and so we cried our eyes out to Mrs Benley to bring her back. Our moms would laugh then about the fact that Helen had also cried to her mother to bring us to her. They only spent a day with her aunt and came back the very next day.
After that incident, we fully accepted her into our little trio and began to treat her like she was our sister indeed. We had always protected her from those who tried to hurt her and she also treated us like we were her brothers. When… When our mom…died, everyone was telling us to be strong and to not show our emotions as we were heirs to one of the strongest packs on the continent and we couldn't afford to appear weak. Helen dragged us to her room after the funeral was over and just sat down with us, silent, hugging us until we eventually gave in to the tears."
Olivia's eyes were now brimming with tears as she whispered, "I'm sorry about your mom."
"It's okay. It's just… now you know why we, especially Lucien and Lucas, are so protective of her."
"I do now. I just…it's hard for me to believe that we are talking about the same Helen."
She grabbed my hands. "Can you talk to your brothers for me? They'll listen to you."
"I…"
Just as quickly, she dropped my hand and stood up, clenching my jacket around her. "No, sorry I asked. There's no point now, I've already been flogged and humiliated, she's gotten what she wanted."
She walked over to the tiny wardrobe in the corner and opened it, searching through the clothes in it. Her tone had been flippant when she spoke but with the way her shoulders appeared tensed, I knew that she was upset.
I walked closer, "I'm sorry, Olivia. About Helen, my brothers and the way we've been treating you."
She grabbed a piece of clothing and clenched it to her chest as she turned around to face me. "It's okay, Logan. You don't have to apologize for them to me."
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"I'm sorry, can you leave? I have to get changed."
"Alright, take care of yourself. I'll talk to my brothers and Miss B on your behalf, you can have the rest of the week off."
She didn't look up as she muttered, "Thank you."
I turned around to leave, an odd uncomfortable feeling in my chest. I rubbed my chest as I left the room and put my hand down when I saw the guard waiting outside her room. I closed the door behind me and motioned for the guard to follow me.
We walked until we were far away from Olivia's room so that I didn't have to worry about her overhearing us as we spoke.
I stopped walking and turned to him. "What were you doing outside the room? Eavesdropping?"
The guard's eyes widened. "No, Your Highness. I would never. You opened the door just as I got to the room and was about to knock."
"Why?"
"The Alpha asked to meet with her. He just finished talking to her parents."
"Do you know why?"
"I.. I'm not certain, Your Highness."
"You can tell me, you won't get into trouble."
"I truly don't know, your highness."
I sighed. "Well, do you know what he and her parents talked about?"
He cleared his throat, beseeching me with his eyes. "I…I can't say."
I moved closer to him. "You said that you can't say, not that you don't know. It means you were listening in on the Alpha's private conversation. Tell me, and I won't say a word."
"Well, he apologized to her parents. He said he had to do what he did because all evidence pointed to her. He said that he has met her personally and he knows that she is not the type to do such… He also said something about the Beta and his daughter, but I didn't hear what he said."
When did Father meet with Olivia? And how could he be so sure? What did he say about Helen and her dad?
"Your Highness?" The guard's question brought me out of my thoughts.
"You can go now. And I'm sure I don't have to tell you to keep what happened here a secret."
"Of course, Your Highness." He bowed and left.