276 The Decision
276 The Decision
I opened the door slowly. The room was dark, quiet. 1
“I know what you’re saying,” he murmured, voice rough. “It’s not just Lennox. We’ve all been on edge. Every time she breathes near me, my wolf wants to pin her down and
make her ours.”
“Olivia is still confused… so many things are going on right now, so I think it’s best we don’t engage in any sexual activities. That
way, we won’t lose control,” he suggested.
“I hate myself for that.” 1
It wasn’t easy–Goddess, it was torture.
“I’ll go,” he whispered, rising to his feet. “But tell her…” His voice broke again. “Tell her I’m sorry. Tell her I’ll never lose control like that again.”
“I’ll talk to her,” he added.
Louis stepped forward, calm but firm. “We saved her, brother. You were losing control.”
I nodded. “That’s good.”
And then–finally–he nodded.
Then, quietly, he said, “I ran until my legs gave out. Then I shifted. Then I ran some
more.”
Then quietly, I said, “You’re not a monster, Lennox. You’re a mate who’s hurting.” His breathing slowed slightly. His shoulders slumped, just a bit.
Slowly, he turned around, and this time there was no longer fury in his eyes–I saw something else. Pain. Shame.
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he walked to the bathroom, splashed cold water on his face from the sink, and stared at his reflection like he didn’t recognize himself.
“I wanted to worship her,” he murmured. “But I nearly–fuck. I nearly ruined everything.”
A silence settled between us again.
276 The Decision
The door creaked open, and Lennox stepped inside, drenched in sweat, his chest bare, his breathing low and steady like someone who’d been to hell and back and just barely
made it out.
As I turned to leave, he called after me.
Lennox shut his eyes, breathing heavily, then nodded.
Louis got up to his feet. “It’s late… see you tomorrow.”
I stood slowly. “You okay?”
“NO!” he bellowed, lunging forward as if he could tear through space to follow her. But it was too late–she was gone.
The stars shifted in the sky, and eventually I dozed off–only to jolt awake when I felt it.
I sighed and sat on the bed. A moment of silence hung in the air before Louis spoke.
“Good… I’ll speak to Lennox about it. I believe he will agree.”
He closed his eyes for a moment. Then opened them again.
Louis walked over, kneeling beside him. He placed a hand on Lennox’s back. “She’ll come back,” he said softly. “But only if she knows she’s safe with us. You need to get yourself in check.” (1
“Tomorrow morning then.”
His head lifted. “You’re serious?”
He looked up at me, eyes still glowing, but wet with unshed tears.
Empty.
But we hadn’t.
“Levi.”
his
Louis and I exchanged worried gazes as we watched him, waiting for his next line of action. But then I nodded–his once–trembling body was no longer trembling. It looked relaxed.
His fists slammed into the wall. His chest heaved, muscles bulging, veins rising under his skin as he snarled like a wild beast cornered and wounded.
276 The Decision
“She’s not just yours,” I
I had touched her like, stepping between him and Louis. “She’s ours. And if
that while you weren’t yourself, do you think she would have
forgiven you? You could have hurt her.”
I paused.
“Alright,” he said. “That’s fair.”
Lennox’s head dropped forward, sweat dripping from his hairline.
I nodded and watched him leave.
I nodded slowly, understanding all too well. “That’s the mate bond, Lennox. It’s driving us. But if we give in when we’re not in control… we’ll destroy her. And ourselves.”
“No,” he said. “You two stopped me. That’s the difference.”
Minutes turned into an hour. Then two.
“Good,” Louis muttered. “He needs to run.”
Louis ran a hand over his face, finally meeting my gaze.
“I have to talk to her.”
“Heading toward the northern woods,” I replied. “He’s shifting. I can feel it.”
Eventually, I stood and made my way to Lennox’s room.
“Lennox-” I reached out, cautiously.
I nodded. “Dead serious. Until she’s ready, we don’t push. And if she is ready, then we still make sure we are too. We won’t hurt her. Not even by accident.”
Maybe to be close. Maybe to make sure he came back. Maybe because I needed to see with my own eyes that he was still Lennox and not the creature that had tried to take Olivia in a haze of wild, uncontrolled desire.
After Louis left, I remained seated on the edge of the bed, staring at the chaos left behind. Olivia’s scent lingering in the air made my wolf restless. Hungry. But I forced him back, swallowing the burn of desire in my throat. I couldn’t risk losing control, not like Lennox had.
Lennox’s jaw tightened. His nostrils flared. He looked like he wanted to kill me. I thought he would attack me, but surprisingly he didn’t. But instead, he turned and violently kicked a stool aside, facing the wall.
“Damn it! What have I done?” he murmured regretfully, his eyes filled with guilt. Lennox winced like the words physically hurt.
I extended my senses, searching for the flicker of his presence.
Levi’s POV
So I walked in.
We couldn’t.
“Where’s Lennox now?” Louis asked.
Louis looked worried too. He understood what I meant.
He paused when he saw me.
-I didn’t know why exactly.
“She should be back in the Nightshade Pack,” Louis replied. “I can feel her aura. She’s scared. Still aroused, but scared.”
“We should come to a decisión,” Louis said out loud, and I moved my attention toward him.
He turned back around, his eyes no longer glowing but raw with emotion
276 The Decision
“DON’T!” he snapped, spinning toward me, his eyes glowing a bright, deadly green, “You took her from me!”
The moment Olivia disappeared into the air, Lennox released a growl so loud, it shook the walls.
dow and leaned back, resting my
I sat down on the small couch near the head against the frame. I stared out at the trees, listening for the faintest echo of paws against soil.
He exhaled long and deep, like the weight had finally started to lift.
I stared at the cracked bed, the sheets tangled with Olivia’s scent, the wild energy still lingering in the air.
“Where is she now?”
And still hold ourselves back.
“I figured you’d be here,” he said, his voice rough, but calm.
“I didn’t mean to hurt her,” he whispered hoarsely. “I just… I couldn’t stop. The scent of her, the sound of her voice, her taste–Goddess, Levi, I’m losing it. Every day, it gets
harder.” 5
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Tonight it was Lennox… next time it might be me. Or you, Louis.”
“You didn’t hurt her,” I reminded him. “You stopped. And that counts for something”
Lennox stared at the wall, his jaw clenched.
Louis looked at me, his face unreadable. “You think he’ll be okay?”
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