Getting Used To It

I didn’t answer Levi. Instead, I closed my eyes and reached out through the mate bond, letting my consciousness stretch until I brushed against Lennox’s presence.

I parted my lips and accepted the bite, savoring the simple, grounding act. Levi fed me another, and another, each time his eyes holding mine with a quiet intensity that made butterflies flap in my stomach.

I swallowed hard, forcing a faint smile. “Nothing,” I lied. “It’s nothing.”

“Olivia…” His voice was barely a breath now, but it thrummed through me.

For a moment, there was nothing–then I felt him. His presence was there, but not focused on me. It was blurred, distracted, like trying to grasp smoke.

His eyes searched mine, as if weighing every word, testing it for truth. Whatever he saw there must have satisfied him, because his lips curved in the faintest of smiles.

Levi set the tray down on the small table beside the bed, his movements unhurried, almost careful. Then he took a seat on the edge of the bed, his eyes flicking briefly to Louis before settling back on me.

We pulled apart just as Levi stepped inside, carrying a tray of food. His gaze landed on us instantly, one brow arched, but there was no anger in his eyes–only that same quiet understanding that always passed between the three of them.

But something felt… different.

I opened my eyes slowly, the lingering echo of his quickened heartbeat still pounding in my head. My fingers curled slightly against Louis’s arm, and I forced my expression to remain calm.

It wasn’t until I caught a faint shift of color in the window that I realized the light in the room had dimmed.

For a heartbeat, neither of us spoke. The rise and fall of his chest beneath the solid warmth of his body against mine… it was all too real, too familiar, too fascinating.

My gaze drifted to the tray in Levi’s hands as he crossed the room with that easy confidence of his. The warm aroma of freshly cooked food filled the air, making my stomach tighten with sudden hunger I hadn’t realized I had.

Silence. Then, hurriedly, “Please, love, let’s talk later… if there is a problem, contact Levi or Louis.”

Levi always carried the rich, heady scent of aged whiskey and rain. But the man holding me now didn’t smell like that. His scent was calmer, yet no less consuming… a warm blend of vanilla and jasmine that curled into my senses and settled deep.

The moment the words left his mouth, my stomach sank. I knew exactly what that meant. I’d been around enough gatherings to know the so-called “meetings” at clubs were rarely just about pack politics. There were always girls–too many girls–circling like moths around a flame, hoping to catch an Alpha’s eye.

“I’m learning to live with it,” he continued. “Because this… you… us… this isn’t temporary. It’s a lifetime thing. And a lifetime means sharing you with them too.”

Something flashed in his eyes that looked like possession. His hand came up to cradle the back of my head, his thumb brushing the line of my jaw as if I were something fragile he wasn’t sure he was allowed to touch.

My own pulse stumbled, a cold, sharp ache threading through my chest. “Lennox?” I pressed again.

Levi’s gaze flickered to Louis briefly before answering. “A neutral ground… a few kilometers from here.” Then, after a short pause, he added, “They’re holding it in the penthouse of a club there.”

It was fast. Too fast. Not the steady beat of a man in a simple meeting. I could feel the rush of his blood, the quickened breaths, the faint edge of heat that didn’t belong to a political discussion.

But I didn’t pull away. I pushed deeper, letting the bond guide me to the rhythm of his pulse.

He was lying beneath me, one arm draped protectively around my waist, tracing slow, deliberate patterns along my bare back. His deep brown eyes locked with mine, and the air between us shifted–instantly thick, charged. That magnetic pull, that inescapable gravity of the mate bond, wrapped around us like invisible chains.

I didn’t need to open my eyes to know who it was.

I nodded but didn’t leave Louis’s arms. Rather, I rested my head back on his chest.

I frowned, sitting up just a little in Louis’s arms. “Where’s the meeting being held?”

I leaned forward and kissed him–slow, warm, passionately–pouring my heart into that single moment. His fingers tightened on my waist, holding me there like he didn’t want to let go.

And just like that, he walled himself off, slamming the connection shut so abruptly that it left me breathless.

But the moment broke when the door opened.

“Louis,” I whispered, my voice still husky from sleep, a big smile spreading across my face. Slowly, I opened my eyes and met his gaze.

Louis’s gaze didn’t waver, his thumb still tracing along my jaw as if committing every curve of me to memory.

“I’ve never had a problem sharing anything with my brothers,” he said finally, his voice low, steady. “But with you… it’s different. With you, I find myself feeling… possessive. Jealous, even.”

Still nestled in Louis’s arms, I watched as Levi picked up a fork and scooped up a bite, bringing it toward me. For a heartbeat, I hesitated–part of me expecting Louis to shift away. But he didn’t. He only tightened his hold on me, tucking me closer into his chest as if silently claiming his place.

I swallowed hard, the confession I couldn’t speak lingering on my lips. Instead, I let my hand slide up to his jaw, feeling the faint stubble beneath my fingertips. “Are you jealous?” I teased back.

Olivia’s POV

My throat tightened. I didn’t know how to respond, so I stayed quiet, my gaze lingering on his. The bond hummed between us, urging me to close the last inch of space, which I did.

“Liv… I’m busy,” he said quickly, his tone clipped, almost breathless. “You need to eat,” he murmured, his voice gentle but leaving no room for argument. My heart ached at the quiet honesty in his voice. I cupped his cheek, letting my thumb sweep lightly across his skin. “Louis,” I murmured, my voice trembling just slightly. “I love you. And I love your brothers. Equally. Always.”

“Lennox?” I called softly in my mind.

And then… I felt it. A flicker. A shift in his energy. The kind of rush that came from being close–too close–to someone. A woman.

Levi’s hand stayed steady, his gaze fixed on mine. “Come on, sweetheart,” he coaxed softly.

Louis’s hand squeezed my hip gently, as if sensing the sudden shift in my mood. Levi’s gaze lingered on me for a beat longer, his tone softening. “It’s not what you’re thinking,” he said quietly. But he didn’t say it with certainty.

His lips curved into the faintest smirk, though his eyes held something far softer. “You were smiling in your sleep,” he murmured, his voice low and smooth.

Levi set the fork down for a moment, his expression calm but unreadable. “No. He won’t be coming tonight. The Alphas‘ meeting is still on, even now. He’ll be back tomorrow.”

Louis’s fingers stilled on my skin, his touch now firmer, more possessive. “You know you smell like him,” he said quietly, his words not accusing but laced with a strange mixture of jealousy and acceptance.

“I believe you must be tired… you know…” he smirked, and I blushed. “I made these myself.”

A hollow heaviness settled in my chest, my fingers curling slightly against Louis’s arm as I tried to school my expression. But inside, I could already picture something silly in my head.

My brows pulled together. “It’s evening already?” I asked softly, glancing toward Levi. “Where’s Lennox? Hasn’t he come back?”

The words sank deep into me, pulling at something inside my chest. His eyes softened, though his tone remained firm.

But deep down, my stomach was twisting, because I wasn’t sure I believed that.

I woke to the slow, deliberate sweep of fingers trailing across my back. A soft smile tugged at my lips as I instinctively tightened my arms around the broad chest beneath me.

“I see you are awake,” Levi said with a warm smile.

Louis’s gaze was already on me, searching my face. “What is it?” he asked quietly.