Like I was nothing
And Lennox still wouldn’t look at me.
So I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“Thanks for last night,” I said quietly, then stood.
I realized I was naked, but I didn’t bother to cover myself. Rather, I walked to the bathroom, my heart pounding in my chest, the weight of their eyes burning into my back.
Inside the bathroom, I put on the cold shower and stood in it. My hands placed on the tiled wall while the cold shower poured on me. I sighed and closed my eyes, trying to remember all that happened last night. I was half unconscious, but I could still hear a few things that were said. I remember how they sounded worried, how they suggested they give me skin-to-skin heat. I remember when Lennox asked for my permission to undress me. I remember how I felt so at peace in their arms. I have never felt this way for such a long time. The last time I’d shared a bed. with all three of them was nearly five years ago. And gods, I had missed them. I had missed this.
I thought of Lennox and what we did last night. I thought it was a dream, but right now, with the soreness of my pussy and the little discomfort on my nipples, I knew it wasn’t a dream. Lennox and I made out last night while his brothers were fast asleep.
I pressed my forehead to the tiled wall, closing my eyes as last night replayed behind my lids in aching, intimate fragments.
Lennox’s breath on my skin.
His mouth at my chest.
His fingers moving inside me like he knew every part of me already.
The way he kissed me-soft, slow, sexy.
It hadn’t felt like just lust
It had felt like love.
But maybe I imagined that part.
Maybe I was just so starved for affection that even a stolen moment in the dark felt like love. Stupid.
I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to stop shaking, but it wasn’t the cold that made me tremble- it was the aftermath. The silence. The way Lennox wouldn’t even look at me now.
Gods, why did I let it happen?
Four years. Four years of silence, of distance, of hatred.
And now?
Now I was the fool who let her heart flutter over a single night of kindness from a man who would surely deny it the moment I stepped out of this room.
A sudden knock sounded on the bathroom door.
Hroze.
Then I heard Levi’s voice.
“Olivia?”
My breath caught.
I didn’t answer.
There was a long pause, and then, quieter this time. “Are you… okay?”
The way he asked sounded like he cared.
I leaned my head back, letting the water hit my face, hiding the tears that burned behind my closed eyes.
He knocked again. “Liv…”
I hated the way his voice made my heart flutter. Why can’t I just hate them the way I want to?
“We are leaving. Join us at the table for breakfast, Levi said.
I didn’t respond, and soon I heard his retreating footsteps.
Soon, their scent began to thin-no longer as heavy in the air.
They were gone.
Sighing heavily, I turned off the shower, didn’t bother to cover myself. Rather, I walked back naked into my room.
Indeed, I was right-they had left. I stared at the bed and, without thinking, I settled down on it. Their warmth and smell still lingered in the bedsheet, and I couldn’t help but sniff it. I buried my face in the pillow, inhaling deeply.
My wolf purred.
Their smell was so maddening and intoxicating.
As lay there, I let my fingers brush over the creased linen, wondering-
What would it feel like… if everything hadn’t fallen apart?
Olivia’s POV
The sheets still held the scent of them, wild and masculine, uniquely theirs. Lennox’s smoky cedar, Levi’s sharp pine, and Louis’s warm amber.
I curled into the faint imprint of where Lennox had been, pulling the sheet closer, eyes fluttering shut.
What would it be like…
To wake up every morning tangled in their arms, not accidentally, not from instinct, but because they wanted me there.
Because they loved me.
I imagined it-
Waking slowly to the sound of quiet breathing and the weight of an arm around my waist. Lennox’s low, gravelly voice murmuring, “Morning, love,” against my neck as he pressed a lazy kiss there.
Levi would grumble something about five more minutes, but still shift closer, pulling me tighter into the heat of his body, his lips brushing over my shoulder like he couldn’t help himself.
Louis, the quietest of them, would already be watching me when I opened my eyes, his thumb stroking along my hip, slowly like I was something delicate. “Did you sleep well, sweetheart?” he’d whisper.
They’d kiss me good morning. Hold me for a few minutes.
They’d tease each other. Fight over who got the first kiss, who got to feed me breakfast, who got to touch me next.
I’d feel wanted.
Cherished.
Loved
Not like a burden, Not like a mistake.
A knock pulled me violently from my thoughts.
I blinked as the door creaked open, and Nora peeked inside, followed by Lolita.
“Luna Olivia?” Nora asked, eyes flicking briefly to my naked form lying on the bed. She didn’t comment, only stepped in quickly, concern shadowing her expression. “Is your fever gone?”
“Yes,” I murmured, sitting up slowly. “I feel fine now.”
Lolita approached with a towel in her arms, eyes filled with relief. “That’s good. You scared us last night.”
I gave a small nod, rubbing my temples. “Help me get dressed?” I asked quietly.
They didn’t hesitate. Nora fetched a soft lavender dress, one of the few actually liked wearing, and Lolita brought fresh undergarments and a brush for my hair. They didn’t say much, only helped me to my feet.
When Lolita began brushing through my hair, Nora knelt in front of me, lacing up the shoes she’d selected.
“I’ll prepare something light for you,” she offered. “Maybe fruit and tea?” gave her a soft smile. “Thank you.”
But even as they fussed over me like they used to-gentle hands, worried eyes-all I could think about was what it would be like to walk into that dining room and see them look at me the way mates were supposed to look at their mate.
Not with anger.
Not with resentment.
But with love. With hunger. With care.
Gods, what I wouldn’t give to live in that version of the world. Even just for a day.
Even just for a lie.
“Luna?” Lolita’s voice was soft. “You ready?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.