Chapter 316: Getting used to it

Olivia’s POV

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.

But something felt... different.

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.

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

"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.

He was lying beneath me, one arm draped protectively around my waist, the other 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.

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

"Olivia..." His voice was barely a breath now, but it thrummed through me.

my jaw as if committing every

problem sharing anything with my brothers," he said finally, his voice low, steady. "But with you...

at something inside my chest. His eyes softened,

this isn’t temporary. It’s a lifetime thing. And a lifetime means sharing you with them

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.

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

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

moment broke when

gaze landed on us instantly, one brow arched, but there was

awake," Levi said with

Louis’s arms. Rather, I rested my head back

you know..." he smirked,

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

movements unhurried, almost careful. Then he took a seat on the edge of

voice gentle but leaving

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

steady, his gaze fixed on mine. "Come on, sweetheart," he coaxed

and another, each time his

caught a faint shift of color in the

together. "It’s evening already?" I asked softly, glancing toward

calm but unreadable. "No. He won’t be coming tonight. The Alphas’ meeting is still on, even

frowned, sitting up just a little in Louis’s arms. "Where’s

Louis briefly before answering. "A neutral ground ... a few kilometers from here." Then, after a

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

heaviness settled in my chest, my fingers curling slightly against Louis’s arm as I tried to school my expression. But

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