Olivia was drifting again, her eyes glassy, her mind somewhere far away. Every few seconds, I had to reach out and tap her cheek gently, trying to pull her back.
"Hey," I whispered, brushing my thumb over her face. "Stay with me, okay?"
She blinked slowly, her gaze unfocused, then turned to me with tears pooling in her eyes. For a heartbeat, she seemed to see me, and then she faded again, lost in whatever storm was raging inside her.
"Hey... back," I said again, this time more firmly. I pulled her against me, guiding her head to my chest. Her body felt so small, so fragile in my arms. I could feel her silent sobs, the way she shook, the way her fingers clutched weakly at my shirt.
Each shudder tore through me.
My other half, my brother, lay on the edge of death, and every instinct in me screamed to fall apart. But I couldn’t. Not now. Not when she needed me to be her anchor.
I held her tighter, pressing my chin to the top of her head. "It’s okay," I whispered even though it wasn’t. "I’m here."
My throat burned, and for a moment, I couldn’t tell whose pain I was feeling, hers or mine. All I knew was that the woman in my arms and the brother in that room were both pieces of me.
And I couldn’t lose either.
Olivia stirred weakly in my arms, her breathing uneven. Then, all at once, she pushed herself up, her eyes wide and wild. Google seaʀᴄh novel⸺fire.net
"I need to see him," she said, her voice shaky but firm. "Lennox, he needs me. I can heal him."
I caught her wrists before she could stand. "Olivia," I said softly, "you can heal him, maybe, but not now."
Her lips trembled. "No."
"Listen to me," I said, holding her gaze. "Your body’s drained. You’ve already done too much. If you push yourself again, you’ll end up beside him, and I can’t lose both of you."
Tears filled her eyes again. "He’s my mate," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I have to be by his side."
I swallowed hard, forcing my tone to stay steady. "Louis is with him," I said. "He won’t leave Lennox’s side for a second. You need to rest. Let the other healers do their work. When dawn comes, we’ll go together."
She shook her head violently. "No! He needs me! He’ll hear me. He’ll come back if I’m there!"
I cupped her face gently, making her look at me. "Olivia," I said, barely keeping my voice from shaking, "I know. I know you want to be there, but right now, I won’t let you."
Her breath hitched, and she tried to pull away, but I held her firmly, drawing her back into my arms.
"Please," I whispered against her hair. "Just rest. For him."
She went still for a moment, her fists still pressed against my chest, then finally, she broke down, her sobs muffled against me.
"Shh," I whispered, brushing her hair back gently. "Rest, Olivia. Just rest."
She shook her head weakly. "I can’t, not while he’s—"
I didn’t let her finish. I leaned down and pressed my forehead to hers, letting our mate bond hum between us, a quiet, soothing pulse of warmth and comfort. It wasn’t as strong as it used to be, but it was enough to make her eyelids grow heavy.
"Sleep," I murmured softly, running a thumb over her cheek. "Please. For him. For me."
This was the first time I had ever used our mate bond to command her into doing something. I had no choice.
Her breathing slowed, the tension in her shoulders fading little by little. I felt her wolf surrender to mine, the bond wrapping her in calm until finally, she fell asleep against my chest.
I lay there beside her, holding her close, listening to the fragile rhythm of her heartbeat. For a long while, I said nothing. I just breathed.
Then the silence became too heavy.
My throat tightened as I turned my head toward the dark ceiling. "Lennox," I whispered. "I know you can hear me."
The words cracked halfway out. I clenched my fists, forcing myself to keep going. "You promised me, remember? You said, No matter what happens, we’d face it together."
"You bastard," I choked out, a tear slipping down my face. "You can’t just leave me here. You can’t leave us."
I pressed a shaking hand over Olivia’s back, feeling her small warmth against my chest. "If you don’t want to fight for me and Louis, then fight for her," I said hoarsely. "For our mate. Because she won’t survive this, Lennox. She’s already breaking."
My voice dropped to a whisper. "So please, come back to us."
For a long, painful moment, there was nothing, just the sound of my heartbeat echoing in the dark.
Then the door creaked softly.
Louis stood there, his eyes red, his jaw clenched. He didn’t say anything at first; he just looked at Olivia asleep in my arms, then at me, and I saw it in his eyes, the same fear, the same desperation.
He shut the door quietly behind him and walked closer, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Any change?" he asked, his voice barely more than a breath.
I shook my head. "No."
Louis exhaled shakily and covered his face with his hands. For the first time, I saw him tremble in fear. Slowly, I untangled myself from Olivia’s sleeping form and stood. My legs felt heavy, but I forced myself toward the window.
The moonlight spilled across the floor, pale and cold. I placed a hand against the glass, staring out into the endless stretch of night. My reflection stared back at me, tired, hollow, and afraid.
Behind me, Louis’ voice broke the silence. "The healers said..." He hesitated, his tone cracking. "They said we should prepare for the worst."
My heart sank. I didn’t have to ask what he meant. The worst was death.
He swallowed hard. "Levi, if that happens—"
"Don’t," I muttered, still facing the window. "Don’t you dare say it."
But he kept going, his voice low and strained. "If it happens, we’ll have to focus on Olivia. She’ll lose herself completely. You’ve seen how she is. If Lennox doesn’t wake up, she’ll follow him."
I closed my eyes tightly. His words sliced through me, sharp and cruel because they were true.
Louis sighed shakily. "We’ll protect her, you and I. We’ll hold her together, even if—"
A sharp voice cut him off.
"What the hell are you two talking about?"
Olivia was sitting up in bed, her eyes wide, blazing with anger and grief. Her hair was messy, her face streaked with tears, but her voice was strong. Fierce.
"Lennox isn’t dying," she said, her voice trembling. "He’s not. Do you hear me? He’s not!"
"Olivia—" I started, but she shook her head violently, tears spilling down her cheeks.
"No!" she shouted, her voice cracking. "Don’t you dare talk about him like that! He’s not dying!"
Before either of us could move, she pushed herself up from the bed, her legs barely steady.
"Olivia, wait!" Louis called, but she was already gone, the door slamming behind her as she ran down the hall.