Levi's smirk didn't falter, but the glint in his eyes sharpened. "I'm saying…" he drawled, stepping further into the room, "…that maybe your anger wasn't about what she did. Maybe it was about you needing an excuse to pull her into bed and stake your claim again."
Louis' gaze flicked between us, his mouth set in a tight line, but he stayed silent. Olivia shifted in my lap, clearly uncomfortable, but I kept my arm locked around her waist, holding her exactly where she was.
"Careful," I said, my voice low but pissed. "You're getting me annoyed, Levi."
He took another step, stopping just at the edge of the bed. "Am I? Because from where I'm standing, I see you sitting there all smug, like you've just marked your territory… and maybe you think that's enough to keep her." His eyes slid to Olivia briefly, then back to me. "But you forget—she's not just yours."
The words hit like a spark to gasoline.
Olivia turned her head slightly toward him. "Levi—"
"No," I cut in, my tone sharp enough to make both of them stop. My grip on her tightened as I locked eyes with him. "You don't get to stand here and imply anything about what we have. You don't get to cheapen this into some 'apology sex.'"
Levi's smirk faded into something more guarded, but he didn't back down. "Then prove it. Not with words, Lennox. With actions that go beyond your bed."
The air between us was electric, the tension so thick I could feel Olivia's heartbeat through her back. Louis finally exhaled, stepping between us. "Enough. This isn't the time or the place."
But I didn't break eye contact with Levi. Slowly, I pulled Olivia out of my arms, rose from the bed, tugged on my pants, and closed the space between us.
As I held his angry gaze, I decided to speak to him through the mind link. "What is this all about?" I asked as calmly as I could, despite the raging storm bubbling inside me.
Levi's frown deepened, and instead of responding to me through the mind link so Olivia wouldn't get to know what we were saying, he decided to speak it out. "The actual fuck is that you should already know Olivia belongs to the three of us… not only you."
My frown deepened. "And when have I ever said she belongs to me alone?"
Levi's laugh was humorless, his jaw tight. "You might not say it out loud, but every damn thing you do screams it. The way you hold her like she's yours alone. The way you cut us out, making decisions for her without us. Hell, you don't even give her the space to look at us the same way she looks at you."
My fists clenched at my sides. "You think I'm keeping her from you?"
"I don't think, Lennox—I know." His voice rose a bit, his stare hardening. "You've always been the selfish one. You take first, you take most, and you damn well make sure you leave scraps for the rest of us."
Olivia tensed where she sat, glancing between us, confusion flickering across her face.
Levi didn't stop. "Maybe you're afraid, huh? Afraid that if she ever truly saw us without you hovering like some overprotective guard dog, she'd realize she doesn't need you as much as you think."
The words enraged me. My vision tunneled.
"And maybe," he added, his mouth twisting into something cruel, "deep down you know you're doing this as a competition. You want her to reject Louis and me and be only with you…"
I didn't hear the rest. My fist connected with his jaw before my mind could catch up. The sound echoed in the room, and Levi staggered back, one hand going to his face, his eyes flashing with rage.
Louis swore under his breath, stepping forward, but I was already braced for Levi to swing back.
Levi lunged, but Louis shoved himself between us, planting a firm hand on each of our chests. "Enough! Both of you, before you do something you can't take back."
I was breathing hard, my knuckles throbbing from the hit. Levi's lip was split, and the sight only fueled the restless rage in my chest. But then my eyes caught Olivia—still sitting on the bed, hands clenched in her lap, looking… hurt. Not angry, not annoyed, but hurt.
The sight of that hurt me, and I regretted my action.
"Do you hear yourselves?" she asked quietly, her voice trembling in a way that made all three of us freeze. "You're supposed to be my mates… yet you're standing here tearing each other apart over me like I'm some prize to win."
Levi's glare faltered. He swiped the blood from his mouth, glancing at her for the first time since I'd punched him. Louis looked away, his jaw tight.
"You three are here with me right now," she went on, her voice sharper now, "and still… you're acting like I'm already gone. Like I'm someone you have to fight over instead of someone you're supposed to fight for."
The silence after that was suffocating. My fists slowly unclenched. Levi let out a long breath and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Olivia…" he started, his tone softer now. "I shouldn't have said what I did. I was… jealous. And pissed. My wolf suddenly got possessive…" He broke off, shaking his head. "I'm sorry."
I took a step closer to her, my chest tightening. "I didn't mean to make it seem like you're mine alone," I admitted. "I've been… protective. Too protective. And if that's made you feel trapped or made them feel shut out… then I'm sorry, Olivia. Truly."
She looked at each of us in turn, her expression unreadable. Then she gave a small, tired sigh. "Just… figure it out. The three of you. Because I can't keep doing this if you don't."
And with that, she rose, covered herself, and teleported away.