Lennox's POV
My fists clenched at my sides.
I wanted to hit him.
God, I wanted to.
But I couldn't.
I wasn't Lennox anymore.
I was Kaine.
A guard. A shadow. A lie.
So I swallowed the rage instead.
"She is your mate," I said, my voice tight. "You don't give your mate away. You fight. You listen. You change. You don't hand her to another man like she's nothing."
Levi's shoulders sagged.
Just like that, the fire drained out of him.
"I'm tired," he said quietly.
The word sounded small. Broken.
"I fight," he went on, his voice cracking. "Every day I fight. And the more I do, the more she pulls away. The more I try to hold on, the more she slips through my fingers."
He dragged a hand down his face.
"I don't know what I'm doing anymore," he admitted. "I don't know how to love her without hurting her. And I don't know how to let go without losing her forever."
His voice broke then.
"I'm tired of failing," he whispered. "I'm tired of being second. I'm tired of watching her look past me like I'm already gone."
He sank into the chair behind the desk, his head dropping into his hands.
For the first time, Levi didn't look like an Alpha.
He looked like a man who had lost everything and didn't know how to survive it.
My chest ached.
This was my brother.
Broken. Lost.
And the cruelest part?
I could stop this now…
Reveal myself and amend my family, but I can't… I can't reveal myself.
Slowly, I took a slow breath, forcing my voice to stay steady.
"I won't do this," I said quietly.
Levi lifted his head slowly. His eyes were red, wild, but empty all the same.
"You can help us," he said hoarsely. "Maybe after you've… been with her once or twice, she'll get tired of you. Maybe it's what she needs—to get it out of her system."
I froze.
My stomach turned so violently I thought I might throw up.
He actually meant it.
"Are you even hearing yourself?" I said through clenched teeth. "You're asking me to sleep with your mate—your Luna—to fix your relationship?"
Levi rubbed his temples. "Maybe that's what it takes," he muttered. "Maybe she just wants something different for a while… someone different. When she's done, she'll come back."
I felt disgust burn through me. "You're insane," I whispered.
Before I could say more, the office door flew open.
Louis stood there, looking between us. His expression shifted from confusion to alarm. "What's going on?"
Levi didn't even hesitate. "I was telling Kaine what he can do to help," he said flatly.
Louis's brows furrowed. "Help with what?"
Levi looked straight at him. "With Olivia. He's going to take care of her needs. All of them."
Louis's face went pale. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Levi leaned back in his chair, tired, cold. "She's already slipping away. She confessed she feels something for him. If this is what keeps her around, then fine. Let him have her for a while."
Louis's eyes widened. "You've lost your mind!" he yelled. "Do you even hear yourself? That's your mate!"
Levi stood suddenly, his voice rising. "I know she's my mate! But I'm done fighting a losing war, Louis! I'm tired!"
Louis stepped closer, fury flashing in his eyes. "You're not tired—you're giving up! You think letting another man touch her will fix anything? You think that's love?"
Levi slammed his hand on the desk. "I think it's survival!" he roared. "She wants him. Maybe if she gets what she wants, she'll finally stop looking at me like I'm a stranger!"
The room went silent for a heartbeat.
Then Louis whispered, "You're insane."
"I'm not insane," Levi snapped. His voice was shaking now, but he forced a bitter smile. "I have a plan. Maybe Olivia just wants to taste something… someone different. Once she does, maybe she'll come back."
Louis stared at him in disbelief. "You're disgusting."
Levi's shoulders heaved as he fought for breath. "You don't understand—"
"No," Louis cut in sharply. "I understand perfectly. You've lost control."
I stood there, silent, my blood boiling.
Watching them—my brothers—tear into each other broke something deep inside me.
This wasn't them.
This wasn't who they used to be.
And it was killing me that I couldn't scream the truth—
That I couldn't say, I'm right here.
That I couldn't stop any of this without revealing myself.
So I stood still, fists clenched, jaw locked, while the two continued fighting each other with words.
"I need to leave," I said finally.
I turned toward the door. I couldn't breathe in that room anymore. The walls felt like they were closing in on me.
"Sit down," Levi snapped.
I stopped. Slowly, I turned back to him.
"I'm not done," he added, his tone sharp, almost desperate.
Louis stepped between us. "Let him go, Levi," he said. "This has gone far enough."
"No," Levi shot back. "He stays."
Louis laughed bitterly. "You don't get to order him around like this. Look at yourself. You're spiraling."
"I'm doing what I have to do!" Levi shouted. "I'm trying to save my mate!"
"By offering her to another man?" Louis yelled back. "That's not saving her. That's destroying her!"
Levi's eyes flashed. "You think you're any better? You stand there judging me, but you don't have a solution either!"
"At least I'm not handing Olivia over like she's some problem to be fixed!" Louis snapped.
"She already chose him!" Levi roared, pointing at me. "She said it herself!"
"And you think this will bring her back?" Louis shouted. "You think she'll ever forgive you for this?"
Levi's voice cracked. "I don't know what else to do!"
The room filled with shouting. Accusations. Old wounds tearing open.
"You're acting like Lennox dying gave you the right to lose your mind!" Louis yelled.
Levi flinched like he'd been struck. "Don't say his name like that!"
"You keep hiding behind his death!" Louis fired back. "But this—this is on you!"
"Enough!" Levi screamed. "You don't understand the pressure I'm under!"
"I understand perfectly!" Louis shouted. "You're breaking everything he worked to protect!"
That was it.
Something inside me snapped.
"ENOUGH!"
My voice thundered through the room, louder than I meant it to be. It echoed off the walls, raw and furious.
Both of them froze.