Stepping Up

Lennox’s POV

The color of Damien’s eyes darkened and in the blink of an eye, he made his way toward me. But shockingly, Olivia moved past him and stood between us—stopping Damien from attacking me.

Of all the things I expected… that wasn’t one of them. She stood between us, her arms outstretched, facing a furious Alpha. My heart skipped. She still cared, even if she didn’t want to admit it. For a fleeting second, pride flared in my chest.

“Step away!” Damien growled, already losing his temper.

I wasn’t surprised. What I said was more than enough to make him furious. There are only two things that can really set Uncle Damien off. One is someone hurting Sofia—he’d tear them apart without a second thought. And the second is exactly what I just did: reminding him that someone took her from him.

Olivia shook her head, not moving.

“No,” she said firmly, staring up at him. “I won’t step away, Alpha Damien.”

His jaw clenched harder. His fists curled at his sides.

“This is between me and him,” Damien said through gritted teeth.

“No,” Olivia said again. “You two are family. Whether you like it or not, you are both tied to each other now. And you’re standing in my room—fighting. Like enemies.”

Damien’s nostrils flared. He glanced around, as if only now realizing where we were.

“I won’t let you tear each other up in my presence,” Olivia said firmly. “And definitely not in my room.”

For a long moment, no one spoke. The tension was thick, so heavy.

Then Damien turned his eyes on me.

His voice was low and filled with rage. “You do not want to keep testing me, Lennox.”

I didn’t answer.

“I swear on the full moon,” Damien continued, “if you strike my nerve again, the Full Moon Pack will be left with only two Alphas. Because you… will be dead.”

My wolf growled at the threat, loud and deep, rising from inside me. I didn’t care if he was my uncle. He crossed the line.

But before I could say anything, Damien turned around and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Silence fell again.

Olivia slowly lowered her arms, her shoulders tense.

I stared at her—at the woman who just stopped Alpha Damien from tearing into me.

My mate.

Still fierce.

Still mine… even if I didn’t deserve her.

She turned to me and frowned, but I smiled instead—and I think it annoyed her.

“And what are you smiling about?” she snapped.

I shrugged. “You.”

She raised a brow. “Me?”

I nodded. “Yes, you… you don’t cease to amaze me every time.”

She didn’t smile. Her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

“You think this is funny?” she asked, clearly still tense.

“No,” I said, my voice softening. “But… you just stood in front of Damien for me. You didn’t even think—you just acted. That means something.”

Her jaw clenched. “It doesn’t mean what you think.”

I stepped closer, but slowly. Careful not to annoy her. “Olivia—”

“No.” She backed up a step. “Don’t start. Don’t twist this into some mate moment. I stopped him because I didn’t want blood on my floor. Not because I care. And you being hurt? It would affect me. Because of the bond. That’s all.”

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Still. Thank you.”

She looked away, her eyes fixed on the door Damien had slammed. Her voice was low now, filled with curiosity. “Who is this Sofia? And where is she?”

I sighed. I wished I could tell her what she wanted to hear, but it wasn’t my place to. That was Damien’s.

“I can’t say much, but all I’ll say is… Sofia is everything to Damien. He would die for her without hesitation.”

Olivia’s brow furrowed. “His mate?”

I shrugged. “More than that.”

She didn’t seem happy with my response, and I could tell she wanted to know more. But I can’t…

She lifted her gaze and frowned at me. “You knew your words would enrage him. And you still said them.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “I’m just… jealous, okay? I see the way he looks at you. And I know you feel something for him. I can smell it on you.”

Her cheeks flushed. Just a little. But enough for me to realize my fear was true.

Her lips parted, but she didn’t say anything.

I continued. “I just miss being the one you looked at that way.”

She looked at me for a long moment. Her eyes weren’t angry anymore—just tired. And sad.

“Unfortunately for you, I will never look at you that way again.”

Then she turned away, walking to her closet.

“Please leave. And along with the dress… give it to Anita. She will be happy to receive it. After all, she is the mother of your unborn children.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the chest.

I stood frozen. Her back was to me now, but I could feel the weight of what she’d said.

“Olivia…” I started, but my voice cracked. I swallowed and tried again. “I didn’t plan any of this. You know that.”

She didn’t turn around.

“I made mistakes,” I said quietly, stepping closer. “Terrible ones. But I never stopped loving you.”

That was true. My actions might have said otherwise, but this was the truth. I never stopped loving her. And maybe that was what drove me more angry and insane.

She let out a bitter laugh. “Love? Don’t talk to me about love, Lennox. If you want to talk about love, then talk about your uncle Alpha Damien. You yourself confessed that he would kill anyone who hurt Sofia. Why? Because he loves her! But you three did the opposite—you three hurt me! You protect, cherish the ones you love, not hurt them!”

My wolf whimpered in pain and tears gathered in my eyes.

I watched as she reached into her closet, her hands trembling slightly as she shifted hangers. But I knew she wasn’t really looking for anything. She just didn’t want to face me.

“Will you ever forgive us?”

“Just leave.” She demanded, her voice shaking.

I stepped forward again, gently placing the box on her bed. The dress I had picked out for her.

“Can you please wear this… for old times’ sake?”

Olivia turned slowly, a big frown etched across her face.

“You thought a dress would fix everything?” she asked, her voice calm but laced with pain. “You think I care about these material things?”

“No,” I admitted. “I just wanted you to be the most beautiful woman tonight, and this dress will complement you.”

She looked away again, her jaw tightening. Her silence said more than words ever could.

“I miss you, Olivia,” I said. “I miss the sound of your laugh. The way your nose scrunches when you’re annoyed. I miss your scent on my clothes.”

God, I missed those old days—when she would fall asleep in my arms like I was the safest place in the world.

She closed her eyes slowly, then opened them with a tired sigh.

Then she looked down at the box, her lips pressing into a hard line. With a soft exhale, she picked it up and placed it back in my arms.

“Give it to Anita,” she said again, her voice flat. “Let her wear it for your uncle’s party. I’m sure she’ll love pretending to be your Luna.”

I opened my lips to speak, but she interrupted me. “Please leave.”

I wanted to say more… I wanted to plead more… but I didn’t want to overwhelm her further. So I decided to respect her wish and leave.

As I turned to leave Olivia’s room, my chest felt like it had been cracked open. Her words echoed in my head, louder than any scream.

Give it to Anita.

That hit harder than I thought it would.

I stepped out into the hallway, shutting the door gently behind me. I didn’t want her to hear it slam.

My fingers tightened around the box in my hand. The damn dress. I should’ve known it wouldn’t fix anything—but still, I’d hoped. I was desperate to feel even an inch closer to her again.

I barely made it two steps down the hallway before a maid came rushing toward me.

“Alpha Lennox!” she cried, panting hard. “It’s Lady Anita—something’s wrong!”

I frowned.

Every instinct in me wanted to keep walking. I didn’t want to deal with her. I didn’t want to see her. I didn’t even want to hear her name.

She was a mistake—a bitter one. And the damage she’d caused… the chaos still haunts me.

But those pups…

I clenched my jaw, swallowing down the resentment twisting inside me. As much as I hated her, I couldn’t ignore the fact that those children might be ours. And no matter what, I can’t let anything happen to them.

I may have been a terrible mate, but I refuse to be a terrible father.

With a low curse under my breath, I did the one thing I didn’t want to do.

I turned and headed toward her room.