“No. I’m fine,” I lied, and dang it. I was sick of lying.
Levi didn’t move, or push, but his gaze didn’t waver either.
“You know you can always talk to me,” he said quietly.
Those words finally broke something inside me. Levi said that without hesitation or doubt in his voice.
I looked away, because I couldn’t look at him and keep lying. Not like this, especially when Levi was standing there offering me something real, and something I didn’t deserve.
My thoughts spiraled, faster and louder.Say nothing, keep the lie. Protect Kai and yourself.
But then, I thought of Levi’s laugh from earlier, Levi’s steady gaze on me now, and the way he’d looked at me in his kitchen when he made me breakfast. My throat closed.
I couldn’t do this, I couldn’t keep standing here pretending everything was fine while a clock ticked down in the back of my head.
While I knew what was coming, and what I was supposed to do.
My emotions surged, crashing into each other. Fear and guilt, and something dangerously close to hope. It built and built until it felt like it might tear me apart from the inside.
I dragged a hand through my hair, breathing uneven.Think. Think.Every scenario I’d run through in my head since the call played back again.
Tell him, don’t tell him. Run, stay. Lie, or confess. Confess.
Every path ended in something breaking, every single one, but one felt less wrong. I swallowed hard. Slowly, I lifted my head. Levi was still watching me.
He was always so patient. It made this so much worse. I glanced around the street, my eyes catching on familiar faces.
Nico stood a little ways off, talking to someone near a stall. Dane was nearby too, laughing at something, completely at ease.
My chest ached. I realized I couldn’t do this here, not in the open, and where anyone could hear.
“I…” My voice came out rough. I cleared my throat. “I’m not feeling well. Can we head back?” The words twisted in my stomach as soon as they left my mouth.
Because what I was really asking was,Give me a chance to break your trust in private.Levi didn’t hesitate, he nodded immediately.
“Yeah. Of course,” he answered.
His hand brushed lightly against my arm as we turned back the way we came. The contact sent a sharp, aching warmth through me, and somehow that made everything worse.
By the time we got back, I knew nothing between us would ever feel this easy again.
Chapter 14
Levi
We went back to my cabin and I led Mason to the kitchen. He remained standing, seemingly unsure of what to do or say.
I moved on instinct, filling the kettle, setting two mugs on the table, giving my hands something to do while my mind tried to catch up.
The quiet stretched between us, thick and waiting. Mason hovered near the table, shoulders tight, fingers flexing like he didn’t know where to put them.
“Sit,” I said, gentler than I felt.
He obeyed immediately.
That didn’t sit right. Mason wasn’t usually this quick to fold into someone else’s direction. Even when he was unsure, there was a stubborn edge to him.
Now he just sat, as if he was bracing for the worst. My wolf shifted uneasily under my skin. He knew something felt wrong, and I didn’t like that.
