It had been a week since I last saw her, a week of avoiding her. And now, when I finally laid eyes on her again, it was to witness one of my own warriors laying his fucking hands on her.
Logan had dared to slap Olivia. The sight of those red marks marring her face made my blood boil. My wolf snarled in my head, demanding that I turn back and rip him apart. And I would have. But Olivia stopped me.
She had grabbed my wrist, shaking her head, her damn pleading eyes locking onto mine. And for some reason, I listened.
I hated that I listened. I hated that I let that bastard walk away with his life.
I swear by the Moon Goddess, if she hadn't stopped me, I would have killed him—and it would have been justified. It would have been a warning to everyone who dared to lay a hand on her. Only my brothers and I had the right to speak down to her. Even then, we had no fucking right to touch her. I had hit her once before, and I still hadn't forgiven myself for it. And yet some bastard had the audacity, the utter lack of fear, to strike the mate of his Alphas.
When we reached the pack house clinic, I pushed the door open and stepped inside. Olivia hesitated for a moment before following.
The clinic was empty except for a pack nurse, who immediately stood and bowed her head in respect.
I exhaled sharply and turned to the nurse. "Leave."
The nurse hesitated for a second before nodding and hurrying out of the room.
Olivia sat on the examination table, silent, her fingers curled into the hem of her shirt. She was trying to act unaffected, but I saw the slight tremor in her hands, the way she avoided looking at me.
"I can handle it myself," she muttered, reaching for the first aid kit on the counter.
I snatched it before she could touch it. "No."
Her head snapped up, eyes flashing with defiance. "Lennox, I don't need your help."
I ignored her, pulling out antiseptic and cotton. The anger simmering in my chest made my hands rougher than necessary as I grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at me. She flinched slightly, and guilt curled in my gut. I had hit her once before, and I could see she hadn't forgotten.
"Hold still," I said, softer this time.
She did, though her shoulders were tense. I dipped the cotton into the antiseptic and pressed it against the red marks on her cheek. She hissed but didn't pull away.
"I should've killed him," I muttered under my breath.
Olivia let out a humorless laugh. "And then what? You think that would make things better?"
She sighed. "You can't solve everything with violence, Lennox."
I scoffed. "And what? Let them think they can put their hands on you and walk away? That's not happening. You're my—" I cut myself off, jaw clenching.
Her expression hardened. "I'm your what?"
I didn't answer. I focused on cleaning her wound, my fingers brushing against her skin. She felt warm beneath my touch, too warm, and I hated the way my body reacted to it. I hated that I still wanted her despite everything.
After a moment, she exhaled and looked away. "You don't have to do this."
"I know," I said, bandaging the area. "But I am. After all, you are my wife whether I like it or not."
Silence stretched between us. She watched me carefully, as if trying to figure me out, but even I wasn't sure what the hell I was doing anymore.
Finally, I stepped back. "It's done."
Olivia touched her cheek lightly, her lips pressing together. "Thanks."
I nodded, shoving the first aid kit onto the counter. My chest felt tight, my anger still boiling inside me.
She slid off the examination table. "Thank you." The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the NovєlFіre.net
I stared at her. She wouldn't be fine. Not in this damn pack where everyone thought they could treat her like shit. She hasn't done anything to offend them. She only offended me and perhaps my brothers, so they had no right to treat her like shit.
"They won't touch you again," I said firmly. "I'll make sure of it."
Olivia raised a confused brow at me, seeming confused, but without saying a word, she turned and walked away, and my eyes involuntarily fell on the curves of her ass in that fitted dress of hers!
Damn it! I swallowed hard and looked away, feeling discomfort between my legs.
Shaking off the silly thoughts in my head, I left the clinic and walked down to the training ground, where hundreds of warriors were training—some in their human forms, while others in their four-legged form.
"Attention, everyone." I roared, my loud voice cutting through the noise.
The warriors stood in rigid silence, the weight of my anger pressing down on them. My knuckles still ached from beating Logan, but it wasn't enough. My anger hadn't cooled, and I wouldn't be satisfied until every single one of them understood that Olivia was off-limits.
Louis and Levi arrived, their presence commanding immediate attention. Levi looked me over, his sharp gaze narrowing. "What the hell happened?"
"Logan slapped Olivia."
"What?" Louis growled in anger, his rage snapping instantly. Well, it seemed Logan was lucky my brothers weren't around.
"Fucking hell, he didn't." Levi snarled in anger.
A murmur rippled through the warriors. Some shifted uneasily, while others kept their heads bowed. None of them dared to meet my gaze.
Levi exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand down his face. "And where is he now?"
"Somewhere, perhaps receiving treatment. He's barely breathing." My voice was devoid of remorse. "If Olivia hadn't stopped me, he'd be dead."
Louis growled. "You could have killed him and painted the walls of the mansion with his blood."
Logan was damn lucky.
I turned to face the warriors. " I want every single one of you to understand something." My voice was steady, but the threat beneath it was unmistakable. "Olivia is the mate of your Alphas. She is off-limits. If any of you so much as think about disrespecting her, you will not get the mercy Logan got."
Silence. Heavy and thick.
"Do I make myself clear?" I growled.
A chorus of "Yes, Alpha" echoed across the training ground.
"Good." My gaze swept over them, ensuring the message sank in. "Now, get back to training. And train harder, because if another mistake happens, you'll be fighting me next."
The warriors immediately obeyed, returning to their drills with renewed focus.
"Where is she?" Levi asked softly, his voice full of concern.
Despite how much we claimed to hate her for different reasons, we had one thing in common—one trait that had never left us, even after all these years.
We were still protective of her.