Logan’s POV
“Fuck!” I roared, slamming my fist into the wall, the impact cracking through the silence of my room.
I knew the moment the words left my mouth that I had screwed up. The way Lia’s eyes flashed with pain before she quickly masked it-it gutted me. I had taken something she was desperately trying to heal from, something we needed her to heal from, and ripped it open again, leaving a fresh wound where a scar was barely beginning to form.
Why the hell couldn’t I just keep my damn mouth shut? She had been so happy after finishing that song, letting me hold her without flinching away, soaking in my touch like she actually wanted it. And that smile-like I had just handed her the world for offering a simple compliment. For a brief, fleeting moment, I had been her hero. Then my own insecurities ruined it. Like a fucking idiot.
Fang wasn’t holding back either, tearing into me in my head.
“You hurt mate! You made her sad!” He snarled.
“You think I don’t fucking know that?!” I snapped back. “I already know I don’t deserve her. I prove it every damn time I open my mouth. What the hell do you want from me?”
He didn’t answer, just sulked in the back of my mind, leaving me to drown in my thoughts.
I paced the room, trying to pinpoint the exact moment it all went wrong. The second I saw Silas lift her off the stage and dare to press his lips to her cheek, I had to fight the urge to tear him apart. My wolf had wanted blood. But I swallowed my rage, refusing to ruin her moment. She was on top of the damn world, and I loved seeing her like that.
A part of me had hoped-just maybe-I could be the one to make her feel that way one day. But it wasn’t an obsession. Even when I saw the way that bastard looked at her, like she was the only thing that mattered, I kept my cool.
Because then she looked at me.
And when those mesmerizing blue eyes locked onto mine, so full of unfiltered joy, nothing else existed. She was radiant, and I couldn’t resist reaching for her, stealing her from my brother’s arms and pulling her into my own. She was mine-and damn, I had never been prouder. I had to tell her. I had to let her know how incredible she was.
And when I did, I saw her melt.
For that single moment, I felt like the luckiest bastard alive.
Then he had to open his damn mouth.
Reminding me he wanted her. Calling her that stupid fucking nickname that made my blood boil. I might have been able to ignore him, but when she responded with so much excitement about their “date”-more enthusiasm than she had ever shown toward us-I lost it.
We were her mates.
Our bond was a gift from the Goddess herself.
Shouldn’t she be excited to be with us more than anyone else? But all we’d gotten so far was hesitation, uncertainty.
And then I remembered.
She had wanted to reject her gift. She hadn’t wanted to wait for us. She had almost given herself to her chosen mate-the one she thought she loved, the one she had trusted. Someone she had known all her life. Just like Silas.
A sharp, sickening panic tore through me.
What if we lost her? What if we had already lost her? If that dumbass she’d chosen had marked her when he had the chance, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. She wouldn’t be ours.
I couldn’t take it.
I lashed out the only way I knew how-striking first before I could be the one left bleeding. But this time was different.
Because when I hurt her, I hurt myself.
The guilt simmered beneath my skin. She had been furious at me, but worse than that-she had been broken.
I had wanted to give her space, to avoid making things worse, so I volunteered to drive home. But Liam wouldn’t let me. He insisted I sit with her, claimed she and Blue needed me close, even if she didn’t realize it.
So I slid in beside her, waiting for the inevitable moment she would push me away. But she didn’t.
Instead, she gave me a sad little half-smile before resting her head against my shoulder. Letting me pull her close. Letting me run my fingers up and down her back, grounding her. Comforting her.
I wanted to feel victorious.
I didn’t.
Because if there was one thing I knew about my mate, it was that she never backed down from a fight.
And right now, I wasn’t holding the fiery, stubborn Lia I had come to know. This was Lia with the fight knocked out of her. And that? That fucking destroyed me.
By the time we got home, she had drifted into sleep, and I didn’t hesitate to scoop her up in my arms. Any excuse to hold her a little longer. I planned to tuck her into bed and stay by her side, selfishly stealing moments she would never willingly give me if she were awake.
But Liam and his overactive imagination had to go and ruin it for both of us.
I wasn’t surprised when she sent us away. I deserved it.
But it didn’t make it hurt any less.
Now here I was, pacing my room, wallowing in self-loathing and frustration. The more I obsessed over my mistakes, the more restless Fang became. His agitation buzzed through me like a live wire, making my skin itch.
“PAY ATTENTION TO HER!” He suddenly growled. “That’s where you start, idiot!”
I froze. “What the hell are you talking about? All I do is pay attention to her! I can’t focus on anything else!”
“Then you do a shit job.” His voice was laced with irritation. “Tell me, what happened when we ran into him at the bar?”
I frowned. “He flirted with our girl, but I let him know she was ours.”
“How?”
“I pulled her close, wrapped my arms around her.” I answered, still unsure where this was going.
“Exactly.” He huffed. “And where was she when he mentioned seeing her again after their song?”
I paused, my lips twitching as realization dawned. “In my arms again.”
And just like that, the pieces started falling into place.
“And did she pull away from you either time?” Liam asked rhetorically, not waiting for an answer. “Don’t you think if she wanted him over you, she wouldn’t be so comfortable giving and receiving affection from another guy right in front of him? She was so damn happy in our arms, looking at us like we were her whole world-she didn’t even remember he was there until he spoke.”
Shit.
Now I really did feel like the idiot Fang kept calling me.
He was right. I hadn’t been paying attention to her-I’d been too caught up in my own damn insecurities. If I had taken a second to actually think, I would’ve seen it. I would’ve realized she didn’t want him before I let my jealousy spew out of my mouth like poison. Maybe I should listen to my wolf more often. The bastard was a lot smarter than me.
“One of us has to be. Because you’re a dumbass.” Fang griped, clearly hearing my thoughts before retreating to sulk in the back of my mind.
I couldn’t even argue with him.
Now I just had to figure out a way to get Lia to listen long enough for me to grovel, to prove that I knew what an ass I had been. Not that she’d be eager to give me another chance. And considering there was no way in hell I’d be sleeping without her next to me, I had plenty of time to come up with a plan.
“Hey, you okay?” Liam’s voice drifted into my head through our link.
I let out a short, humorless chuckle. The irony wasn’t lost on me-he was sleeping alone tonight too, and it was my fault. Yet here he was, checking on me.
He really was a great brother.
“Not really. You?” I linked back.
“Not sleeping any better than you are, I’d imagine,” he admitted. “But I’m okay with losing sleep if she needs space.”
Selfless as ever. Liam had always been that way. I, on the other hand, hadn’t inherited that particular trait.
“Yeah… Sorry, man. She wouldn’t need space if it weren’t for me. I know this is my fault.”
“Look, Logan, you never should’ve said what you did,” he scolded. “But I know you already regret it. I get it, though. A three-way bond would be complicated under normal circumstances, and ours is even more of a mess. We just have to be patient with each other.”
I scoffed. “Do you really ‘get it,’ Liam? Because from where I’m standing, it looks pretty damn easy for you.”
“You think I’m not terrified she won’t choose us?” he shot back. “You think I didn’t want to rip that guy apart for the way he was looking at her? That I didn’t feel threatened by him, by their connection? Not acting on those feelings is nearly impossible, but I hold back. For her.”
His words hit harder than I wanted to admit.
“Well, we can’t all be perfect like Liam Ashford,” I muttered, my tone dripping with sarcasm.
“Come on, Logan. That’s not fair.” He sighed. “Having more restraint doesn’t make me perfect, just different. It also makes me the boring twin. At least you’re not afraid to show your emotions or act on them. Women love that shit. You might screw up sometimes, but at least she’ll always know where she stands with you. She’ll feel the passion you have for her. Me? Half the time, I can barely string a sentence together around her, let alone show her how I really feel.”
I rolled my eyes at his self-deprecation. If Liam thought for one second that being sweet, dependable, and patient wasn’t something women craved, he was a damn fool.
“Look, bro, we’re both exhausted, and our wolves are on edge without our mate. Let’s just agree to disagree and call it a night.” I sighed, offering an olive branch. I hated fighting with him.
“Yeah, okay.” He didn’t sound convinced.
But then, his mood shifted. “Hey! Let’s plan something fun for tomorrow. Lia was having a great time tonight, and she actually seemed comfortable with us. Maybe if we just focus on having fun, on keeping things light, it’ll help us bond more.”
I frowned, mulling it over. “That’s actually a great idea.”
“Everyone’s heading to the lake tomorrow. We should join them. She can spend more time with Amara and Thalassa, get to know them better. She might feel more at home here if she has friends. And let’s be honest, considering how often we’re bound to piss her off, she needs someone to complain about us to.”
I smirked. “No argument there.”
“We’ll ask her in the morning. Meet you at her room before breakfast?”
“Yeah, sounds good. See you there.”
A beat of silence stretched between us before I sighed. “Oh, and Liam… love you, bro.”
“There you go, showing your emotions again.” He teased before cutting the link.
Asshole.