Logan’s POV
This was torture-plain and simple. What the hell was happening to me?
Somehow, in the span of just two weeks, I’d gone from being the guy who couldn’t stand the idea of sharing a bed with a she-wolf for more than a few hours, to someone who now couldn’t sleep a wink without one. Not just any she-wolf either-her.
I used to sleep like a rock, in my own space, alone. Even after a late-night hookup, I always came home by myself. That was the rule-my rule. Non-negotiable. No sleepovers, no exceptions.
Clearly, I should’ve kept my mouth shut when I teased Lia about karma. Because now? Yeah, karma was back-and it had sunk its teeth right into my ass.
I would give anything not to be in this bed alone.
I needed her. My girl. Her scent wrapped around me like a blanket. The softness of her skin pressed against mine. I’d tried everything to fall asleep-reading included.
An actual book.
Even if the words had managed to hold my attention, Fang wouldn’t shut up long enough for me to process a single line. He was relentless, pacing in my mind like a caged beast, whining for his mate. Screw playing nice-future father-in-law or not-he wanted her, and he didn’t care who knew it.
As much as I wanted Oberon to approve of me, there was a point where my sanity had to take priority.
I could only imagine what Liam was going through.
We’d both silently agreed to leave Lia alone tonight, just out of respect for Oberon. But if I was this restless without her, Liam had to be losing it. My brother, sensitive to a fault, wasn’t built for emotional detachment. One-night stands? Not in his playbook. Even if he had tried, he wasn’t the type to leave before sunrise. And now? With his fated mate right there-sleeping just across the hall, the girl he’d wanted since he first understood what wanting meant?
Yeah. He was probably climbing the damn walls.
That’s it. Enough of this.
Oberon had made it clear he wanted Lia to accept us. And if that was truly the case, he’d better start getting used to the reality that came with it. Starting now.
With that thought, I slid out of bed, tugged on a pair of pajama pants, and stepped into the hallway.
Fang was practically bouncing, ready to sprint, already basking in the anticipation of being near our mate. But I paused, listening for any sound from Oberon’s room.
Silence.
I was about to cross the hall to Lia’s door when a floorboard creaked. I froze, head snapping up to find Liam already there, hand on her doorknob. Our eyes met. We didn’t say a word-didn’t need to. Then, we both burst into silent laughter.
If one of us had made it in, we would’ve mind-linked the other anyway. That had always been the unspoken plan.
Liam cracked the door and peeked in. Whatever he saw reassured him, and he motioned me over.
We slipped inside like shadows and gently shut the door behind us. The click of the lock echoed louder than expected. We stilled, holding our breath.
I didn’t think Lia would be upset finding us here-not really. But if she screamed, her father would come flying in like a storm, and despite my earlier bravado, I really didn’t want that confrontation.
Thankfully, she didn’t even stir.
I crept to the bed and carefully slid beneath the covers. She was facing me-and without waking, she instinctively pressed closer, one arm draped over my waist, one leg thrown over mine. Her little hand gripped the waistband of my pajama bottoms, tugging downward with more force than I expected.
I glanced down, half-expecting to see her wide awake-but no. Still sleeping.
“It’s Blue,” Fang purred in my mind. “She wants skin-to-skin.”
I didn’t argue. I helped her tug them off. If that’s what she needed-even subconsciously-I wasn’t going to question it. The fact that even in her sleep, her body reached for mine? That did something to me. Something deep.
Liam, seeing what had happened, wasted no time stripping off his own sweats and curled around her from behind.
And that was all it took.
Her scent surrounded us, her soft snores lulling us both into a peaceful sleep we’d desperately needed.
I woke up to an empty bed and a clock that told me I’d missed morning training. Not that I gave a damn.
If sleeping beside my mate gave me rest like that, I’d happily miss every damn session for the rest of my life.
After a quick shower, I pulled on a pair of black jeans and a gray V-neck tee, assuming Lia had gone ahead to the clinic. Liam was likely already entertaining Oberon at breakfast.
On my way to the dining hall, I caught a glimpse of movement near the office. Rowena .
She’d just closed the door, maybe had gone in to look for me-or maybe she’d just peeked inside. Either way, I had zero intention of stopping to talk. The last thing I needed was to stir up any unnecessary drama. Not with Lia’s father around. My past didn’t need to be part of my present-not today.
When I stepped into the dining hall, I scanned the room for our usual crew. Found them all clustered together, hunched over someone’s phone, laughter echoing from the group.
No sign of Liam or Oberon.
Still, I headed over, thinking maybe they knew where the two had gone.
As I got closer, the laughter erupted again-loud and uncontrolled. All except Bastian, who looked like he was seconds away from combusting.
“Take it down now, Amara!” he snapped at his sister, the sharpness in his voice making her flinch-just a little.
“Fine! Goddess, you’re so sensitive,” she muttered with a pout, clearly more amused than sorry.
“What’s going on here?” I asked as I stepped into their bubble, curious and already suspecting trouble.
Amara and Thalassa were doing a poor job of stifling their giggles, while Nikolai wore a grin that screamed he was enjoying the chaos just enough not to stop it.
“Amara and Thalassa thought it would be hilarious to make Bastian a profile on one of those human dating apps,” Nikolai informed me, smirking.
I raised a brow. “Let me guess-some of those women look more fit for a brothel than on the arm of our golden boy, Bastian?”
I reached for the phone, curiosity piqued, but the death-glare Bastian shot me was enough to halt my hand mid-air. I chuckled nervously and raised both hands in surrender.
“All right, all right. Message received,” I said, stepping back. “Anyway, any of you seen my brother?”
Thalassa tilted her head mockingly. “Not sure. What’s he look like again?”
Little brat.
I gave her a smug grin. “Hmm. About six-four, brown hair, hazel eyes. A walking sex god with panty-melting charm. Basically, he looks just like me.”
She rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might stick. Amara smacked the back of my head.
“He was here,” Bastian said, cutting in. “Left about fifteen minutes ago.”
“Appreciate it,” I nodded. “Was Oberon with him?”
“You mean Lia’s dad?” Nikolai cut in. “That guy is terrifying. How did someone that massive end up with such a tiny daughter? I pity whatever poor soul ends up as his son-in-law.”
He gave me a look that felt a little too pointed.
I waved him off. “Don’t be fooled by appearances. He’s just a big ol’ teddy bear.”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” he said, not even pretending to hide the sarcasm. “Right up until someone hurts his daughter.”
The warning in his words wasn’t subtle. Neither was the accusation.
“I don’t plan on hurting her,” I said flatly. “Now, do you know where they went?”
He shrugged. “Said something about touring the grounds. Might swing by the clinic later.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Wow. You’ve been so helpful. Truly.”
With a healthy dose of sarcasm, I turned and walked away, following the faint trail of Liam and Oberon’s scent. But no matter how quickly I moved, I always seemed to miss them by a few minutes. After a while, I gave up and decided to check the clinic, hoping they’d ended up there. Our meeting with Keziah was fast approaching, and we hadn’t even told Lia about it yet-I needed time to prep her before dropping that kind of bomb.
As I approached the clinic’s glass doors, I spotted Liam and Oberon inside, chatting with Theron. Just as I reached for the handle, Lia came around the corner, cradling a small child in one arm and gently guiding the child’s mother with the other. Her free hand was wrapped protectively around the woman’s waist, steady and tender.
I stopped short, frozen in place.
She was radiant.
So wrapped up in the moment that I didn’t notice someone behind me until a throat cleared politely. I stepped aside quickly, holding the door open for a man supporting his heavily pregnant mate. They walked past, and I gave my head a little shake, trying to snap myself out of whatever trance I had fallen into.
I’d never given fatherhood much thought. It was always something I imagined for Liam-he’d settle down, have kids, and I’d be the cool, carefree uncle who popped in for birthday parties and sugar-fueled chaos. But now?
Now, watching Lia with a child in her arms, I felt something deep inside shift. My wolf stirred, aching for more. I could see it-clear as day-a little girl with Lia’s blonde hair and cornflower blue eyes, calling me “Daddy” and looking up at me like I hung the moon. Suddenly, I wanted that. Desperately.
It felt like I was under some sort of spell.
I made my way over to Liam, only half-listening to the conversation around us. My focus never left her. Fang was restless, his energy humming beneath my skin.
“Is your wolf losing it too?” I mind-linked Liam.
“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “Keeps begging me to hold her.”
“I get that. The bond’s strengthening, and it’s pulling us in. But this… this feels different. Stronger. Like something’s coming. Fang won’t tell me what.”
“Ghost isn’t saying anything either,” Liam replied, his own frustration showing. “Maybe they’re just anxious about how she’ll react to what we’re about to tell her. Let’s not wait. We should pull her aside and get it over with.”
“Agreed,” I said, ending the link.
Whatever this invisible pull was, it was growing stronger-and fast. We had a storm coming, and I needed my girl beside me before it hit.