<h4>Chapter 687: Avoiding Me</h4>


    ?Olivia’s POV


    ?The dining hall finally felt like a home again. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, the air wasn’t thick with tension.


    ?Breakfast was lively, filled with the sounds of clinking silverware and the children’s chatter. The boys and girls were actually talking to each other—no more cold res or hissed insults. When it was time for lessons, the twins and the boys stood up, exchanging quick hugs and kissing me goodbye before scurrying off together.


    ?Lennox was the first to leave. He leaned down, his massive frame casting a shadow over me as he pressed a firm, lingering kiss to my lips.


    ?"I have a meeting with the border council," he murmured, his thumb grazing my cheek. "I’ll be back by mid-afternoon."


    ?Louis was next. He moved, leaning over to kiss my forehead and then dropping down to nt a gentle kiss on my stomach, whispering a quiet "hello" to the life growing inside me.


    ?"I need to be at the training grounds," Louis said, looking over at Levi. "The new recruits are messy."


    ?"I’m joining you," Levi added, standing up. He looked strong—no cane, no limp—just the formidable Alpha I remembered. He offered me a small, tight smile, the kind that didn’t quite reach his eyes, and began to walk away.


    ?I watched him go, and a cold realization settled in my chest. Ever since he woke up, Levi had been different. He was a father again, yes. He was an Alpha again, certainly. But as a lover? He was a ghost. He hadn’t kissed me. He hadn’t reached for me. He avoided my touch as if I were made of ss—or fire.


    ?"Levi," I called out, my voice ringing clearly through the hall.


    ?He stopped, his back stiffening, but he didn’t turn around immediately. Louis and Lennox had already cleared the room, leaving just the two of us in the sudden silence of the morning.


    ?"Wait," I said, standing up and smoothing my dress. "We need to talk."


    ?He finally turned, his expression guarded, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. "I should get to the pits, Olivia. The boys are waiting."


    ?"The boys can wait five minutes," I said, walking toward him until I was close enough to scent the woodsmoke and rain that always clung to him. "You’re avoiding me."


    ?He looked down at his boots, his jaw working. "I’m not avoiding you. I’m just... getting my bearings."


    ?"You kissed the girls’ foreheads. You ruffled the boys’ hair," I countered, stepping closer into his space. "But you haven’t touched me once. Not like you used to. Why?"


    ?Levi’s gaze shifted from his boots to the far wall, anywhere but my eyes. The silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating. The man who used to pull me into hisp the moment I entered a room now felt like a stranger standing in my mate’s skin.


    ?"Levi, look at me," Imanded softly.


    ?He finallyplied, and the vulnerability in his dark eyes made my breath hitch. It wasn’t anger. It was a profound, aching uncertainty.


    ?"A lot has happened, Olivia," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "Four years. That’s a lifetime for a wolf. I’m scared of touching you because I don’t know who you are now... or what we are."


    ?"What do you mean?" I asked, my heart sinking.


    ?"Do you still like the way I touch you? Do you still like the things we used to do?" He took a step back, finally pulling his hands from his pockets, and I saw them tremble. "I don’t know what you’ve be in thest four years. I’m worried that the man who went into thata isn’t the man you want anymore."


    ?I understood him then. He thought the time had eroded the foundation of us. He thought the woman he had left had outgrown the love we shared.


    ?I moved closer, stepping firmly into his personal space, and reached out to grab the front of his shirt. I forced him to feel the heat radiating from my body.


    ?"Nothing has changed, Levi," I told him, my voice unwavering. "You are still my mate. You are still the man who can make my soul quiet. I am still the same Olivia who loves you, who waited for you, and who ached for you every single night."


    ?He searched my face for a long moment, looking for any sign of doubt. Finding none, a ghost of a smirk finally touched his lips—the first real spark of the old Levi I had seen all morning.


    ?"So," he murmured, his voice dropping into that low, gravelly tone that always made my knees weak. "I can kiss you then?"


    ?He didn’t wait for an answer. He smiled and pulled me toward him, his hands sliding down to grip my waist. When our lips met, it was like a dam breaking. Goddess, how I missed this. He was still so good at it—the way he imed my mouth, the way his scent overwhelmed my senses.


    ?He shifted his grip, hisrge hands sliding down to grab my ass, squeezing firmly as he pulled me flush against his hips. I let out a sharp moan, my fingers tangling in his hair as I deepened the kiss, my tongue seeking his. As we pressed closer, I felt the hardness of his cock against my thigh.


    ?I pulled back just an inch, a yful smile dancing on my lips. He looked momentarily embarrassed, a slight flush creeping up his neck as he realized I knew exactly how much he wanted me. I couldn’t help it—Iughed, the sound bright and full of genuine joy.


    ?"I missed that too," I whispered.


    ?He leaned down, pressing a lingering, tender kiss to my forehead. The embarrassment faded, reced by a look of fierce, renewed devotion.


    ?"I have to go," he said, though he didn’t let go of me for another heartbeat. "The training grounds are calling, and I think I have a lot of energy to burn off now."


    ?He gave my hip onest squeeze before turning to head toward the door, his stride confident and strong. For the first time since he woke up, he wasn’t just a father or an Alpha. He was my mate.


    ?