Chapter 12

Ollie's POV

Eventually I force myself out of bed and head toward the kitchen, mostly because if I stay alone with my thoughts any longer I might actually lose my mind.

Voices drift through the apartment before I even hit the hallway.

Luca.

Adrian.

I stop immediately.

"What the hell?"

I walk into the kitchen to find Shane sitting at the island looking suspiciously awake while Luca casually steals bacon directly from a plate beside him. Adrian leans against the counter drinking coffee like he lives here now.

I blink once.

“What are you doing here?”

Luca grins immediately. “Missed you too, sweetheart.”

“I’m serious.”

“They came by this morning,” Shane explains around a sip of coffee. “The girls let them in.”

Anya points aggressively with a piece of toast. “To be fair, Luca threatened to die dramatically in the hallway if we didn’t.”

“I stand by that choice,” Luca says.

Eliana rolls her eyes. “He was being so loud we thought the neighbors were going to complain.”

“I was worried about Romeo,” Luca says, gesturing toward me dramatically.

Adrian snorts quietly into his coffee. “No, you were nosy.”

“Also true.”

I shake my head, grabbing a pan mostly so I have something to do with my hands while my entire internal world collapses in on itself.

"Mate."

“Stop saying it like that,” I think angrily.

Shane watches me carefully for a second too long.

And because he knows me far too well, his eyes narrow slightly like he’s already figured out something’s wrong.

I immediately avoid eye contact.

Mostly because every few seconds my attention drifts toward the hallway waiting for Meghan to come back out.

Like I can physically feel where she is in the apartment.

And the second she finally appears

Everything in me settles instantly.

My eyes lift automatically.

She stands there wearing an oversized hoodie with slightly damp hair falling around her face, looking sleepy and hesitant all at once.

And God help me.

She’s beautiful.

Something in my chest softens so fast it nearly catches me off guard.

“There she is,” I hear myself say quietly.

Relief floods through me before I can stop it.

Like some irrational part of me needed visual confirmation she was still here.

Safe.

Luca immediately ruins the moment.

“Sleeping Beauty finally joins the land of the living,” he says around a mouthful of bacon.

Kylah gasps dramatically. “Oh my God, you guys let her sleep?”

“Obviously,” Shane says calmly.

Eliana groans into her coffee. “Please don’t start interrogating her first thing in the morning.”

Too late.

Anya leans forward immediately. “Wait. Introduce us to your friends before we discuss whatever this situation is.”

I exhale quietly, setting the spatula down before nodding toward the guys.

“Right,” I say.

I gesture toward Shane first. “This is Shane.”

He gives Meghan a calm nod. “Hey.”

“Adrian.”

Adrian lifts two fingers lazily from where he’s leaning against the counter. “Morning.”

“And Luca,” I finish.

Luca immediately flashes her a grin. “Hi. We’ve heard a lot about you.”

Her eyes narrow instantly.

“That doesn’t sound reassuring.”

“It’s not,” Adrian mutters.

Shane snorts into his coffee.

And I just watch her.

Probably longer than I should.

Because she still looks overwhelmed. Quiet. Like her mind is somewhere far away even while she stands in front of us.

Then she asks softly, “How do you all know each other?”

Before I can answer, Luca does.

“We’re roommates,” he says easily. “Two blocks down. Here for college, bad decisions, girls—”

Eliana immediately points a fork at him threateningly. “Finish that sentence carefully.”

“Terrifying women,” he corrects instantly.

Kylah laughs into her coffee.

The apartment fills with noise again after that, everyone slipping back into conversation naturally, but I barely hear any of it.

Because my attention keeps drifting back to Meghan.

The way she quietly fixes herself a plate without really speaking. The way she wraps both hands around her coffee mug like she’s grounding herself. The way she avoids looking at me too long before sneaking glances anyway.

And every single time our eyes almost meet, I feel that pull all over again.

Strong.

Unavoidable.

"Mine."

I grip the edge of the stove harder immediately.

"Easy. Don’t overwhelm her."

My wolf presses restlessly beneath my skin every time she moves farther away in the apartment.

Possessive.

Protective.

Completely locked onto her.

I don’t disagree with it.

After a while she drifts toward the couch, curling into herself with her coffee while the apartment buzzes around her.

But even across the room, I can feel it.

Something’s off.

Her expression goes distant, shoulders pulling inward slightly like she’s retreating into her own head.

Every instinct in me immediately focuses on her again.

Shane notices me staring.

“You’re doing it again,” he says quietly beside me, low enough no one else hears.

“Doing what?”

“Looking at her like the world ends if she’s upset.”

I don’t answer.

Because the terrifying thing is..

I think he might be right.