Chapter 13

Ollie's POV

I try to focus on the conversation happening around me.

Really, I do.

Luca is currently arguing with Anya over whether pineapple belongs on pizza while Adrian looks one sarcastic comment away from leaving the planet entirely. Eliana is laughing so hard she can barely breathe, and Kylah is curled into Shane’s side on the opposite couch like they’ve known each other longer than twelve hours.

But none of it fully reaches me.

Because all I can feel is her.

Across the room.

Curled up small on the couch with her coffee clutched in both hands, staring down into the mug like she’s trying to disappear into her own thoughts.

My chest tightens immediately.

Before I can even think too hard about it, I move.

I walk over quietly and sink down onto the couch beside her.

Not too close.

Just enough.

She glances up at me briefly, surprised at first, but I don’t say anything.

Neither does she.

And somehow… it’s easy.

The silence doesn’t feel awkward.

It feels comfortable.

Safe.

A few seconds pass before I feel it—that tiny shift in her body.

Relaxing.

Just a little.

Her shoulders loosen slightly. Her breathing evens out. The tension around her eyes softens in a way nobody else in the room would probably notice.

But I do.

Of course I do.

And God, I love that I can affect her like this without saying a single word.

My wolf practically melts at the realization.

I ignore him aggressively.

Still, I can’t stop the quiet satisfaction settling into my chest knowing she feels calmer just because I’m here beside her.

The apartment continues swirling around us in noise and laughter, but it starts feeling distant after a while.

Like Meghan and I are sitting in our own little world tucked into the corner of the couch.

Every once in a while her knee brushes mine accidentally.

Every single time my brain completely short-circuits.

I’m pathetic.

About an hour later, Luca stretches dramatically from the kitchen island and claps his hands once.

“Alright ladies,” he announces, “it’s been fun, but I think it’s time for us handsome gentlemen to head out before we become permanent residents.”

Anya immediately points toward the door. “Please do.”

“Wow,” Luca says, wounded. “After I brought charm, humor, and emotional support into this home?”

“You brought noise,” Adrian corrects.

I barely hear any of it.

Because my stomach sinks immediately.

I don’t want to leave.

Every instinct inside me protests at the thought of walking away from her already.

But I know I should.

We’ve overwhelmed her enough for one weekend.

Slowly, I stand from the couch and look down at her.

She looks up almost immediately.

“Megs,” I say softly.

The nickname comes naturally now.

Her eyes meet mine slowly, and the emotion sitting there nearly knocks the breath from my lungs.

She doesn’t want me to leave either.

The realization hits hard enough that my wolf practically surges forward beneath my skin.

"Stay."

I force myself to stay calm.

Then suddenly she stands too.

And before I can even process what she’s doing, her arms wrap around me.

In front of everyone.

My entire body goes completely still for half a second before instinct takes over and I pull her against me immediately.

"God."

She fits perfectly.

Again.

Always.

I hear a quiet, muffled “Thank you” against my chest, soft enough that nobody else probably catches it.

But I do.

Every syllable.

Something warm cracks open in my chest so violently it almost hurts.

I lower my head slightly, breathing her in one more time before she finally pulls back.

The second she turns toward my friends, her expression changes completely.

“You three,” she says, pointing directly at Luca and Adrian specifically, “are not allowed to corrupt my roommates while I’m emotionally vulnerable.”

Luca gasps dramatically. “Me? Corrupt?”

“You literally stole our bacon,” she deadpans.

“That is unrelated.”

I laugh before I can stop myself.

A real laugh.

And judging by the tiny smile Meghan tries to hide afterward, I think she likes hearing it.

Dangerous information.

Very dangerous.

Eventually we force ourselves toward the door despite every part of me wanting to stay rooted exactly where I am.

The second the apartment door closes behind us-

I get attacked.

“What the hell was THAT?” Luca practically yells, shoving my shoulder.

“Dude,” Adrian says slowly, looking genuinely stunned for once. “You’ve known her less than a day.”

“She hugged you like you came back from war,” Luca adds.

Shane stays quiet beside me.

Which honestly tells me more than either of them yelling.

I glance toward him briefly.

And yep.

There it is.

The look on his face says he knows.

Or at least suspects.

"She's ours", my wolf says smugly.

I ignore him.

Badly.

Luca keeps talking before I can think too hard about it.

“No seriously,” he says. “What is going ON with you? You looked ready to kill that guy at the bar.”

Adrian nods once. “And this morning you stared at her like she personally controls your oxygen supply.”

“Which honestly,” Luca adds thoughtfully, “she probably does.”

“Can you both shut up for five seconds?” I mutter.

Unfortunately, that only makes them louder.

Shane finally sighs beside me.

“You’re freaking him out.”

“Because he’s acting insane,” Adrian says.

I shove my hands into my pockets, looking back once toward Meghan’s apartment building glowing warmly behind us.

And my chest aches immediately.

Because somehow leaving her already feels wrong.

Like I’m walking away from something important.

Something mine.

"Mate." my wolf says one final time before walking out the building.

I close my eyes briefly.

Yeah.

I’m in serious trouble.