22. Levi

22

Levi

W aking up wasn’t so bad. Especially because the first thing that Levi saw was Sofia’s beautiful face.

“Levi! You’re awake! How do you feel?” She clapped her hands over her mouth. “Sorry. Nora told me not to interrogate you as soon as you woke up. She loved her voice. “Is there anything I can get for you?”

He held his hand out. He couldn’t say that he’d been aware of the last few days, or however long it had been, but he had known Sofia was there the entire time. She slept on a cot that Kellan brought for her, and she showered in the adjoining bathroom.

Most of the time she even ate in there too. A different shifter would show up at breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a meal for her. Usually, they stayed so she had company. Even though he’d been mostly unconscious, he was aware of all that activity.

He was grateful they had made Sofia feel so welcome. If he’d planned it himself, he couldn’t have asked for a better introduction into what life was like with a truly functional clan.

Fragments of the battle begin to come back to him.

He closed his eyes. He’d almost lost Sofia. There at the end, when Koryak had tried to stab her… He had been so close to losing her. Levi had let his guard down, assuming that every wolf would be impaired by Sofia’s spell. And thank God it had made him sluggish. Because Levi had already been struggling at that point. if he’d been a few seconds slower, he might have lost his mate.

Yes, he was still going to refer to her as his mate, even if it was only in his own head.

He had killed to save her. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He did not regret it, that much was clear, but he would have preferred some kind of truce.

That was what Kellan, Quinn, Liam, and Brennan had planned for the rest of the pack. It had worked when Niall had made the threat to Maxim. They never did go after Nora again. They never set foot in Ireland.

Since then, they had learned about spells that would magically enforce an agreement. So that once they took the wolves back to Siberia, they would never be able to leave Siberia again. It might seem harsh but under the circumstances, it seemed pretty fair.

On day two, he was able to convince Sofia go out and check on Daisy. “I know you want to see her.”

“Fallon has been sending me pictures.” She held up her phone. “See? That’s Daisy eating some oatmeal.” She held up another. “And there she is with a flower chain on her head. It’s very fitting considering her name.”

“Did someone buy the flowers? I know there’s not too many wildflowers right now, even in Texas.”

“Of course they bought them. She’s had flowers every day. She liked the roses best.”

“Oh, you can tell?” He tried to chuckle, but it hurt. He put his hand over his chest.

Sofia moved forward. “Are you okay? Don’t move too suddenly.”

“I’m good. I just laughed too hard.” He would prefer not to be bed-ridden, but it was nice having Sofia’s attention. He wasn’t sure how he would cope when she finally left. “Now, tell me how you knew Daisy liked her flowers. Can you mind-link with her now?”

Sofia gently swatted his arm. “No, I do not have a mind-link with the sheep. I could tell because she ate them all.” The next photo was of Daisy knocking her flower crown off and chewing on the brightly colored petals.

“Looks delicious,” he said.

Finally, he was able to push Sofia out the door. He appreciated her company and always would, but he needed a break.

As soon as she was gone, Kellen stopped by. “How are you?”

“I thought Clara was keeping everyone updated?” His wife had made it her job to let everyone know how Levi was doing. She claimed it was easier than being asked fifty times a day.

“Oh, she is. But I didn’t actually mean that,” he said, gesturing toward Lee’s chest.

“Then what did you mean?” He was pretty sure he knew. Kellan was the group’s unofficial leader. He would have already thought about what it meant for Levi to have killed that shifter.

“You told me you had never taken a life before, outside of humane euthanasia for dying animals.”

There it was. Kellan had just laid it out. Levi wasn’t completely sure how he felt about it. Mostly, he’d been trying not to think about it at all. He had been doing a pretty good job of that. But in those moments during the night when he’d woken up with a dull pain in his chest, the moment he’d stabbed Koryak replayed in his mind. He’d shuddered as he’d recalled the acid words Koryak had said.

Levi was certain that he wouldn’t change it. How could he wish for a monster to be alive in the world that Sofia inhabited? How could he regret taking a life, when that life had wanted to imprison his mate and make her suffer?

He couldn’t.

He looked at the door. “Are you sure Sofia’s not out there?” His bond link was a little iffy.

Kellan got up to look. “She’s not. I saw her go outside.”

“I know it’s not popular to say this, but in a way, I’m glad I killed him. I wouldn’t have chosen it, not if he hadn’t come after her like that, but he never would have given up. I know Maxim was scared of Niall, but Koryak was different.”

“I agree.”

Levi blinked. He hadn’t expected that. “You do?”

“You know my history. We spent years trying to create treaties with the coven that killed my clan. We tried everything. In the end, it came down to us killing them. They came after our children, our mates, and us. They left us no choice. I just wanted to say that I understand.”

For some reason, that was the best reassurance he could have imagined. Hearing from someone who’d been there was good. He was relieved that no one in the clan was judging him.

“Thank you,” he said, forcing the words out.

The next day, he felt much better. He was able to get up and join the clan for brunch. Several of the shifters had cooked a huge spread complete with mimosas to say goodbye.

Most of the clan was going to return to their own homes that day. Kellan had several jets taking the shifters who lived farther away, and a few were all flying together on commercial planes. He was sad to see them go but felt better when Quinn suggested they add in a few more get- togethers throughout the year.

“Yeah!” Brennan held his champagne in the air. “Kellan’s loaded. We already have a Halloween festival, and this year we did a boat tour. So why not do more? Let me throw us a party a few times a year.”

Kellan laughed. “If you organize them, I’ll pay.”

Liam held up his phone. “Why him?” Liam asked. “I’ve already found us a set of villas in Costa Rica that will host up to eighty of us.”

Immediately the chatter rose in volume. Everyone was excited. Levi thought it would be good for the clan, and good for him. If he didn’t have a mate, then he’d have to spend more time cultivating his relationships with other shifters.

He looked over at Sofia. He could feel her growing anxiety as he got better. She wanted him to heal, but she also knew she’d be forced to make a decision once that happened. He would be leaving Kellan’s house and going back home.

“Would you want to go to Costa Rica?” he asked her.

“Would you want me to?”

“Absolutely.” If they weren’t going to be together, then he would take her as a friend. If she chose another male over him… Now that might be a problem. His dragon growled.

Don’t borrow trouble. That was what his grandmother had always said.

He wouldn’t worry about that unless it happened.

He made a vow right then and there not to pressure Sofia. He wouldn’t ask her about her plans, he wouldn’t demand an answer or explanation. Basically, he would behave the exact opposite way from how he’d acted the first time around.

He was still ashamed to think of how he’d reacted when he assumed they’d be mates.

They hadn’t really talked about it, but tentatively, she had shared some stories with him, stories that Fallon, Carolina, and other females had told her. Knowing that other shifters had struggled so completely was comforting. It meant they weren’t alone if they needed advice, and it meant there was hope for him and Sofia.

In the meantime, they ate together, took slow meandering walks together, and watched movies together. On the fourth day after the battle, he felt almost normal. It was time to go home. And yet, Sofia had not mentioned leaving at all.

When Rhett and Max packed up to leave and go back to their motorcycle club, Levi figured she might leave with them. But she didn’t mention it even once. Even when Rhett told her she was welcome to come with them, she thanked him and politely declined, to Levi’s everlasting relief. Even if they weren’t together, he liked having her so close.

“It’s time for me to go home and get out of Kellan and Clara’s hair,” he said to her later that day.

She looked stricken. “Already?”

“Yes. I need to get back to work.” He had plenty of clients who’d been patiently waiting on him. Quinn, as the town’s doctor, had invented a story about Levi’s appendix being removed, which gave him at least a week before anyone got twitchy.

She looked down at her hands. “I guess I need to go too.”

“You really don’t. I’m sure Clara and Kellan have both told you this, but you’re welcome to stay here for as long as you need.” He bit down on his lip to keep from saying anything. “Think about it this way. If this was your house, wouldn’t you invite Clara to stay with you, if she needed help?”

Sofia’s eyes softened. “Without hesitation.” She nodded. “That does make sense.”

“So, stay here until you know what you want. If you want to visit Rhett, he’ll have you any time,” Levi said.

That night, Levi moved back to his house. It was quiet—he didn’t have any pets or animals living with him. For one thing, he often kept long hours at the clinic, and when he wasn’t at the clinic, he was visiting farms and ranches and barns. So, it wouldn’t be fair to any pets he might adopt. But after being with such a large group of people for so many days, he felt the lack of having any other living being with him.

He would enjoy living close to Kellan and his brothers. That would help. But he missed Sofia. Her absence was a hole in his gut, with an ache worse than the gash in his chest. He didn’t allow himself to call her. He did text her to say goodnight, and then he went to bed.

The next day, he went to Kellan’s to check on the sheep, and Daisy in particular. He behaved as he usually would have, chatting with Kellan and Clara, and not going out of his way to find Sofia. Oh, he wanted to, but he had promised himself that he wasn’t going to apply any pressure at all.

Once he’d finished with Daisy, Kellan invited him inside for lunch, and of course, there stood Sofia. She was unpacking groceries. She smiled sheepishly. “I’m trying to find some way to help out.” She leaned close. “It’s hard when you’re living with a billionaire,” she whispered.

“But it’s also hard to be a burden on a billionaire too,” he said, knocking shoulders with her. Like they were friends. Or buddies. The word left a sour feeling in his stomach.

He pushed away the dark cloud that threatened to descend from looking at the four happy couples in the kitchen. Kellan was slicing a ham, Clara was pouring iced tea, Quinn was hugging Juliana, Liam was rubbing Brynne’s shoulders, and Brennan and Fallon were peering closely at a photo Rowan had sent them.

Family was great, friends were great, but he wanted his mate.

Stop it . You can’t force it .

Those were his own words because his dragon sure as hell wanted him to force it. Levi couldn’t make his dragon understand that Sofia had been through a lot of turmoil, and that she needed space. His dragon could only think of what would make him feel better, and that was his mate.

Patience. That felt like the only thing he had left.

And focusing on work, and on the clan, and keeping up with the wolves. Kellan had experience making treaties with witches, and so he led the effort. All of the wolves, minus Koryak, got rounded up and locked in that warehouse.

Then Max, Davi, Rhett and Henrick flew them back to Siberia and made sure they went back to their compound. Kellan even donated resources to them. And just like the group of mafia shifters who were being monitored on the island off Peru, this group would be as well. Davi had volunteered to check up on them once a month.

It was the best solution they had.