Page 19 of Billionaire Wolf Needs a Fixer

"I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you," he said quietly, his voice rough with emotion."I can't lose you."

My breath caught.For a man who prided himself on control, on keeping his walls high and impenetrable, this was as close to a confession as I'd ever get.And it terrified me.Not because it was too much, but because it felt like exactly what I'd been waiting for.What I'd been afraid to admit I wanted.

"Levi," I started, my voice trembling.

But the words wouldn't come.How could I explain what I barely understood myself?Somewhere between his gruff exterior and the vulnerability he only showed in rare, fleeting moments, I'd started to fall for him.That his protectiveness, his intensity, his quiet acts of care, like bringing me coffee just the way I liked it, had chipped away at the walls I'd built around my own heart.

He leaned closer, his hand still holding mine, his other coming up to brush a stray lock of hair from my face."You don't have to say it," he murmured."I can feel it."

And maybe he could.Maybe he saw it in the way my breath hitched when he was near and in the way I always sought him out in a crowded room without even realizing it.Or maybe it was just that connection between us, the one that had been there since the moment we'd met, that neither of us had been able to ignore.

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding in my chest.

He shook his head, his thumb brushing over my cheek."Just stay with me."

And there it was, the unspoken truth, the thing I'd been running from.I wasn't falling for him.I was already there, tumbling headfirst into something I couldn't control, something I wasn't sure I wanted to.

But as I looked into his eyes, I realized I didn't want to run anymore.For the first time in a long time, I was exactly where I wanted to be.

"I'm not going anywhere," I whispered.

He pulled me into his arms, and I let myself sink into the warmth of him and the safety of his embrace.It wasn't perfect, and it wasn't easy, but it was real.And for now, that was enough.

Chapter 8

LEVI

The sun hadn't even risen yet, but I was already wide awake, pacing restlessly.Krista's scent lingered in the air, even though she was downstairs, probably already buried in work.My wolf let out a low, rumbling growl that echoed in the silence of my room.It wanted her.It wanted to claim her, to protect her, to keep her close.But I didn't know what I wanted.The wolf snarled, disgusted at the weakness of my human side.

I threw the covers off and stalked to the window, staring out at the dark horizon.The mansion grounds were quiet, the kind of quiet that felt heavy, like the calm before a storm.The threat of Dante loomed over us, growing more dangerous by the day, and the weight of it pressed on my chest like a stone.But it wasn't just Dante.It was her.Krista.She was in the middle of this mess because of me, and the thought of her getting hurt because of my mistakes made my gut churn.

I needed to do something, anything to burn off this restless energy.I grabbed my workout gear and headed for the training room.Garrett was already there, hitting a punching bag.He glanced up as I walked in, his expression unreadable.

"Couldn't sleep?"he asked, his voice as steady as ever.

I grunted in response, pulling on my gloves."Let's spar."

Garrett raised an eyebrow but didn't argue.He stepped onto the mat, and we fell into a rhythm, our movements fluid and practiced.But even as I threw punches and dodged his strikes, my mind wasn't in it.It kept drifting back to Krista, to the way she'd looked last night after training with Garrett, her hair messy, her cheeks flushed, her eyes bright with determination.She'd been relentless, refusing to back down even when he'd knocked her to the mat.She was fearless, and it drove me crazy.

He landed a solid hit to my ribs, snapping me out of my thoughts.I stumbled back, glaring at him."What the hell was that for?"

"You're distracted," he said, crossing his arms."What's going on?"

I hesitated, my jaw clenching.Garrett wasn't just my security team; he was one of the few people I trusted implicitly.But this was different.This was personal.

"It's nothing," I muttered, but Garrett wasn't buying it.

"It's Krista," he said, his tone annoyingly matter-of-fact."You're thinking about her."

I didn't respond, but I didn't need to.Garrett smirked, looking far too smug for his own good.

"I knew it," he said, shaking his head."You're in deep, boss."

"I'm not in anything," I snapped, but even as the words left my mouth.

Garrett gave me a look, one that said he saw right through my bullshit."You can lie to yourself all you want, but you can't lie to your wolf.It chose her.She's your mate, Levi.You can't fight that."

"I'm not fighting anything," I growled, turning away from him."I'm trying to keep her safe."

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