h4Chapter 366: I have to do it/h4

    Olivia’s POV

    I felt like teleporting away like I always did when anger consumed me, but this time, my feet refused to move. It was as if the floor itself held me in ce. My chest rose and fell heavily, my re locked on Lennox. Not because I hated him. No, never that. But because, as always, he refused to let me have my way. He never did. And suddenly, a memory struck me like lightning.

    We were younger. I was no more than ten, sitting on the edge of the riverbank with my bare feet dipped in the water. I had wanted to cross, to prove I was brave enough. But Lennox had stood there, arms crossed, his face stubborn even then.

    "No, Olivia. It’s too deep."

    I had pouted, snapping back, "You’re not my father, Lennox!" Then I had jumped in anyway, thinking I could swim across. But the current was stronger than I imagined. It had pulled me down, choking me, swallowing me.

    I would have drowned.

    But Lennox had been there. He always was. He had leapt in after me, dragging me back to shore, his body shaking with fear and fury as he yelled at me.

    "Do you want to die? Don’t ever do that again!" His voice had cracked, his eyes wet, but he hadn’t let me go until I promised I’d listen next time.

    And now, looking at him in this room, his fists clenched, his chest heaving, it felt exactly the same. He wasn’t just angry. He was scared.

    I swallowed hard, my re faltering for a moment, and then without saying a word I lowered myself onto the single-seater couch. Silence weighed heavily in the room as the four of us sat without speaking. Each of us was waiting for someone else to break it, and it was never going to be me. Lennox moved away, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed tightly over his bare chest, muscles flexing with the motion, his skin catching the dim light of the room.

    My eyes betrayed me.

    Before I could stop myself, they trailed over him—slow, unwilling sweeps across the lines of his chest, the slope of his shoulders, the veins that stood out along his arms. My wolf stirred instantly, heat rolling through me, her voice low and seductive.

    "Hottie."

    My breath caught. For a heartbeat, the world narrowed to just him—the rise and fall of his chest, the sharp set of his jaw, the way his eyes lingered on me as if he already knew where my thoughts had gone.

    But I shook my head quickly, tearing my gaze away. My nails dug into the fabric of the couch as I forced myself to look down. "Not now," I whispered under my breath, though I wasn’t sure if I was speaking to my wolf or to myself.

    My wolf growled softly inside me, restless, unsatisfied.

    I noticed Levi sitting on the edge of the bed across me and Louis took the couch beside me. And again the awkward silence hung in the air. Louis leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, and Levi... Levi’s eyes stayed fixed on me.

    Finally, he spoke.

    "So what’s your n, Olivia?" His voice was calm, steady—but it carried weight. "If you want to do this, then tell us how. Step by step. How do you mean to get close to him? How do you n to find the vessel?"

    I wasn’t surprised. Levi almost never said no to me. My chest ached with the memory of when we were kids, when Lennox and Louis told me I wasn’t allowed to climb the tall tree behind the mansion. I had begged, pouted, even shouted, but they had held firm.

    "No," Lennox had said tly, his voice sharp.

    Louis had echoed, his arms folded. "It’s dangerous. Don’t be stupid, Olivia."

    Only Levi had sighed, looked at me with those soft eyes, and whispered, "Fine. I’ll help you, but don’t tell them."

    That was Levi. Always giving me yes when I wanted it most.

    He had led me by the hand, whispering instructions while I climbed higher. He’d been terrified for me—anyone could see that—but he had let me try. Because I had wanted it.

    And even though I’d fallen a few minutester, scraped and bruised, I had smiled through the pain. Because Levi had believed in me, when no one else would.

    Now, sitting across from him, I saw the same thing in his eyes. That flicker of trust. That silent vow that if I insisted, he would stand with me.

    I swallowed hard, my lips pressing together before I finally said, "The n is simple. I get close. I act like I’m considering him. He’ll let his guard down. That’s the only way I can learn where his vessel is. And once I know..." My wolf growled low inside me, "...we destroy it."

    Lennox groaned but didn’t say a word, and then Levi spoke.

    "You know Frederick isn’t just an ordinary vampire..."

    "I know." I cut Levi off. "That is why I will be very careful. There is no other way," I said firmly, trying to make them understand. "You can search every corner of this world, fight every battle, and spill as much blood as you want—but none of that will matter if we don’t know where his vessel is. And the only way to learn that... is through him."

    Lennox pushed off the wall, his arms still crossed but his jaw tight. His re fixed on me, but I didn’t flinch.

    "I’m not a child anymore," I pressed, heat rising in my chest. "I can take care of myself. I have my abilities—my fire, my strength, my wolf. I’m not some weak girl who needs to be hidden away while you three risk your lives on my behalf."

    Levi’s brows furrowed, his lips parting as if to argue, but I cut him off before he could.

    "I need to do this," I said, sharper now, leaving no room for argument. "If I don’t, then what’s the point of all this power? What’s the point of being who I am if I can’t use it to protect myself—and all of you?"

    My words hung in the air, heavy, sparking tension like lightning.

    Lennox’s growl rumbled low in his throat, his wolf pushing hard against mine, fierce and angry. "And what happens when he touches you, Olivia?" His voice was harsh, almost breaking. "When he wants to have you? You think your fire will protect you from that?"

    I froze, his words hitting deeper than I wanted them to.

    But still, I lifted my chin, fire ring in my chest. "I won’t let him touch me. I have a n for that."

    Louis leaned forward then, his voice trembling with more worry than anger. "And if your n costs you your life? If we lose you because of this? You think any of us will survive that?"

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