CHAPTER 229: CHAPTER 229 ROTATION

A wave of emotion stirred within her. Maybe all those years of doing everything alone, of being the strong, capable, independent woman she had to be, had left her lonelier than she ever wanted to admit.

"...Thank you," Addison murmured, lowering her gaze to hide the sudden vulnerability in her eyes.

Zion also came over to sit with them around the campfire, though his mind was preoccupied with countless thoughts. He remained quiet throughout the meal, lost in contemplation.

Meanwhile, Levi and Maxwell sat on either side of Addison, attentively fussing over her as if terrified she might choke on a tiny fish bone—or even her own saliva. Honestly, it looked a little crowded and overbearing, but deep down, Addison felt a gentle warmth. She smiled as she ate, chatting with them between bites.

Not long after, Lance approached and attempted to squeeze in between them, but Levi and Maxwell blocked him without a word, like two immovable boulders guarding their treasure. Lance could only glare at them in frustration before settling beside the trio, grumbling under his breath.

Soon, the rest of the mages and guards began gathering around the fire as well, enjoying their meals with cheerful chatter. The group had organized a rotating system—while some kept watch, the others ate, and once their meals were finished, they would switch places with those on guard.

It was a well-practiced routine that ensured everyone got a chance to rest and eat without compromising their safety.

Not long after, the lively atmosphere around the campfire faded as everyone began settling in for the night. Since Addison was the only woman in the group, they had set up a separate tent for her. Once the tent was ready, Levi returned to her side.

"Addie, you should get some rest. I’ll guard your tent," he offered gently. Then, as if afraid she might refuse, he quickly added, "I slept all day, so I’m not even a little tired. It’s better for me to stay up with the others, just in case any monsters try to sneak up on us."

With no real reason to turn him down, and with fatigue already creeping into her body, Addison nodded and quietly made her way to the tent.

As soon as she disappeared inside, Levi, Maxwell, and Zion exchanged glances. A silent standoff formed between them, each one clearly intending to stand guard outside her tent. None of them spoke, but the unspoken message hung heavily in the air: they all wanted to be close to her.

Even without Addison spelling it out, they’d all heard what she told Zion earlier. Her words and demeanor made it clear she didn’t want them overthinking what happened the night before. It was her quiet way of setting boundaries, for now, at least.

Respecting that, none of them dared to cross the line and slip into the tent beside her. But staying near her? That was something they could still do.

It was instinctual—a mate’s natural urge to protect. But unfortunately, there were three of them. And while they all wanted the same thing, they couldn’t exactly fight over it openly. Doing so would only make things more difficult for Addison.

So instead, they stood there in tense silence, quietly measuring one another... all while pretending they weren’t doing exactly that.

"How about this—we take turns on rotation?" Zion suggested, breaking the tense silence.

Right now, he was the one most desperate to make things right with Addison. Every move he made was meant to redeem himself. As she had said earlier, what happened last night was something the situation called for, not something she regretted, but also not something that erased the past. She hadn’t forgiven him... not yet.

And instead of wallowing in guilt or trying to force her feelings, Zion chose to spend his time proving himself.

And proving himself didn’t mean getting into a pissing match with his two rivals. That would only make things worse. His instincts, possessiveness, protectiveness, and territoriality were screaming at him, but he forced them down. That wasn’t what Addison needed right now. If he pushed too hard, he might just drive her further away.

Maxwell, catching the way Zion clenched his jaw, smirked knowingly. "Oh? And how exactly do you suggest we do that?" he asked, his voice laced with taunting amusement. He didn’t miss the way the veins bulged in Zion’s neck as he struggled to stay composed.

Zion exhaled slowly, then muttered, "Let’s draw sticks."

Without hesitation, Levi, the most accommodating of the three, knelt down and picked out a few small sticks of varying lengths from the ground. He pulled a cloth pouch from his pack, dropped the sticks inside, then gave it a few good shakes before holding it out to them.

"Draw," Levi said calmly, holding out the pouch and glancing at the other two.

Maxwell, who had only meant to taunt Zion earlier, was caught off guard. It felt like he’d just swallowed a fly. But he had

asked for a suggestion, and if he backed out now, he’d only look petty and like he was stirring trouble for no reason.

With a clenched jaw and thinly veiled annoyance, Maxwell reached into the cloth pouch and pulled out a stick. Zion followed next, and finally, Levi took the remaining one.

They lined up the sticks to compare lengths. The order of the rotation would be determined by size—the longest stick taking first watch, followed by the next, and the shortest taking the final shift.

The result: Levi, Maxwell, then Zion.

Zion stared at the shortest stick in his hand, his expression unreadable. Then he heard Maxwell snicker beside him, followed by a forced cough, but that smug grin on his face said everything he didn’t bother putting into words.

Zion’s eye twitched. He really wanted to punch the guy.

’Cold, stoic, indifferent?’ Zion scoffed internally. ’Yeah, right. He’s just a smug, scheming bastard with good acting skills.’

Still, he bit back his irritation and stayed quiet, barely.

Then, as if to dismiss them, Levi tilted his head to the side in a subtle gesture, silently urging the other two to leave and return later.

But just as Zion was about to walk away, Maxwell spoke up again. "Wait... we haven’t decided how long each rotation will be."

Zion froze mid-step. Right... he nearly overlooked that detail. If they didn’t set a fixed time, what was to stop the others from extending their turns and leaving him with scraps? That would’ve been a stupid mistake on his part.

He glanced up at the sky. It was still around 8 PM, and everyone would likely be waking around dawn, say, 5 AM. That gave them nine hours. Perfectly divisible by three.

"We’ll switch every three hours," Zion said firmly. If he suggested two hours, it would unfairly give more time to Levi and Maxwell while shortening his own. Three hours each was fair and smart. He gave a small nod to himself, satisfied with the logic.

Neither Levi nor Maxwell objected. It was simple math, after all, and a minor issue not worth fighting over. Besides, none of them would be sleeping next to Addison during their shifts. Still, just being close to their mate, breathing in her scent, was more than enough to keep their wolves calm through the night.