The door pushed open, and Olivia’s mother rushed in, her eyes filled with worry the moment she saw Olivia in my arms.
“What happened to her?” she demanded, her voice shaking as she knelt beside the bed, her hands trembling as she reached for Olivia’s face.
“She won’t wake up, I said, my voice filled with fear. The weight of my own fear was pressing down on me, making it hard to think clearly.
Louis looked at our mother, his eyes filled with worry. “It’s not just a fever. Something is wrong” Mother’s face paled as she pressed her palm to Olivia’s chest, feeling for something-something
? we couldn’t see. Her lips parted slightly, her eyes widening in realization.
“No…” she whispered, almost in disbelief.
“What is it?” I demanded. “What’s wrong with her?”
Before she could answer, the healer arrived, rushing into the room with his assistant. He carried a small bag of herbs and potions, but the moment he saw Olivia, his brows furrowed.
“Lay her down,” he instructed..
I hesitated before gently placing Olivia back onto the bed. Her skin was clammy now, her breathing even more labored.
The healer wasted no time, checking her pulse, her temperature, and then finally pressing two fingers against the side of her neck. His frown deepened.
“This isn’t a normal illness,” he muttered.
I clenched my fists. “Then what is it?”
The healer exhaled sharply. “It’s poison.”
The room fell silent.
Poison?
My blood ran cold. My brothers tensed beside me, their faces mirroring my shock.
Mother’s hands trembled as she covered her mouth, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. “No…. who would do this?”
I didn’t need to ask that question. Rage surged through me like wildfire. Someone had dared to harm Olivia. My mate.
I turned to the healer. “Can you save her?”
He hesitated, glancing at Olivia’s pale face. “I need to know what kind of poison this is before I can give her the right antidote. If we don’t find out soon…” He trailed off, not needing to finish. 1 grabbed the front of his robe. “You will find out.
The healer nodded quickly, then turned to his assistant. “Prepare the cleansing ritual. We’ll try to slow the poison’s spread while we figure out the antidote.”
The healer and his assistant wasted no time in preparing for the cleansing ritual. They spread a thick herbal paste along Olivia’s arms and neck, the scent of crushed roots and bitter herbs filling the air. The healer murmured incantations under his breath, his fingers pressing against Olivia’s temples as his assistant placed a series of small candles around the bed.
Louis and Levi stood on either side of me, their eyes locked onto Olivia, their worry mirroring mine, Olivia’s mother sat beside her, gripping her hand tightly.
The healer took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. “I’ll begin the energy purification process. This should slow the poison’s effect while we analyze what’s in her system.”
He placed his hands above Olivia’s chest, his palms glowing faintly as he focused his energy. A soft hum vibrated through the air, the candles flickering wildly as the magic worked its way through her body.
Minutes passed.
Then, suddenly, Olivia gasped. Her body arched slightly before falling limp again. The healer pulled his hands away, sweat beading on his forehead.
The poison is still in her system, but I have a better understanding of what we’re dealing with,” he said, his voice grave.
I stepped forward, my heart pounding. “What is it?”
The healer wiped his forehead, glancing at his assistant, who handed him an aged, leather-bound book. He flipped through the pages before stopping at a section filled with strange symbols and an illustration of a pale, delicate flower.
“This is a rare sleeping poison,” he explained. “It’s derived from a plant known as the Moonshade Blossom-a flower often used for peaceful suicides.”
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Olivia’s mother gasped, covering her mouth, her eyes welling with tears. Levi, Louis and I exchanged dark glances, our wolves howling in unison.
I stared at the healer, my mind refusing to accept what he was implying. “Suicide?” I repeated, my voice hoarse. “You’re saying Olivia did this to herself?”
The healer hesitated before nodding. “The Moonshade Blossom is not a poison commonly used for murder. It’s gentle. Painless. The liquid is typically diluted in water or juice. The person drinks it, lies down, and drifts into an endless sleep. He looked at Olivia’s still form. “That’s exactly what she did.”
I took a step back, my stomach twisting painfully. No.
Olivia wouldn’t do this. She wouldn’t-she wasn’t weak. She was stubborn, fiery, infuriating-but she wouldn’t…
Would she?
Lennox’s POV
I couldn’t believe it. Olivia had thought of ending her life?
Never in my wildest dreams did I expect it to come to this. I never imagined things would escalate to the point where she would want to kill herself.
For a moment, my brothers and I were speechless. The weight of what we had just heard rendered us numb, our bodies frozen as we exchanged stunned glances. The air in the room felt. suffocating, thick with disbelief and regret.
“What can we do… please do something: Olivia’s mother sobbed in tears.
The healer nodded solemnly, whispering instructions to his assistant, who immediately rushed out of the room.
“What needs to be done?” Levi asked.
The healer turned to us. “I have sent my assistant to get a plant. From it, I can make an antidote.
Silence fell upon the room, save for Olivia’s mother, whose cries filled the air.
Where I stood, my heart clenched painfully, my wolf howling in agony. I glanced at my brothers, reading the same worry reflected in their eyes. If Olivia had attempted to poison herself, that meant we had hurt her-deeply. So deeply that she believed death was her only escape.
My eyes settled on her unconscious state, and I swallowed hard as pain racked my entire body. This was a lady I once loved-I would do anything for her. Years ago, I would have laid down my life without thinking about it. That was how much I had loved her. But now, here she was, almost dying just because of the way my brothers and I treated her.
I moved my gaze to Mother and could see the disappointed look on her face: she glared at me. Where I stood. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t say a word. Just like my brothers, we were all just staring at her, our hearts racing.
“Where is he? Why isn’t he here?” Louis demanded impatiently, voicing the same question that had been lingering in my mind.
Just as the healer was about to respond, the door opened again, and his assistant rushed in, slightly out of breath. In his hands, he held a small pouch, the scent of crushed herbs wafting through the air.
“I have it, the assistant announced, handing the pouch to the healer.
Without wasting a second, the healer moved swiftly, emptying the contents into a bowl and mixing it with water. The room remained tense, filled only with Olivia’s mother’s soft sobs and the quiet shuffling of the healer’s movements.
“How long will it take to work?” Levi asked, his voice hoarse.
The healer stirred the mixture carefully before responding. “It depends on how much poison she consumed. If we are lucky, she will regain consciousness within a few hours. If not… we will have to wait and see.
My stomach twisted at his words. If we are lucky. That meant there was still a chance she wouldn’t wake up.
I exchanged glances with my brothers. The same worry reflected in their eyes, the same silent regret. Olivia was lying there because of us. Because we had been too blind, too cruel to see how much we were hurting her.
As the healer brought the bowl to Olivia’s lips, helping her drink small sips of the antidote, I clenched my fists. The weight of my mother’s stare was still heavy on me, but I couldn’t look at her. I already knew what I’d see-anger, disappointment, and worst of all… blame.
Minutes passed like hours, each second dragging endlessly as we waited.
“She will need rest, the healer finally said. “For now, there is nothing more we can do but pray that she fights to stay with us.”
I swallowed hard, my eyes never leaving Olivia’s pale on. That she wasn’t alone. But I knew I had no right to ask that of her. Not after everything we face. I wanted to tell her to fight. To hold had done.
And so, I stood there, silent and still, as the guilt clawed at my chest, waiting for a sign that Olivia would come back to us.
No one left the room-none of us did. We all were patiently waiting for Olivia to wake up. And with each minute that passed, my heart raced, and my worry increased. Louis was pacing around the room, Levi rested his back against a wall, his arms folded and his eyes closed. And me? I stood by the edge of the bed, staring at Olivia, my chest tight with emotions I couldn’t name.
I had hated her for what she did to me, for the betrayal that shattered me. But death? I never wanted her dead.
Hell no.
“Maybe we should send for another healer, I said.
Before I could get a response, a soft p filled the room.
My heart nearly stopped.
All heads turned sharply toward the bed, where Olivia’s fingers twitched slightly against the sheets. Then, with a slow inhale, her lashes fluttered, and her eyes opened.
“Olivia!” her mother cried, rushing forward, but I instinctively stepped in front of her.
Olivia’s gaze was hazy, unfocused. She blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the light. Then her brows furrowed, confusion flickering in her dull eyes.
“What… happened?” Her voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.