I entered to find him reclining in his chair, a glass of wine in hand. He had recently stepped down as Alpha, and for the first time in my life, he looked truly at case.
*Lennox. Father greeted, his sharp gaze assessing me. He could already tell I was in no mood for pleasantries.
“Father, did you order the killing of Olivia’s father?” I asked, going straight to the point.
Father sighed and set down the glass of wine in his hand, fixing me with a calm but wary look. “What brought this up all of a sudden?”
I clenched my fists, fighting to keep my voice respectful. “Olivia tried to kill herself again today. She almost bled out in front of us. The healer barely managed to save her.
His eyes narrowed slightly, but his expression remained stoic. “And what does that have to do with me?”
I growled, barely restraining my wolf. “She thinks we killed her father. That Louis, Levi, and I gave the order. But we just found out that you were the one who ordered his death. Is it true?” Father leaned back in his chair, letting out a slow breath. “Yes.”
The simple admission hit me like a punch to the gut, and I had to grip the edge of his desk to keep from lunging at him. “Why?” I demanded, my voice laced with anger. “Why the hell would you do that?”
He didn’t flinch, didn’t show even a shred of guilt. “Because he tried to escape”
“So?” I spat angrily. “He was your closest warrior, more like a friend to you. How could you order is killing?” capra Loving hot ather scoffed, picking up his wine again. “Sentiment doesn’t rule a pack, Lennox. Strength does. le tried to escape jail. Letting him live would’ve made me look weak. You’ll understand that one ay ly hands shook with barely controlled rage. “You didn’t have to kill him. You could have unished him in some other way. Increased his sentence, made him work off his debt-anything ut killing him. He didn’t betray the pack or hurt anyone-he just stole. And because of that, livia is heartbroken.” ather eyed me, a sly smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “You’re acting like you actually are about that girl. Last I checked, you and your brothers hated her. Treated her like dirt. So hy the sudden change of heart?” = froze, his words slicing through me like a blade. For a moment, I couldn’t respond. The guilt lawed at me, choking me with memories of how we had treated Olivia. The pain we had caused er. ather arched an eyebrow, clearly amused. “So what is it, Lennox? Feeling guilty? Or did you inally realize that you never stopped loving that girl?” stiffened. My frown deepened, but I couldn’t deny it. He was right. I had never stopped loving Olivia.
Grunting angrily, I left his room and stormed back to Olivia’s. My brothers were still there, along with her two personal maids. exchanged a brief glance with Louis and Levi before shifting my gaze back to Olivia.
My heart clenched painfully as I took in her pale face, still unconscious on the bed. The wound had been sealed, but her skin was still sickly pale, her breathing shallow. My wolf whimpered, pacing restlessly within me, desperate to see her open her eyes. I swallowed hard, the guilt gnawing at me from the inside.
I hated how things had turned out-how I had let my anger and bitterness consume me. Back then, she was my little sunshine, always trailing behind me with that wide, adoring smile. I was her hero, her protector. She used to look up at me like I could do no wrong, like I hung the moon just for her.
A memory hit me so suddenly that my heart clenched even more.
She couldn’t have been more than eight years old, running around the garden with a crown of daisies she had made herself. I was thirteen then, training with Father, bruised and aching from a rough sparring session, but she didn’t care. She darted right into the training ground, her tiny arms stretched wide as if to catch me.
“Lenny!” she had squealed, her black hair wild around her face. I couldn’t help but smile as she crashed into my legs, barely making me budge.
“Careful, Liv,” I warned, ruffling her hair. “What are you doing here?”
Her big, bright eyes looked up at me with pure adoration. “I made you a crown! ‘Cause you’re the strongest and bravest!” She lifted the daisy crown, tiptoeing to reach my head. I bent down, letting her place it there, feeling foolish but oddly proud.
Father had scoffed, muttering something about weak sentiment, but I didn’t care. I had picked her up, swinging her in a circle just to hear her laugh. I had never forgotten how she had wrapped her arms around my neck, whispering, “You’re my hero, Lenny. I want to be brave like you one day.”
A shuddering breath left me as I looked at her now-so fragile and broken. I had become the exact opposite of what I had promised her that day. Instead of protecting her, I had been part of the reason she felt so helpless and alone.
“She’ll be okay,” Levi muttered, breaking me out of my thoughts. I glanced at him, noticing the worry etched into his features. Louis remained silent, his jaw clenched as he stared at Olivia’s still form.
Suddenly, the door burst open, and we all turned toward it to see Anita barging in. 1
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Louis’ POV
Anita stormed in angrily, her gaze flicking between my brothers and me before landing on Olivia, who still looked unconscious.
“So, because of this bitch, you refuse to come see me?” she spat in anger, and my frown deepened.
“Anita, you should be in bed resting,” Levi said.
Anita scoffed bitterly, her glare shifting to him. “And you three should be by my side, not by hers. I’m the one who just had a miscarriage. I lost your babies because of her, and instead of staying with me, you’re here with her?” Her voice cracked with anger.
My wolf growled angrily inside me. “Can’t you see Olivia almost lost her life-“
“Is her life more important than the ones I just lost?” Anita said disrespectfully, and my frown deepened.
Lennox, who had been silent since she walked in, moved closer to her. His jaw clenched as he stared down at Anita, his arms still folded across his chest. His voice was low and calm, but there was a dangerous edge to it.
“Why did you allow yourself to get pregnant in the first place?” he asked, his tone cold but filled with anger.
Anita’s eyes widened, and she looked at him as if he had just slapped her. “W-What?”
“You lied to us, Anita, Lennox continued, his gaze hardening. “You knew we always wanted to use protection, but you insisted it was your safe period. You deliberately deceived us just so you could get pregnant.”
Anita’s face flushed with a mix of anger and shame, and she scoffed, turning away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t play dumb, Levi snapped, his eyes narrowing. “We trusted you. You wanted to trap us, didn’t you? Did you ask us if we were ready to have kids?”
Anita glared at Levi, her lips trembling. “I just wanted to give you something-someone-to bind us together.”
I couldn’t help the growl that rumbled from my chest. “So, you thought manipulating us into fatherhood was the way to do it?” I snarled, taking a step closer. “You didn’t care about our choice or what we wanted-you just wanted to secure your place in our lives.
Anita’s face fell with guilt. “You all act like I’m some villain! I just wanted to be important to you three!”
“You wanted to force us into fatherhood,” Lennox cut in harshly. “And you thought using pregnancy as leverage would work. But you lied and betrayed us. Anita. You put your selfish desires above everything else.”
Her shoulders trembled, and for a moment, I thought she might break down. Instead, she sneered at Olivia, who was still lying weakly on the bed, her eyes barely open.
“I still lost my babies because of her,” Anita hissed. “And I’ll never forgive her for that.”
Levi stepped forward, his tone deadly calm. “We are not sure about that yet.”
Anita’s mouth opened and closed as if searching for a comeback, but she had none. With one last hateful glare at Olivia, she spun on her heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
Silence settled over us, and I let out a slow, frustrated breath. Lennox rubbed his temples, looking just as drained as I felt. Levi approached Olivia and stood close to her, his eyes softening.
For several minutes, we didn’t say a word; we just kept staring at her, each of us lost in our own thoughts.
Levi reached out and brushed Olivia’s hair away from her face, his touch surprisingly gentle despite how much I thought he hated her.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair as a memory resurfaced-one I hadn’t thought about in years.
“Do you guys remember that day Olivia’s dad came to the pack house for training, and she wasn’t with him?” I asked, breaking the silence.
Lennox looked at me, his brows furrowing. “Yeah… wasn’t that when she got sick?”
I nodded, a small smile tugging at my lips despite the heaviness in the air. “Yeah. She was about ten at the time, and we were fifteen. We were so used to seeing her tag along with him everywhere, always hanging around and getting into trouble. When he showed up alone, it just didn’t feel right”
Levi’s eyes softened as he glanced down at Olivia. “I remember that. We ked him where she was, and he just sighed and said she was too sick to come. I swear, the three of us didn’t waste a second-we bolted out of the pack house and raced down to their house.”
A smirk formed on Lennox’s lips as he folded his arms, clearly remembering. “You mean I raced down to the house while you two tried to catch up, he corrected with a hint of pride.
I snorted. “Keep dreaming, Lennox. I was the first one to get there. You tripped over a tree root halfway, and Levi stopped to make sure you didn’t break your leg”
Levi let out a low chuckle. “Yeah, and by the time we made it to the house, you were already banging on the door like a maniac, yelling her name.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the memory. “Her mom opened the door and looked like she’d seen a stampede. She was like, ‘Calm down, boys, she’s just got the flu!””
Lennox smiled faintly, his eyes still on Olivia. “We didn’t calm down, though. We pushed past her and ran straight to Olivia’s room. She was lying on the bed, looking pale as hell but still managed to give us that tiny smile like she wasn’t dying”
Levi nodded, his expression softening even more. “She tried to sit up just because we were there, even though she could barely keep her eyes open. I remember I sat on the bed and held her hand, and she just smiled at me like I was some kind of hero.”
I grinned, nudging Levi with my elbow. “You wish. She smiled at me first. I even brought her that stupid stuffed wolf she liked-what was it called again?”
“Milo,” Lennox answered without missing a beat. “You gave it to her after she started crying because she thought it ran away. You kept that secret for years, you know-how you accidentally tossed it onto the roof!”
Levi chuckled, shaking his head. “Yeah, because Louis here tried to prove he could throw it higher than I could. Ended up getting stuck.”
I rolled my eyes, ignoring their teasing. “She was so happy when I handed it back to her. She kept hugging it like it was some kind of treasure.”
Lennox snorted. “That’s because she thought you saved it, not knowing you were the one who got it stuck in the first place.”
A warmth spread through my chest as I glanced back at Olivia, her breathing even and soft. “We argued the whole time about who was her favorite,” I said quietly. “Back then, I was so sure it was me. She always used to pull on my arm and ask me to teach her to fight. But then I’d catch her giving you two those wide eyes like you hung the moon, and I’d get pissed off all over again.”
Levi smiled faintly, brushing his thumb gently over Olivia’s knuckles. “She never picked, did she? Just kept giggling and making fun of us for being so competitive.
Lennox hummed, his voice almost wistful. “That’s Olivia for you. Always making us feel like idiots without even trying
A comfortable silence fell over us as we remained by her side, each of us lost in the memory. It was strange how something so simple from the past could feel like an anchor now, reminding us just how much she meant to us back then.
Back then, we cherished her.
But now?
!!
She broke me.
I don’t know what she did to my brothers, but she shattered my heart into pieces.
Olivia’s POV
I looked around, realizing I was standing in the pack house backyard, decorated with twinkling. lights and colorful ribbons. It was beautiful, almost magical, and my heart swelled with happiness.
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.