When I was done, I stepped out and dried off quickly. Tossed on a pair of black joggers and a loose grey shirt-nothing too formal. I wasn’t in the mood for anything flashy. My hair was still damp as I raked my fingers through it and stared at myself in the mirror. il What
I looked like shit.
Not physically-I still looked like me. But my eyes… they gave me away. The turmoil. The confusion. The damn need.
I needed to breathe.
Grabbing my phone and sliding it into my pocket. I walked toward the door, but paused just as my hand touched the knob.
The dining table.
She’d be there.
She’d sit there. probably eating strawberries and acting like we didn’t just have a pleasurable night. like we didn’t scream each other’s name…
I couldn’t see her… at least not now.
My pride wouldn’t survive that.
I turned away from the hallway that led to the dining room and headed toward the combat ground instead. That was where I needed to be-somewhere I could hit things, sweat out the madness, and pretend I was still in control.
Arriving at the combat ground, I met a few warriors who had already arrived for today’s training. They were surprised to see me this early, but I didn’t care. Rather, I nodded to their greetings and made my way to the punching bag.
I didn’t bother to wear gloves; rather, I punched with my fists.
My first punch landed hard-solid, satisfying.
Then another.
And another.
Until I was throwing hits like I was trying to break something inside of me. Maybe I was.
Each hit echoed with memories.
Her moan.
Smack
Her eyes as she pushed me away.
Smack
“You should leave.
Smack
#1 What
My fists moved faster, slamming into the bag until my knuckles ached. My breath came out ragged, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. I needed to keep going until the pain inside me made sense, until it had a name, until it-
“Louis,” a familiar voice called behind me.
I froze mid-punch. My chest heaved with exertion.
“Louis, can you explain to me what the hell is going on?”
I turned slowly, heart thudding harder than it had during the entire workout.
There he was-Levi-standing just a few feet away, arms crossed, brows furrowed, and his eyes…. full of questions and suspicion.
I swallowed hard, wiping the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand. “It’s nothing, Levi”
He stepped closer, blocking my path when I tried to walk past him.
“I’m not in the mood-“I muttered, brushing his shoulder, but he didn’t budge.
“Don’t give me that shit, Louis,” he snapped, grabbing my arm and spinning me around to face him. Before I could react, he caught my wrist tight and yanked me closer. “Look at me.
I did.
His eyes scanned my face-every inch of it. There was no hiding from him. Not when he looked at me like that, like he could see through every layer I tried to keep hidden. Then his gaze dropped lower-to my neck.
His expression shifted instantly. Darkened. Hardened.
His frown deepened, his jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed at me with sharp intensity.
“Why the hell are there finger marks on your neck?” he asked, voice low, steady… but laced with suspicion, with the kind of knowing only a brother could carry.
I stiffened. My pulse jumped. The silence stretched, loud and thick between us.
I didn’t answer. Couldn’t.
He stepped even closer, his presence now overwhelming, suffocating. His gaze sharpened as he studied me, like he was putting together pieces of a puzzle he didn’t like the look of.
“Who was it?” he asked again, slower this time, like he wanted to make sure I felt every word. “Who’s the woman you fucked?”
His words were razor-sharp. Not out of judgment-but disbelief. Worry. Maybe even fear.
My heart slammed against my chest. I felt exposed, cornered, like he had just cracked something open in me, I wasn’t ready to face. I yanked my wrist back, desperate to escape the moment, to run from this confrontation =
But Levi didn’t back down. His grip on my wrist tightened. “Don’t do that. Don’t run. Not from me.”
‘s Knows
Louis’s POV
“Louis, is there something you’re keeping from us?” Levi asked, suspicion lacing his tone. His eyes were sharp, studying me like he could see right through my skin. Unease twisted in my gut, but I masked it with a scowl.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I asked, feigning anger, forcing my voice to sound steady.
Levi didn’t flinch. If anything, his expression hardened. “I called Alpha Thor,” he said calmly, “asked him what happened at his party. He apologized-told me someone drugged your drink.” He paused, his gaze narrowing. “So tell me, Louis-who was the woman who detoxed you? Whose fingers were on you?”
His words hit like a whip. He wasn’t asking. He already knew-or thought he did.
“I did,” came a voice from behind us.
I turned, heart sinking as Anita stepped into the field, composed and unapologetic, dressed in silk like she owned the damn world.
Levi narrowed his eyes. “Anita,” he said flatly.
She smiled sweetly, tilting her head. “Yes, me. Louis came to my room last night, and we fucked… a really good fuck.” She smirked.
Where I stood, I stared at her in disbelief, wondering why she was lying.
Levi looked back at me. “You could’ve just said so. I thought you slept with one of the staff while you were drugged. Why didn’t you just say it was Anita?” he snapped in anger but also in relief.
It hit me then-he didn’t think it was Olivia, he was worried that it was a servant. He had no idea it was Olivia. That was a relief, at least.
“See you around.” Levi tapped my shoulder and walked off, leaving me alone with Anita.
Turning to face her, our eyes locked.
“Why?” I asked, without wasting a second.
She scoffed and glared at me. “Is that your thank you, Alpha Louis?” she asked, lifting her perfectly shaped brow.
I didn’t answer. I knew Anita too well. She was up to something.
I stayed silent, watching Anita’s sharp eyes as they flickered with something darker than mischief-jealousy, rage, obsession maybe. She took a step closer, close enough for me to smell
‘s Knows her perfume-rich, overpowering, nothing like Olivia’s soft scent that still clung to me, no matter how many times I tried to wash it away,
GEN
“I saw you, Louis,” she said, her voice dropping, teeth gritted. “I saw you enter Olivia’s room last night.”
My jaw clenched. I didn’t move, didn’t speak. I should’ve known.
“I also know you didn’t fuck her, she went on, stepping even closer until I could feel the heat radiating off her skin. “But you touched her.” Her lips curled. “You are hiding it from your brothers, aren’t you?”
I felt my breath hitch in my chest. My silence was already an answer.
“Why did you lie?” I asked, voice low, eyes locked on hers. “Why would you say we-“
She stared at me, furious. “What does she have that I don’t, Louis?!”
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.