h4Chapter 354: Trick/h4

    Lennox’s POV

    My chest hurt so badly it felt like I couldn’t breathe. My heart was pounding, and my eyes burned with tears I didn’t want to let fall. Levi looked so weak, his breathing shallow, and I felt like the world was slipping out of my hands.

    I spun toward Louis, my voice breaking. "Call the healer!" I shouted, panic shaking through me.

    But Louis didn’t move. His face stayed calm, too calm.

    "If Olivia can’t heal him," Louis said slowly, "do you really think anyone else can?"

    The words hit me like a knife. My wolf growled inside, furious. My teeth clenched, and a growl rumbled from my chest. "Don’t say that!" I snapped. "Don’t you dare tell me my brother can’t be saved!"

    I pressed my hand against Levi’s chest, desperate to feel something—anything. My vision blurred again, but I forced the tears back.

    My chest eased a little when I felt it—Levi was breathing. Slow, steady breaths. Relief flooded me so hard I almost copsed right there.

    I bent closer, pressing my forehead to his shoulder. "Levi..." my voice cracked. "Don’t ever scare me like this again. You hear me? I love you, brother. I love you so damn much. You drive me crazy sometimes, but I wouldn’t trade you for anything. Not in this life, not in the next."

    The confession tumbled out like water breaking through a dam. "I’ve carried you since we were kids, always trying to shield you... but the truth is, you’re the one who’s kept me alive. You and Louis. Without you, I’m nothing. Do you hear me? Nothing."

    I wrapped my arms around him tightly, hugging him as if letting go would make him vanish. My wolf calmed just a little, soothed by the sound of his breathing under my cheek.

    And then—

    A sound.

    A low, soft chuckle.

    I froze. Slowly, I lifted my head. Levi’s lips were curved into a small, smug smile. His eyes fluttered open just enough to meet mine, and then—he chuckled again.

    "You love me that much, huh?" he teased, his voice weak but full of mischief.

    My heart stopped. My mind spun.

    Realization mmed into me like a de to the chest.

    He wasn’t fainted.

    He wasn’t sick.

    He was smiling.

    The bastard had tricked me.

    No, they tricked me.

    My breath caught in disbelief, my arms dropping away as the truth hit me. "You... you’ve been deceiving me," I whispered, my voice trembling with rage and relief.

    My whole chest felt tight, like I couldn’t breathe. Relief and betrayal tangled inside me until I didn’t know which one was stronger.

    "You... you were faking?" My voice came out quieter, pained. I looked between Levi and Louis, my throat burning.

    Levi’s smirk disappeared, his eyes softening. "We had to, Lennox. You weren’t listening to us. You were tearing yourself apart. We didn’t know what else to do."

    I swallowed hard, my hands flexing uselessly at my sides. "Do you know what it felt like—thinking I was losing you?" My voice cracked despite how angry I was at myself, and I shook my head. "I thought... I thought my brother was slipping away right in front of me. And I couldn’t stop it."

    Levi’s teasing expression vanishedpletely. He reached for my arm. "I’m sorry. I really am. But I had to see it, Lennox... had to hear it. That you still cared. That you still loved me, even after everything."

    I let out a shaky breath, my wolf pacing inside me, not angry—just exhausted. "I’ve always loved you, Levi. You and Louis both. Nothing changes that. I just... wish you hadn’t forced it out of me this way."

    Louis finally spoke, his voice gentle. "We weren’t trying to hurt you. We just needed to bring you back."

    I rubbed a hand over my face, sighing deeply. The raw ache in my chest was still there, but the anger had drained out of me. In its ce was just weariness—and, reluctantly, a flicker of gratitude that Levi wasn’t in danger.

    "Next time..." I muttered, ncing between them, "don’t trick me like this. Find another way."

    Levi chuckled softly, but there was no arrogance in it now—only warmth. "Noted, big brother."

    Despite the heat of my anger, the corner of my lips twitched. Just a little.

    "I think we need to sit and talk." Olivia’s voice finally broke the silence.

    I swallowed and nodded.

    She turned her gaze on me. "Can you do that now?" she asked gently, her meaning clear—my drunkenness.

    Her words sank into me. Sit and talk. She was right. We needed it. But the thought of sitting here now—reek of alcohol still clinging to me, my head pounding, my emotions hanging by a thread—it felt impossible.

    I swallowed hard, running a tired hand over my face. "Let me take a bath first," I murmured, my voice low but steady. "I need to clear my head before we do this."

    Olivia’s gaze lingered on me, worried and concerned as if she was weighing whether or not to push. Finally, she gave a small nod. "Alright. But don’t take too long."

    I didn’t trust myself to answer with words. Instead, I rose to my feet, my steps heavy and sluggish as I turned toward the door. The silence behind me was thick, but no one stopped me.

    In my room, I stripped out of my clothes and let the warm water pour over me. Steam curled around my shoulders, heat seeping into my aching muscles. I braced my hands against the tile, letting the water wash away the sweat, the stench of alcohol, the fear that had wed its way through me.

    For a long moment, I just stood there, my chest rising and falling, listening to the steady rhythm of the water. My wolf was quieter now, soothed by the cleanse, but not silent.

    "They love you," he murmured, firm. "Don’t push them away."

    By the time I stepped out and pulled on fresh clothes, my head felt lighter, clearer. The storm inside had dulled. I was back to my sanity.

    When I returned to Levi’s room, they were all still there. Louis leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his eyes on me the moment I stepped inside. Olivia sat close to Levi, her hand resting lightly on his arm, her gaze lifting as I entered.

    "I’m ready," I said quietly, meeting her eyes. "Let’s talk."

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