Chapter 482 Threat

Levi’s POV

The drink burned my throat, but it didn’t stop the pain in my chest. I poured another glass, watching the golden liquid swirl before I swallowed it down. The room was dark. The firelight flickered weakly on the walls. The bottle beside me was half-empty, just like I felt inside. My thoughts were heavy, slow, full of guilt and worry that I couldn’t drown no matter how much I drank.

Louis’s voice broke the silence. “You really think this will fix things?”

I didn’t look at him. My voice came out rough. “It keeps her alive.”

“Barely,” he said, stepping closer. “You think she’ll thank you for this? You think she’ll smile and say ’thank you, Levi, for sending Lennox away’? No. She’ll hate you for it.”

I slammed my glass down so hard it rattled on the table. “Then let her hate me!” I shouted. “At least she’ll still be alive to do it!”

Louis sighed deeply, rubbing the back of his neck. “You always do this,” he said. “You try to fix everything on your own. And sometimes in the wrong way.”

“Because no one understands!” I shot back, my voice shaking. “You didn’t see her tonight, Louis. You didn’t see the blood, her eyes rolling back, the way she begged to keep going. She almost died. She would have died if I didn’t stop her!”

Louis’s eyes hardened. “And what about Lennox?” he asked. “You sent him away like he was a problem to get rid of.”

My jaw clenched so tight it hurt. “Don’t say that. You know why I did it.”

“Yeah,” he said bitterly. “Because you can’t stand that she still loves him more than she’ll ever love you.”

The words hit deep, like a knife twisting in my chest. I couldn’t speak for a few seconds.

“This isn’t about who she loves,” I said finally, my voice low and flat. “It’s about who’s still alive.”

Before he could answer, the door flew open.

“Enough!”

Our mother stood there in her nightrobe, her hair messy, her eyes wet with tears. “Enough, both of you!” she said again, her voice breaking.

Louis stepped back, guilt flashing across his face, but I didn’t move. I just stared at her.

“What you boys did wasn’t right,” she said, pointing at me. “Moving Lennox without telling Olivia? Lying to her? That’s not protection, Levi. That’s cruelty.”

“You think I don’t know that?” I snapped.

“Then why do it?” she shouted. “Why can’t you trust the Moon Goddess? Why can’t you trust Olivia to make her own choices?”

“Because trusting fate doesn’t bring people back!” I yelled, slamming my hand on the table. “You all act like Lennox is the only one that matters! What about us? What about me? What about the people who are still alive and trying to hold everything together?”

The room went still. Only the fire crackled.

Mother looked at me with sad eyes. “You’ve changed, Levi,” she whispered. “You’ve let your fear turn to anger.”

“Maybe I had to,” I muttered. “Please, just leave.”

Her lips trembled, but she turned and walked out. Louis followed slowly, looking back once before closing the door.

When I was finally alone, I sank into the chair and held my head in my hands. My chest hurt so much it was difficult to breathe. I told myself I did the right thing. I saved her. But if I was right, why did it feel so wrong?

After a long time, I stood up. I couldn’t sit there anymore. My feet carried me toward Olivia’s room before I even realized where I was going. The hallway was quiet, as if everyone was scared of making a sound. When I reached her door, I stopped for a second, breathing in deeply. Then I pushed it open.

Selene was sitting beside her bed, holding her hand. The moment she saw me, she stood up quietly. “I’ll give you two some space,” she said softly, and left.

Olivia was awake. Her eyes were red from crying, and her face looked pale. But there was still fire in her eyes—anger and pain, all mixed together.

I stepped closer. “You need to rest,” I said gently. “You’re still weak.”

She didn’t answer. She just looked at me like she was waiting for the truth.

“I did what I had to do,” I said. “For your health. For our baby. You almost died, Olivia.”

Her voice was small but sharp as glass. “You had no right to decide that for me.”

“If I hadn’t, you’d be dead right now!” I said, my voice rising.

She glared at me. “So now you decide who lives and who doesn’t?”

“Lennox is fine,” I said quickly, hoping it would calm her. “He’s safe.”

“Then take me to him,” she said suddenly, standing up from the bed.

I froze. “What?”

“Take me to him, Levi!” she shouted. “If he’s alive, then take me to him right now!”

I shook my head slowly. “That’s not happening.”

Her wolf’s golden light flashed in her eyes. “You don’t get to tell me what’s happening!” she said. “You can’t hide him from me. You can’t!”

“I’m doing this for you,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “For our child—”

“Don’t you dare use my child as an excuse!” she screamed, tears falling down her face. “If you don’t take me to him, I’ll reject you.”

Her words hit me like thunder. I felt everything inside me go still.

“You don’t mean that,” I whispered. My voice barely came out.

She took a step closer, her eyes wet but fierce. “Try me,” she said.

Silence filled the room. The firelight flickered on her face, and I saw how broken she looked—and how much she hated me in that moment. In her eyes I was the villian.

I wanted to hold her, to explain, to make her see I was only trying to protect her. But my body wouldn’t move. My throat felt tight, and my heart felt like it was tearing in two.

The woman I loved was slipping away from me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

“Oli…” I managed to whisper, reaching for her.

She cut me off sharply, her voice trembling with rage and heartbreak. “Don’t, Levi. Take me to Lennox,” she said, her eyes blazing with golden fire. “Take me to him, or I’ll break our bond—and I swear to the Moon Goddess, I mean it.”