Lennox's POV
My father turned his head away.
That was answer enough.
Louis clenched his fists. "You tried to kill Lennox," he said hoarsely. "You tried to kill our brother."
"He was in my way!" my father roared. "All of you were!"
A sound broke from Mother's throat. A soft, shattered sob. She covered her mouth, tears spilling down her face.
"I begged you to stop," she whispered. "I begged you."
My chest tightened, but I didn't look away from him.
"You used guards," I said. "You used maids. You paid them. You promised power and protection." My eyes burned.
Gasps echoed around the room.
Golden's jaw tightened. "So the orders came from you," he said coldly.
"Yes," my father spat. "From me."
The elders began murmuring, anger rising like a storm.
"That's treason."
"That's unforgivable."
"That's blood betrayal."
I lifted my hand, and the room fell silent again.
"Father. Mother," I said, my voice steady even though my chest ached, "you are both under arrest."
My mother's sob broke louder.
"You will be imprisoned," I continued, "until the council and I decide your fate."
My father's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
"I never believed," I went on, my voice lowering, "that the two people who gave us life would turn out like this." I shook my head slowly. "Never."
Warriors stepped forward at my signal.
They took my parents away, their footsteps echoing through the hall. No one spoke. No one moved.
The warriors looked at me with wide eyes. Awe. Shock. Respect. Fear.
Behind me, I heard hurried footsteps.
Levi and Louis.
They came to stand in front of me, staring like they were looking at a ghost.
"Is it really you?" Levi asked, his voice breaking. "How… how is this possible? We buried you. We saw your body. It was decaying."
Louis's hands trembled. "We stood by your grave, Lennox. We watched them lower you into the ground."
I swallowed hard.
"Golden came to visit my grave," I said quietly. "Something felt wrong to him."
Golden stepped forward and nodded.
"He noticed the soil had shifted," Golden added. "Too much. Too fast."
I continued, my eyes lifting slowly.
"It turns out," I said, "I never truly died."
I turned my head toward Olivia.
She stood there, frozen, anger and pain burning in her eyes.
"Her healing ability worked later," I said softly. "Much later. My body healed… slowly."
Her jaw tightened.
Louis let out a broken sound and pulled me into a tight hug.
"You're alive," he whispered, his voice shaking. "You're really alive."
I hugged him back, my arms firm around him. For a moment, I let myself feel his presence. I had missed this so much.
When I pulled away, tears were running down Louis's face. He didn't care that, as an Alpha, he was supposed not to cry in public.
"I thought I wouldn't see you again," he choked, wiping his tears away with the back of his hand.
Then I turned toward Olivia.
She didn't move.
I took a step closer.
Another.
"Olivia—"
Before I could finish—
Smack.
The sound echoed through the hall.
My head snapped to the side as her palm connected with my cheek.
The room went dead silent.
My face burned, but I didn't move. I didn't react.
She stood there, breathing hard, her eyes shining with unshed tears and rage.
"How dare you," she whispered.
I straightened slowly and faced her, my voice low and steady.
"I deserved that."
"No…" she whispered, shaking her head. "No, you deserve more than a slap."
Her tone turned sharper—filled with pain. "I do. I deserve this pain. This heartbreak. Because I let myself love you again."
Her hands balled into fists, trembling. "You think that slap was enough?" she cried, tears sliding down her cheeks. "Do you have any idea what it was like for me, Lennox?"
Her voice cracked. "I watched them bury you! I stood there as the ground swallowed the man I—" She stopped, choking on her own words. "The man I loved. And you… you were alive this whole time."
"Olivia—" I tried, but she cut me off with another hit to my face—harder, sharper.
"You don't get to talk!" she shouted, her whole body shaking. "You don't get to stand here and act like the victim when you chose this! You watched from the shadows while I mourned you! While I screamed your name every night like a fool!"
Tears filled her eyes, burning hot and furious. "You didn't even think about the little boys! About how they cried for you! How they kept asking when you'd come home!"
Her words hit deeper than any blow. My throat tightened. "Olivia, I wanted to—"
"Don't!" she snapped. "Don't you dare say you wanted to! Because if you wanted to, you would have!"
Her breathing came fast and uneven. "You were alive, Lennox. Alive. And you let me drown in grief."
The hall was silent except for her voice—broken, raw, and shaking.
"I gave up everything for you," she whispered, her voice dropping lower. "And you gave me nothing but more pain."
"I'm sorry," I said again, my voice quiet, aching.
She laughed bitterly through her tears. "Damn your apology," she said, her voice trembling. "It won't fix what you broke. Not this time."
Her tears kept falling, but her voice turned tired—defeated. "I'm exhausted, Lennox. I'm so tired of this bond… of all of you."
Her words made my chest ache.
"I can't breathe like this anymore," she continued, her voice shaking. "Every day, it's pain. Every night, it's memories. I need… I need space. I need to remember who I am without you—without any of you."
She looked at me one last time, her eyes glistening with pain and love tangled together.
"I'm done fighting," she whispered. "I need a break."
Louis moved forward. "Olivia, a break? What do you mean?"
But before I could say a word—before any of us could stop her—she turned and walked away.