Chapter 111: Regrets

Chapter 111: Regrets Lennox's POV The door to my room pushed open and Levi and Louis walked in, both with a relieved look on their faces. "Man, you are glowing for a man who nearly escaped death," Louis teased, and I rolled my eyes at them. If only they knew what had happened between Olivia and me, of course I should be glowing. "How are you feeling?" Levi asked in a serious tone as he moved over and stood at the edge of the bed, giving me a quick glance as if assessing is I was really okay. Sёarᴄh the nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I'm fine," I sighed. "But we need to find those bastards!" "We've already done that. Two of the two surviving rogues you didn't kill were found, and they're in the dungeon—though they've yet to tell us who sent them," Levi announced. My frown deepened as my wolf howled in anger. "That means I will have to torture them myself," "No, you won't, brother. All you need is rest to recover," Levi said in a tone of finality. I wanted to argue, to make him let me torture those rogues myself, but Louis chimed in. "You need rest, Lennox… at least for two days, and that is what's going to happen. You will not get involved with any duty for the next two days, so relax." Just as I was about to argue with both of them, the door swung open again—this time with far more drama. "Lennox!" a high-pitched voice rang out, and before I could process what was happening, Anita flew into the room. She ran straight to the bed and threw herself onto me like a damn missile, wrapping her arms around my neck and smothering my face with kisses. "Oh my Moon Goddess! You're awake! You're alive! I was so, so worried!" she cried dramatically, her lips landing all over my cheeks, nose, jaw—anywhere she could reach. I stiffened under her weight, trying not to groan in discomfort. My ribs were still healing, and her body pressing into me didn't help. Neither did the strong floral perfume she wore that made my head spin for all the wrong reasons. "Anita, you need to get off," I said flatly, my voice low. But she didn't listen. She clung even tighter, as if I was her long-lost love returned from war. "I cried for hours!" she went on, still pressing wet kisses to my cheek. "I barely slept, thinking about you! I couldn't eat, couldn't think straight—" "Anita!" I snapped, my patience breaking. "Enough. Get off me." That got her attention. She froze, pulling back just a little, her face showing fake hurt and wide-eyed innocence. "I was just worried," she pouted. "I know," I muttered coldly, shifting uncomfortably. "But you don't have to throw yourself on me. You are hurting me," I said with a frown. Deep down, I knew that if it were a certain someone, I wouldn't complain. Levi coughed awkwardly behind her, clearly trying not to laugh, while Louis outright smirked. Bastards. Anita blinked at me, clearly stunned by my cold tone. "I… I'm sorry—" "It's okay," I cut her off sharply. Anita smiled at me, a smile that had no effect on me. She sat beside me, far too close, her hand brushing mine like, irritating me even more. I stared at her for a long moment, feeling absolutely… nothing. No spark. No warmth. No interest. Just a faint headache and growing irritation. How the hell did I ever like her? I glanced at Levi and Louis—both watching the scene unfold with poorly concealed amusement—and I couldn't help but wonder how we were ever interested in her. Anita was never my type. Not truly. She's Too loud. Too clingy. Too fake. She was all surface and no substance. My wolf had never once stirred for her. And I knew, deep down, she'd never been Levi's or Louis's type either. We only ever kept her around because… well, because of Olivia. I exhaled slowly, the weight of the truth sitting heavy in my chest. I had chosen Anita to get back at Olivia. To hurt her the way she had hurt me back then. What better revenge than to claim her best friend? And it worked, didn't it? Olivia had looked hurt when she saw us together. She stopped looking me in the eyes. She avoided rooms I walked into. She pulled away, and I convinced myself I had won. But now… sitting here, feeling nothing for the woman beside me, all I could feel was regret. I regretted making Anita my concubine. I regretted marking her. I regretted every kiss, every night, every public display meant to stab into Olivia like a blade. I regretted that I'd ever thought about marrying her just to hurt Olivia more. It was petty. Cruel. And above all—it wasn't me. I glanced at Anita again. She was chatting with Louis now, trying to win him over with that fake laugh of hers. But even Louis looked bored. I stared blankly at the ceiling, trying to drown out Anita's voice as she giggled at something Louis clearly didn't find funny. Her fingers were now playing with the edge of my blanket, like she owned the right to touch anything of mine. Disgust curled in my gut. I couldn't endure it anymore. I pushed myself up slightly on the bed, ignoring the sharp ache in my side as I cleared my throat. They all turned to look at me. "I think I need to rest now," I said, keeping my tone as neutral as possible. "The headache's kicking in again." Louis arched a brow, seeing right through me. Levi gave me a nod, understanding. Anita, of course, pouted. "Oh, but I just got here—" "I know," I cut in, not harsh but firmly. "But I need quiet. And I need space. Alone." "But—" "Anita," Levi said suddenly, stepping in with a serious look. "Let him rest. You heard him." She looked between the three of us as if she wanted to protest again, but something in my expression must have warned her off. Slowly, she stood, smoothing down her dress like she was some queen being dismissed. "Fine," she said, too sweetly. "I'll come check on you later." "Don't," I said before I could stop myself. An awkward Silence filled the air. Anita stared at me, stunned. For once, no fake pout. No crocodile tears. Just shock. "I need space, Anita," I continued, my voice quieter now but firm. "Don't take it personally. Just… give me time." She didn't respond. Just nodded stiffly, then turned and walked out, her perfume lingering in the air. Levi and Louis gave me a curious look. "Are you okay?" Levi asked. "Yeah… just need a moment alone," I said. They nodded and also left. After they left, I settled back on the bed, my back against the headboard, and kept staring at the ceiling, my mind a tangle of mess. For a few minutes, I thought of Levi's words, how he told me he wanted to start afresh with Olivia… I wondered If I could do that too. Can I forgive her? I mean, can we forgive each other? She had hurt me, and I had hurt her too. As I lay there, staring at the ceiling and thinking about everything—about Olivia, about the mess I'd made—my sharp hearing suddenly picked up something. Voices. At first, I thought I was imagining it. But then I heard it again—louder this time. One voice stood out clearly, even through the walls. It was Olivia's. My heart skipped a beat. She sounded upset, maybe even angry. I didn't know what she was saying, but I knew she was pissed. Without thinking, I sat up quickly, pain shooting through my ribs. I clenched my jaw to stop myself from groaning. My body wasn't ready to move yet—but I didn't care. I pushed off the bed, grabbed the nearest shirt, and forced it over my head. Every movement hurt, but I kept going. I had to know what was going on, why she was yelling, who she was yelling at.