Fated To Not Just One, But Three - Chapter 480

Chapter 480: Sending him away
Levi’s POV

Louis stared at me like I’d just confessed to a crime. His jaw clenched, the muscle in it ticking as he struggled for words.

“You can’t be serious, Levi,” he said at last, his voice low but sharp. “Sending him away? That’s not saving Olivia—that’s betraying her.”

I met his glare head-on. “It’s not betrayal,” I said quietly. “It’s protection. You saw her tonight. She’ll do it again the moment she wakes up. And next time, we might not get there in time to save her.”

Louis shook his head, disbelief written all over his face. “She’ll be furious. You know how she gets when someone interferes with her choices.”

“I know,” I admitted, my tone hardening. “She’ll hate me. Maybe she’ll never forgive me. But she’ll live—and that’s enough for me.”

He exhaled sharply, pacing the room. “You think she’ll see it that way? No—she’ll see it as if we gave up on him. As if we abandoned our brother.”

His words were true; that is exactly how Olivia would feel, but I didn’t let it scare me. “We’re not abandoning him,” I said. “We’re moving him somewhere safe. Somewhere she can’t reach him until she’s strong enough.”

Louis turned, his eyes searching mine. “Where?”

“One of the healers’ cottages near the southern edge of the territory,” I replied. “It’s quiet. Hidden. They have everything he needs—herbs, runes, wards. He’ll be safe there, and they can monitor him without anyone knowing.”

Louis frowned deeply. “It’ll look like we’re hiding him. Like we don’t want him to wake up.”

I looked away, the weight of his words settling in my chest. “This isn’t about what it looks like, Louis. It’s about keeping Olivia alive. About giving her—and our child—a future.”

He studied me for a long moment before shaking his head. “You’re walking a thin line, brother. Olivia will hate us completely.”

“I’ve already accepted that,” I said. “If I have to be the villain in her eyes to keep her breathing, I’ll do it. I’ll carry that blame alone.”

Silence fell between us again, heavy and tense. The only sound was the soft crackle of the fire behind the desk.

Louis rubbed his temples. “You always do this,” he muttered.

“Someone has to,” I said simply. “And you know I’m right.”

He didn’t respond immediately, but his silence was an answer. I stepped toward the door, my mind already made up.

“Get the guards,” I ordered quietly. “Tell them to prepare a car. We’re leaving tonight.”

Louis hesitated. “Levi…”

I turned back to him, my voice calm but authoritative. “Do it, Louis. Please.”

He stared at me for a long time, then finally gave a small nod. “You better pray she never finds out.”

“She will,” I said, glancing toward the window where the moonlight spilled across the floor. “And when she does, I’ll take whatever she gives me. Her anger, her hatred—anything. But I won’t take her grave.”

A knock came at the door. Two guards stood there when I opened it, their faces confused and wary.

“Alphas?” one of them asked. “You requested us?”

“Yes,” I said, straightening. “Prepare the car immediately. We’re moving Alpha Lennox to the southern healers’ quarters. No one outside this room is to know. Do you understand?”

They exchanged uncertain looks but nodded. “Yes, Alpha.”

“Good,” I said. “We leave within the hour.”

As the door shut behind them, Louis exhaled and leaned against the desk. “This is going to break her.”

I stared out into the night, my chest tight. “Then let it,” I murmured. “Better a heart that breaks — than one that stops beating.”

Without saying anything else, I left and made my way back to Lennox’s room.

When I entered, the air was still, too still. The faint hum of magic from the warded candles danced around the room, soft and blue, casting his sleeping form in ghostly light. Lennox looked peaceful. Too peaceful. Like the world outside didn’t matter anymore.

I stood at the edge of the bed and swallowed hard, forcing the words past the lump in my throat. “Forgive me, brother,” I murmured. “If you can hear me… I’m sorry. I know this looks like betrayal, but it’s not. I swear it’s not.”

I reached out and brushed a strand of hair from his forehead, just like I used to when we were younger and he’d fall asleep during training. “You’d do the same if you were me,” I said quietly. “You’d protect her—the woman we both love—even if it meant becoming the enemy. That’s all I’m doing. Protecting her. Protecting our child. And you.”

My chest ached as I whispered the next words. “Don’t hate me for this, Lennox. Just… wake up one day, and understand why I did it.”

The door opened softly behind me—two guards stepped in, followed by Louis, his expression tight but composed. The guards hesitated when they saw me standing there, but I nodded once.

“Dress him,” I said. My voice came out low, but it carried enough weight to make them move without question.

They carefully lifted Lennox’s body and dressed him in a simple dark tunic and cloak. Watching them handle him felt wrong—like preparing him for a journey he hadn’t agreed to take. When they finally finished, they lifted him gently, one at the shoulders, one at the legs.

“Be careful,” Louis said under his breath. His voice cracked.

“I know,” I muttered, turning away so I wouldn’t see the way my brother’s arm dangled limply between them.

We made our way down the hall in silence. By the time we reached the main staircase, the weight of what we were doing pressed so hard against my chest that it was hard to breathe.

And then I heard voices.

“Levi?”

My mother’s voice. Soft but filled with alarm. She and my father appeared at the end of the corridor, both wrapped in night robes, faces pale and confused.

“What’s going on?” my father demanded, his voice rising. “Where are they taking him?”

“Keep your voices down,” I said quickly, stepping forward before they could come closer. “Please.”

My mother’s eyes flicked from me to the guards, then to Lennox’s still form in their arms. Her hand flew to her mouth. “Levi… what are you doing?”

I exhaled slowly. “I’m sending him away,” I said. “To one of the healers’ cottages at the southern border. Somewhere safe—somewhere Olivia can’t reach him right now.”

“What?” my father barked. “Have you lost your mind? That boy belongs here!”

I met his glare evenly. “He belongs alive. And Olivia belongs alive too. If she sees him here when she wakes up, she’ll try again. You know she will.”

My mother stepped closer, her eyes glistening. “But this isn’t your choice to make, Levi. It’s hers.”

“No,” I said firmly. “Not this time. This is the one choice she doesn’t get to make.”

My father took a step toward me, his expression stormy. “You’re interfering with fate, son. Do you have any idea what you’re—”

“I’m trying to save her!” I snapped, my voice sharp enough to make even the guards freeze. Then softer, pleading, “Please, just… let me do this. Don’t interfere. Not this time.”

The silence that followed was long and heavy. My father’s jaw flexed, but he said nothing more. My mother looked like she wanted to speak, but instead, she just nodded faintly and stepped back, tears pooling in her eyes.

Louis moved closer, his hand brushing mine briefly—silent support, even if his heart wasn’t entirely in it.

I gave the guards one last nod. “Go,” I said quietly. “Take him to the car.”

They obeyed, moving carefully down the stairs with Lennox between them.

As I followed behind, I didn’t look back at my parents. I couldn’t.

Because the moment I did, I knew I’d start questioning everything—and I couldn’t afford that now.

Not when I’d already chosen to become the villain to save the woman I loved.

I could feel Louis’s eyes on me as I climbed inside the car and sat beside Lennox’s unmoving form.

For a moment, I just stared at him—my brother. My chest ached with every breath I took. He looked peaceful… too peaceful. The kind of peace that only existed between life and death.

My wolf stirred inside me, its voice quiet but firm.

“You’re doing the right thing,” it said. “This is for Olivia’s good.”

I exhaled shakily. “Yeah,” I muttered under my breath. “But she’s going to hate me for it.”

“Better her hate you than bury her.”

The words were simple, brutal, true. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the seat, listening to the soft rhythm of the car engine as we rolled through the forest path.

When we finally reached the healer’s cottage, the sky was starting to pale—hints of gray edging into the night. Smoke rose gently from the chimney, and the scent of herbs and incense lingered in the air.

The healer, an older woman, stepped outside as we approached. “Alpha Levi,” she greeted, bowing slightly. “We received your message. Everything is prepared.”

I nodded curtly. “Good. He’s weak but still holding on. Make sure he gets better.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

The guards carefully lifted Lennox out of the car and carried him inside. The room was warm and dim, filled with the soft glow of candlelight. They laid him gently on a wide bed draped with fresh linens.

I stood at his side once more, looking down at him—the brother I loved, the brother whose existence had become a storm that tore through everything.

“Take care of him,” I said to the healer. “I’ll come by every day to check on him myself. And if anything—anything at all—changes, you reach me immediately through the mind link.”

She nodded, her tone calm and reassuring. “I understand, Alpha. He will be safe here.”

I exhaled, rubbing a hand over my face. The weight of what I’d done pressed hard against my chest. I was doing this for the right reasons, I told myself again and again. But right now, it didn’t feel noble. It felt like betrayal.

I turned to leave when suddenly Louis’s voice brushed against my mind through the link—sharp, urgent, and breathless.

“Levi.”

I stopped. “What is it?”

There was a pause—then his voice came again, rough with panic.

“She’s awake.”

My pulse spiked. “What?”

“Olivia. She’s awake… and she’s asking for Lennox. She says she wants to go to his room.”