Fated To Not Just One, But Three - Chapter 585
Chapter 585: The Grave
Lennox’s POV
My instincts almost snapped.
For a split second, the Alpha in me wanted to bark an order. I almost ordered the maid to stay away from him—how dare she make him this terrified—but I stopped myself.
I wasn’t Alpha Lennox.
Not here.
Not now.
I was Kaine.
Just a guard.
I drew in a slow breath and forced my shoulders to relax before lowering myself down to Liam’s level.
“What is wrong?” I asked gently.
My voice sounded steady, but my heart was breaking.
Up close, the truth hurt more than I expected.
In just three days…
Liam looked smaller.
His cheeks were thinner.
His clothes hung looser on his little body.
His eyes were too big for his face now, dull where they used to shine.
Grief had stolen weight from him.
My death had taken something from my son that no child should ever lose.
He didn’t answer.
He just stared at me.
Not the way children stare at strangers.
Not curious.
Not shy.
It was… searching.
Like he was looking for something he had lost.
The silence stretched.
My skin prickled.
There was something unsettling about the way his gaze stayed locked on mine. Too focused. Too aware. Like he was trying to place me.
I swallowed.
“Are you feeling sick?” I asked softly. “Does your head hurt?”
Still nothing.
His brows continued to furrow more.
Then, slowly, his brows pulled together.
“You…” he whispered.
My breath caught.
“Yes?” I replied carefully.
He tilted his head, never breaking eye contact.
“You feel… funny.”
My chest clenched painfully.
Funny.
I forced a small smile. “Funny how?”
He hesitated, then shrugged weakly. “Like… familiar.”
I had to look away for half a second.
“Do I scare you?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
He shook his head.
“No.”
He leaned forward slightly, squinting at me.
“You’re not Daddy,” he said slowly.
His lower lip trembled.
“But you feel like him.”
The words hit me straight in the chest.
I forced my expression to remain natural so he wouldn’t see how hard his words had hit me.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “I didn’t mean to make you sad.”
His eyes filled with tears.
“I miss him,” he whispered.
I nodded again, because if I tried to speak, my voice would break.
The maid stepped forward and gave me a quizzical look before turning back to Liam. “You have to go back to your room. Father Levi or Louis won’t like what you are doing.”
Liam frowned and folded his arms. “I said I want to go pay a visit to Father Lennox,” Liam said stubbornly.
My heart stopped.
“What do you mean?” I asked slowly, keeping my voice steady even as something inside me cracked. “What visit?”
Liam lifted his chin stubbornly. “Daddy Lennox,” he said. “I want to go see him.”
The maid stiffened immediately. “No,” she said quickly. “You can’t. Father Levi and Alpha Louis won’t allow it.”
Liam’s little fists clenched at his sides. “I don’t have to ask them,” he snapped, his small voice shaking with emotion. “I just want to see him.”
I felt it then.
That sharp, unbearable pain slicing straight through my chest.
His grave.
My grave.
He wanted to visit the cold stone that marked the place they believed I was lying in the ground.
A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it.
I turned my face slightly, but it was too late.
The maid noticed.
She looked at me strangely, suspicion flickering in her eyes. “You—why are you crying?” she asked.
I swallowed hard and wiped my face quickly. “Because… he’s a child,” I said quietly. “And he’s grieving.”
Liam looked up at me again, those same searching eyes locking onto mine.
“I just want to talk to him,” he whispered. “Just a little.”
The maid shook her head. “He’s been sick. He shouldn’t be outside. And the Alphas were clear—”
“If he wants to go,” I cut in softly, “you should let him.”
She frowned at me. “You don’t get to decide that.”
I clenched my jaw.
Easy, Lennox. Easy.
“I’m not deciding,” I said calmly. “I’m asking. For him.”
Liam’s eyes filled with tears. “Please,” he whispered.
The maid hesitated.
I could see the battle on her face—duty versus compassion.
She crossed her arms. “No. It’s too dangerous. He’s weak.”
Anger flared hot in my chest.
For a split second, I almost let it loose.
Almost reminded her who I was.
But I didn’t.
I forced myself to breathe.
Then I said quietly, “Then let us escort him.”
She blinked. “What?”
“I’ll come,” I said. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t overexert himself. We won’t stay long.”
She studied me for a long moment.
Too long.
Finally, she sighed. “Fine. But if anything happens, it’s on you.”
“I understand,” I said immediately.
Liam’s face lit up just a little.
“Really?” he asked.
I nodded, lowering myself slightly so we were eye level again. “Really.”
He reached out without thinking and grabbed my hand.
The contact nearly shattered me.
I closed my eyes for half a second and prayed I wouldn’t break in front of him.
“Let’s go see Daddy,” he said softly.
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“Yes,” I whispered. “Let’s go.”
We walked slowly.
Too slowly for my heart.
Liam’s small hand stayed wrapped around mine as we moved through the quiet paths that led away from the mansion and toward the back of the grounds.
The graveyard was silent.
Cold.
Rows of stone markers stood like watchers, names carved into them—names of warriors who had given everything to this pack.
And then we stopped.
My grave.
The stone was still new. The earth beneath it not fully settled yet.
Alpha Lennox.
Beloved leader. Fallen protector.
I couldn’t look at it for long.
Liam let go of my hand and slowly lowered himself to the ground in front of the stone. He sat cross-legged, small fingers tracing the edge of the carved letters like he was afraid they would disappear.
“Daddy,” he whispered.
My knees almost gave out.
“I came to see you,” he continued softly. “Mommy cries a lot. She tries not to… but I hear her at night.”
My vision blurred.
“I’ve been sick,” he said, voice small. “But I’m trying to be strong. Like you told me.”
Tears spilled down my face before I could stop them.
“I miss you,” he whispered. “Leo misses you too. And… I don’t like it when they say you’re gone. You’re not gone. You’re just… quiet.”
The maid shifted beside me, her eyes flicking toward my face again. Suspicion crept in this time.
I turned my head slightly and wiped my tears quickly with the back of my hand, forcing my breathing to steady.
Liam leaned forward and rested his forehead against the stone.
“I’ll come again,” he promised. “I won’t forget you.”
That was when I felt it.
The air changed.
Heavy. Sharp. Furious.
I froze.
Footsteps echoed behind us.
I turned just as Olivia stormed into the graveyard.
Her eyes were wild with panic and anger. Her hair was loose, her face pale, and her breath uneven, like she had been running.
The maid stiffened instantly, fear flashing across her face.
“Liam!” Olivia cried.
He looked up, startled. “Mommy?”
She rushed forward and dropped to her knees in front of him, cupping his face in both hands. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, her voice shaking. “You’re sick. You’re not supposed to be outside.”
“I came to see Daddy,” Liam said simply.
Her breath hitched.
“Oh, baby…” she whispered, pulling him into her chest. “You shouldn’t be here. Not like this.”
Then her head snapped up.
She turned slowly toward the maid.
“Why did you let him come here?” Olivia asked, her voice full of rage.
The maid trembled. “I—I tried to stop him, Luna. It was—” She lifted a shaking finger and pointed straight at me. “He insisted.”
Olivia’s gaze slammed into me.
Pure fury.
“You,” she said coldly.
I didn’t move. Didn’t speak.
She turned back to Liam, forcing softness into her voice. “Go inside, sweetheart. I’ll come soon, okay?”
Liam nodded, then looked at me.
He smiled.
A small, tired smile.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
Then he stood and walked away with the maid, leaving us alone among the graves.
The moment they were gone—Pain cracked through my face because The slap from Olivia came hard and sharp.
My head snapped to the side.
The sound echoed through the graveyard.
I tasted blood.
For a second, everything went quiet.
Then Olivia spoke, her voice shaking with rage and grief.
“How dare you,” she whispered. “How dare you bring my son here.”
I slowly turned my face back to her.
Her eyes were red. Her hands were trembling.
“You had no right,” she continued, tears spilling freely now. “No right to let him see this. No right to make him relive it.”
She shoved my chest.
“He is unwell. And you bring him to his father’s grave?”
Every word cut deeper than the slap.
I bowed my head.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly.
She laughed bitterly. “Sorry?” She wiped her face angrily. “Get out of my sight.”
I didn’t argue.
I didn’t defend myself.
I turned and walked away, my chest burning, my vision blurred.