Levi''s POV
We watched in silence as Liam slept on the bed. His tiny chest moved up and down slowly.
His brothers sat close to him, one on each side, their eyes still full of tears.
They looked scared. They looked lost and terrified, like Liam would disappear too.
The healers had checked Liam again and again. Then one of them stood at the end of the bed, her hands folded.
"He will be fine," she said softly. "He is only shocked by everything that happened. His mind shut down to protect him. That is why he fainted."
Olivia covered her mouth.
A sob escaped, but she tried to stay quiet because she did not want to scare the boys more.
Leo cried into her side.
Leon hugged her waist tightly, hiding his face.
I looked away for a moment.
My jaw clenched hard.
I felt something heavy in my chest… something that hurt so much I could barely breathe.
The healer added, "Liam will wake up soon, but we must keep a close eye on him. Make sure he feels safe."
I nodded.
Louis also nodded beside me.
The healer bowed and walked out of the room quietly.
When she left, the room felt too silent.
Too heavy.
Too painful.
I looked at my family.
Olivia sat on the bed with the boys, her arms wrapped around them like she was afraid they would vanish if she let go.
Her eyes were red and swollen.
Her hair was messy.
Her hands shook as she stroked the boys'' backs.
She was trying to be strong…
but she looked like she was breaking inside.
Louis stood near the window, wiping his face again and again, even though he tried to pretend he was not crying.
And me…
I just stood there.
Watching them.
My chest tight.
My throat hard.
I blinked fast, holding back the tears burning in my eyes.
I wanted to scream.
I wanted to hit something.
I wanted to turn back time.
But all I could do was stand there and act strong.
I stared at Liam''s small hand resting on the nket. He was too young to feel this kind of pain. They all were.
I took a slow breath and stepped closer.
Louis looked at me and whispered, "We need to be strong for them."
I nodded.
But inside…
I was not strong at all.
I felt broken.
Lost.
Empty.
And I couldn''t control it anymore.
"I will be back… I need to check on something." I lied as I excused myself.
I walked out of the room quietly, closing the door before anyone saw the look on my face.
The moment the door clicked shut, all the strength left my body.
I walked to my room.
I did not even reach the bed.
I fell straight to the floor.
My knees hit the ground hard, but I did not care.
I pressed my hands to my face, and the tears I had been holding in for the past twenty-four hours rushed out all at once.
I cried.
Not small tears.
Not quiet tears.
I cried like a child.
I cried like someone who had lost half of his soul.
My voice broke as I covered my mouth, shaking from head to toe.
"Lennox… please forgive me," I choked. "Please… please forgive me…"
More tears poured down my face.
"I didn''t mean it," I said softly. "I didn''t mean it when I told you that you should never havee back. I didn''t mean any of those things. I was angry. I was jealous. I was stupid."
My voice cracked so hard it hurt to breathe.
"I thought we would have time," I whispered. "Time to fix everything. Time to talk. Time to say sorry."
I wiped my face, but the tears kepting.
"But you came back and still chose to protect us. You saved all of us. You saved the boys. You saved Olivia. You saved the pack. And you still died."
My breath shook as I bent forward, holding my head.
"I should have apologized. I should have told you I didn''t hate you. I should have told you I only said those things because I was hurting too."
I wiped my eyes again, but the tears did not stop.
My chest burned when more memories hit me.
The three of us as boys.
Running through the woods.
Laughing.
Training.
Fighting and then apologizing after.
Sleeping in the same bed when thunderstorms scared us.
Lennox pulling me and Louis away from danger even when he was scared too.
He was always the brave one.
And now he was gone.
My voice broke again. "Lennox… I''m so sorry. I''m so sorry for everything I said. I''m sorry I didn''t fix things. I''m sorry I failed you."
I cried again.
I thought of every mistake I made.
Every harsh word.
Every time I med him.
Every time I pushed him away.
He came back from the dead.
He came back to his family.
And I made things worse.
"I should have apologized," I whispered. "I should have told you I was happy you came back. I should have hugged you. I should have been your brother…"
My tears hit the floor.
"I am so sorry, Lennox… I am so sorry…"
But I knew it was already toote.
I was a monster to Lennox.
In hisst days on earth… he thought I hated him.
The thought crushed me.
I pressed my forehead to the floor and cried harder.
The pain in my chest felt like a knife twisting again and again.
"I''m sorry… I''m so sorry…"
My voice was broken.
My heart was broken.
I don''t know how long I stayed there.
Minutes… hours… maybe more.
At some point, my tears stopped.
My body felt empty and weak.
I reached for the bottle on my table with shaking hands.
I didn''t even think.
I just opened it and drank.
One gulp.
Then another.
Then another.
I wanted the pain to stop.
I wanted the memory of Lennox lying dead to stop burning in my head.
I wanted to forget that I let my brother die thinking I hated him.
I drank until the bottle was empty.
Then I dropped it.
It rolled across the floor.
The room spun slowly.
My eyes got heavy.
My body felt numb.
I whispered onest time, "Lennox… please forgive me…"
Then I fell asleep on the floor.
Someone tapped my shoulder.
Once.
Twice.
Soft… but firm.
"Levi. Wake up."
My eyes opened slowly.
And when I looked up—
my heart stopped.
Lennox was standing right in front of me.
Not pale.
Not weak.
Not crippled… he was on his feet.
He looked like his old self.
Strong.
Tall.
Warm eyes staring at me.
I gasped. "Lennox?"
He smiled a little. "Who else would it be?"
My whole body froze.
I couldn''t breathe.
I couldn''t blink.
He folded his arms, smirking. "You can''t get rid of me so easily."
My lips trembled. "But… you''re… you''re dead."
He stepped closer and touched my shoulder.
His hand felt real.
Warm.
"Don''t look so scared," he said. "I''m not here to haunt you."
I felt tears filling my eyes again. "I''m sorry… I''m so sorry—"
He cut me off with a softugh. "Levi… rx. It''s okay."
Then he stepped back.
"I''ll see you soon, brother, but until then don''t drink yourself to death."
He gave that boyish signature smirk.
And right before my eyes—he disappeared.
Just vanished into thin air.