<h4>Chapter 131: I Regret It</h4>


    <strong>Kael’s POV</strong>


    I stepped out of the house and stood in the open, my gaze fixed nkly ahead. Morning sunlight spread its warmth over thend, yet all I felt was darkness pressing around me. The cold breeze that should have been soothing only pierced me, sharp as a thousand needles against my skin.


    Because my heart was hurting.


    The way she had looked at me—as though I were a monster—it cut deeper than any wound. Of all people in this world, I should have been thest one she feared. I should have been her shield, herfort, the one whose presence meant safety from every harm. Yet I was the one who terrified her most.


    Why? Why did she fear the ck wolf so much?


    Just then, Rafe, who had followed me out, came to stand at my side. I did not turn to him. He had always been able to see through me in ways I hated.


    "Want it?" he asked, holding out a cigarette.


    I plucked one from the pack, and he lit it for both of us with a flick of his lighter.


    We smoked in silence, the air thick with unspoken words. I half-expected him to ask, to prod, but he didn’t. He only waited, as he always did.


    Atst, I broke the silence. "I regret it." My eyes stayed on the horizon, my voice low and rough.


    He didn’t ask what I meant.


    "Whatever you were referring to when you asked me in the hospital," I said again, slower this time, "I regret it."


    More than telling him, it felt like I was finally admitting it to myself.


    Once again, he said nothing. Yet his silence spoke louder than words—it meant he understood.


    We stood there together, smoking quietly, each of us lost in our own thoughts. The smoke curled from our lips, pale and fleeting, as the breeze continued to wash it away.


    ----


    <strong>Rafe’s POV</strong>


    Jason arrived a littleter, his expression drawn tight with tension.


    I offered him a cigarette, and he epted without a word. As I lit it for him, I asked, "How is she?"


    "Fine," he replied curtly, though his mind was clearly elsewhere.


    Jason had always been the silent one, the opposite of Lucian. But today his silence felt heavier, edged with something unspoken. I decided to press.


    "Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be with Lucian, helping him take care of her...?"


    "She doesn’t need me," he said tly, his gaze fixed ahead, the smoke drifting from his lips in a thin stream.


    "You could have just said Lucian can take care of her alone, but...." I countered, pausing before adding, "...were you expecting her to need you?"


    He was quiet for a long moment before finally answering, "I don’t deserve to take care of her."


    I lifted a brow. "We were all wrong about her. You’re not the only one who—"


    Before I could finish, he flicked the cigarette to the ground, ground it beneath his boot, and walked away without another word.


    "What’s with him?" I mumbled, and turned to Kael, "Seems like he is regretting torturing her that night?"


    Kael didn’tment, lost in his own world of regret.


    Roman appeared then, watching Jason’s back as he disappeared toward the side house. "What happened?" Roman asked.


    "Not sure," I replied, my eyes still on Jason’s retreating figure.


    Roman reached for the cigarette pack himself, taking one and even snatching the lighter from me before I offered. He lit up, then turned to Kael. "She’s fine. Lucian is taking care of her. We don’t need to worry."


    Kael only hummed in response, but his hand reached for another cigarette, as though the smoke was the only thing keeping his thoughts from consuming him.


    The three of us said nothing more. We smoked until the pack was emptied, the ground beneath us littered with crushed buds.


    -----


    <strong>Lucian’s POV</strong>


    I didn’t know when I drifted into sleep, lying beside her. All I had meant to do was watch her—her face so close, so breathtaking in its quiet vulnerability, a sight I had denied myself thest time she was in my bed. I had never been a deep sleeper, yet even that short nap felt like I had slept an entire night.


    <fn9927> N?w ?ovel chapt?rs are published on Find[F]ovel</fn9927>


    The exhaustion of the past days seemed to wash away as though it had never existed.


    I closed my eyes again, hoping to hold onto the peace of this moment, but then she stirred. The instant she realized how close I was, she tried to move away from me.


    But my arm, already circled around her waist, pulled her back.


    I opened my eyes to find her annoyed face inches from mine.


    "The wolf you were scared of..." I began.


    The effect was immediate. Whatever will she had to push me away dissolved. She sank against me, eyes darting fearfully around the room to look for the wolf, her hand clutching mine as though it was her lifeline.


    "...It’s gone," I finished softly.


    Yes, I had said it this way intentionally, and yes, it had worked exactly as I expected.


    Her gaze returned to me, fear still lingering in her eyes.


    "It’s gone, and it won’t evere back," I assured her.


    Her eyes searched mine, questioning if I spoke the truth.


    "It won’t show up ever again," I repeated, steady and calm.


    I didn’t want to tell her the real reason. Not now, not when her mind was still fragile. What good would it do? If anything, she might hate me for drugging her, despite knowing exactly what it would do. Better to wait.


    She finally began to rx in my arms, though her breaths were still uneven.


    I stroked her back and spoke gently, "But that wolf is not Kael. Don’t hate him just because he is a ck wolf. He will never harm you. In fact, he has been protecting you from dangers you don’t even know are waiting for you."


    Her body tensed at the mention of him.