Fated To Not Just One But Three novel Chapter 645

Chapter 645: Off

Lennox’s POV

​I stood in the kitchen, the scent of sizzling bacon and fresh coffee filling the air. For the first time in months, the house felt alive. Louis was flipping pancakes while Levi and Olivia were laughing over a story about Liam. It was the perfect picture—the one I had fought so hard to rebuild.

​But as I reached for a plate, a sharp, white-hot needle of pain shot through my temple. I blinked, the bright kitchen lights suddenly feeling like daggers.

​"Lennox?" Levi’s voice cut through the fog. He was looking at me, his brow furrowed. "You okay? You look pale."

​"Just tired," I gritted out, forcing a small smile. I leaned against the counter, waiting for the world to stop spinning. "Late night, remember?"

​Louis smirked, but Levi didn’t look convinced. "You should sit down, brother. We can handle the rest."

​"No," I snapped, perhaps a bit too quickly. "I’m fine. I’m not missing this."

​The "fine" didn’t last long. By the time we were ready to serve, the floor felt like it was tilting beneath my feet. A wave of nausea hit me so hard I had to grip the edge of the sink until I got my composure back. I knew my body; this wasn’t just exhaustion. This was a system failure.

​"Excuse me for a moment," I muttered, not waiting for an answer. ​I made it to my room, closing the door just as my knees buckled. I slumped against the wood, gasping for air. The room was dark, but black spots danced across my vision. I almost fainted right there on the rug. Something was wrong—terribly wrong.

​A soft knock came at the door before Levi slipped inside. He saw me on the floor and was at my side in a second. "Lennox! Talk to me. What’s happening?"

​"I don’t know," I whispered, my voice sounding thin and distant. "Call the healer. Get her here now. But Levi... don’t tell Olivia. Not yet. She just got her happiness back. I won’t be the one to take it away again."

​I forced myself to go back down. I had to. If I stayed in my room, she’d come looking.

​The family was at the table, the boys chattering away. I sat down, but the air in the room felt like lead. It was getting harder to draw a full breath. I stared at my plate, the food looking like ash.

​"Lennox?" Olivia’s voice was soft, laced with that intuition that usually made me proud, but right now, it made me terrified. "You’re not breathing right. Are you okay?"

​I looked at her, seeing the worry starting to cloud her beautiful eyes. "I feel a bit sick, Olivia. I’ve already sent for the healer. It’s probably just a bug. Nothing serious."

​"Let me check you," she said, starting to stand up.

​"No," I said, my voice firmer than I felt. "Stay. Eat with the boys. I just need a moment to rest upstairs. The healer will be here any minute."

​I retreated to my room, the walk up the stairs feeling like climbing a mountain.

​A few minutes later, the pack healer, Martha, entered. She didn’t waste time with small talk. She ran her hands over my chest, her eyes closed as she tapped into my vitals.

​As she worked, the room went silent. I watched her face, looking for the usual you’re just overworked smile. But it never came. Instead, her skin paled, and her mouth thinned into a hard, straight line. She pulled her hands back as if my skin had burned her.

​"Martha?" I prompted, my heart thudding painfully against my ribs. "What is it?"

​She didn’t look at me. She looked at her kit, her hands shaking. "Alpha Lennox... this isn’t a bug. And it isn’t exhaustion."

​She finally met my eyes, and the pity I saw there was more terrifying than the pain in my head.

​"Martha," I said again, slower this time. "What is it?"

​She took a shaky breath. "It’s cancer."

​The word hit me like a blow to the chest. ​I let out a short, disbelieving laugh. "That’s not possible," I said immediately. "I never got a symptom about it."

​"You healed fast because you had your wolf," she said quietly. "Your wolf masked it. Fought it. Slowed it down. But now..." Her voice cracked. "Now that your wolf is gone, there’s nothing suppressing it anymore."

​I stared at her.

​"No," I said. "That doesn’t make sense. I would’ve felt it before. I would’ve known."

​"You did feel it," she replied gently. "The headaches. The weakness. The breathlessness. Your wolf absorbed most of the damage before you could notice."

​My hands curled into fists.

​"So heal me," I said sharply. "That’s what you’re here for. Heal it."

​Martha shook her head slowly. ​"I can’t," she whispered.

​"What do you mean you can’t?" I snapped. "You’ve healed broken spines. Crushed organs. You’ve brought warriors back from the brink of death."

​"Yes," she said, tears gathering in her eyes. "With wolves. I can only heal men with wolves."

​She stepped back from me.

​"You don’t have that anymore." ​The silence that followed was suffocating. ​"Without a wolf," she continued, "my magic can’t touch it. Cancer doesn’t respond to healing spells alone. It requires human medicine now. Surgery. Treatment. Long processes, especially since you don’t have a wolf."

​I laughed in disbelief.

​"And how long do I have?" I asked.

​She hesitated.

​That hesitation told me everything. ​"I... don’t know for sure," she said carefully. "But from how fast it’s spreading now that your wolf is gone..."

​She couldn’t finish the sentence.

​"Say it," I demanded. ​Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Not much time, Alpha."

​Something inside me broke.

​"You have to see a doctor, Alpha," she pleaded. ​A sudden knock came at the door. ​Before Martha could stop them, it opened.

​Olivia walked in first, her eyes already filled with concern. Levi and Louis followed close behind her, their faces tight with unease.

​"What’s wrong?" Olivia asked immediately, rushing toward me. "I felt it. Something’s wrong with you."

​My heart clenched.

​This—this was exactly what I had tried to avoid. ​I forced myself to straighten, schooling my face into something calm. Controlled. Alpha.

​"It’s nothing," I said quickly. "Just... stress. My sugar dropped. That’s all."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify