99 Miss Her
Lennox’s POV (D
The moment Olivia stepped into the bathroom, the room fell into a heavy silence. Louis stoc rigidly by the bed, Levi looked like he was forcing himself not to move, and I–well, I couldn’t stop staring at the door she’d just vanished behind.
My wolf was restless. My heart was worse.
Then the door creaked open.
She stepped out slowly, and time stopped.
The dress hugged her body like it was made just for her. The midnight blue fabric shimmered with every step she took, flowing like water, clinging to her waist, showing off every soft curve. The sheer sleeves gave her an air of grace, while the neckline dipped just low enough to make my throat go dry.
She looked… stunning.
No, she looked like she belonged on a throne, not in this room–like a queen. Our queen.
I didn’t realize I was staring until Levi nudged my side and whispered, “Close your mouth, Lennox”
! ignored him.
She stood in front of us, arms crossed again, but not as tightly this time. She raised a brow. “Well?”
“You look…” I cleared my throat, unable to stop myself from stepping forward. “You look perfect.”
She rolled her eyes, but I saw the pink rising on her cheeks
Louis opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, then just gave a slow nod, his eyes still locked on her
Then I spotted the last piece we hadn’t given her yet–the diamond necklace, resting on top of the box. I picked it up carefully and walked over to her.
“Can I?” I asked.
Olivia looked at me for a second, hesitating. Then, without a word, she turned around and lifted
her hair.
My fingers brushed against her skin as I clasped the necklace around her neck. She shivered slightly, and I didn’t miss the way her breath hitched.
Miss Hor
leaned in just a little. “It’s beautiful. I said softly, “but not as beautiful as you.”
She turned slowly to face me again, her eyes unreadable.
“You’re not very good at flattery, Lennox, she said softly, then looked away from me and toward
the others.
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. I just stared at her. She was stunning, but it wasn’t just the dress. It was her. And for a heartbeat, I wanted to forget everything. I wanted to forget that she’d hurt me, that things had fallen apart. I wanted to pretend we were in good terms, just like we were before. God! How I missed her so much! How I missed her taunting, her non–stop talking.
By now she would’ve been throwing out snarky remarks like, “The clothes don’t even look good,” or, “Bet you guys bought it cheap.”
But she was quiet. And I missed that, I missed her sense of humor.
Louis stepped forward, clearing his throat gently. “You look beautiful, Olivia. And not because of
the dress.
She gave him a long, unreadable look. “You’re all acting different. It’s… unsettling.”
I understood exactly how she felt. Even we didn’t know what was wrong with us.
Olivia sucked a deep breath. “Thanks for the gift. She sounded not excited about it, but we nodded.
We just stood there. None of us knew if we should stay or leave. I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay, right here, and keep looking at her.
She raised an eyebrow at us. “I think you should go. Anita’s sick and needs your attention. Go to her, Olivia said dismissively as she began arranging the things we’d brought her.
From where I stood, I exchanged a look with my brothers. A silent agreement passed between us before we nodded and turned to leave.
When we reached my chambers, not one of us said a word. It was like seeing her dressed in something we chose had robbed us of our voices.
After a long silence, Levi finally broke the silence. “So… are we getting her more gifts, or are we stopping here?”
I sighed and sat on the bed. I thought of Olivia, of how beautiful and happy she looked. She might have hidden it, but I saw it… I saw how she was moved by our gifts even though she seemed to hate us.
think we should get her more things, I muttered, rubbing a hand down my face. “That way, that bastard won’t be able to win her over with his gifts.
90 Miss Hor
Louis leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his expression unreadable, “More gifts? You think that’s the way to make her not think of rejection?”
Levi flopped onto the chair by the fireplace, his eyes thoughtful. “Not just gifts. Meaningful things. Things she won’t expect.”
I nodded slowly. “Exactly. Something unique… something only we can gift her… something that idiot won’t think of gifting her. I growled.
I felt like I was competing with whoever that bastard is that has been sending her gifts.
Louis shifted, running a hand through his hair. “Exactly, but we need to be careful. She already thinks we’re trying to manipulate her because of the full moon.”
“Then we don’t give her anything seductive,” Levi added quickly. “No lingerie. No perfume. Nothing that could be taken the wrong way.”
1 scoffed. “Did you even think of buying her lingerie?”
Levi raised a brow. “Would you have complained if she wore it?”
Louis groaned. “Focus.”
I stood and began pacing. “What about a book? She used to love reading. Something rare. A first edition or something that means something to her.”
Levi perked up. “What about that old poetry collection she used to hide under her pillow? The one she made us read to her when she couldn’t sleep?”
Louis’s eyes lit up with recognition. “Moonlit Verses. The one with the pressed flowers in it.” “She lost it during the fire,” I said quietly, memories flooding back. “She cried for days.” “What if we find another copy?” Levi asked. “A real one. Not a replica. The same edition, maybe even signed by the author.”
I nodded, heart racing. “She’d never expect that. And it would mean something.”
Louis looked between us. “Alright. That’s one. What else?”
“She likes music,” Levi added. “What if we get her a music box? Something custom–made. Maybe with her name carved into it–or a melody that soothes her wolf”
I glanced at him, surprised. “You remember that?”
“She used to hum in her sleep,” he replied quietly. “I memorized the tune.
Silence fell for a moment, heavy with nostalgia. We were remembering the version of Olivia before the pain… before the walls. The girl who used to fall asleep in the sunroom with books on her chest and humming under her breath.
Louis straightened. “I’ll talk to the vault keeper about the poetry book. See if we can track a
09 Miss Her
copy down through one of the auction houses.”
“I’ll sketch out a design for the music box, Levi said. “Maybe even get the melody. commissioned.
I took a breath and sat again, heart thudding. Maybe we were lying to ourselves about a lot of things… because when it came to Olivia, we remembered everything about her. Maybe we never stopped loving her.
Suddenly, Levi cleared his throat, drawing our attention.
I noticed he scratched the back of his neck–an old habit when he was nervous.
“I have a confession to make.”