The Alpha's Regret: Return Of The Betrayed Luna

Chapter 424: Chapter 424 Time Alone

To say Levi’s wolf wasn’t wounded in its pride would be a lie. The moment Greg managed to one-up them, the wolf’s confidence was the first thing that took the blow. But even then, it forced itself to push that humiliation aside and stand tall, because Greg hadn’t beaten them with strength or honor. He played dirty, refused to face them head-on.

So doubting their own strength was unfair... yet the damage had already been done. Its pride was hurt, and once that shadow of doubt settled in, it clung stubbornly, a lingering whisper that refused to be shaken off.

”Levi... talk to me, will you?” Addison’s voice drifted through the door again. It was soft, gentle, and laced not with impatience, but with hurt and sadness. That tone alone felt like it reached straight into Levi’s chest. Both he and his wolf felt their hearts twist, shattering under the weight of her sadness.

Levi couldn’t hold out any longer.

A moment later, the door creaked open from the inside. The room was dim and heavy with gloom, but the instant Addison saw Levi’s pale face and downcast eyes, she didn’t hesitate; she threw herself forward and wrapped him in a tight embrace.

”Levi, talk to me... hmm?” Addison coaxed softly as she nuzzled her cheek against his solid chest. His scent grew stronger with every brush of fabric against his skin. It was warm and refreshing, a familiar citrus note that instantly soothed her anxious little heart.

It was the same scent she clung to back in the Midnight River Pack when loneliness threatened to swallow her whole.

The same scent she breathed in every morning she woke up after working herself to exhaustion. The same scent that lingered in her office because Levi was always there, quietly supporting her.

And even during the nights she cried herself to sleep, or when she was in the forest after feeling Zion’s coldness when he brought Claire home, every morning, without fail, it was this scent she woke up to.

This scent that comforted her.

This scent that pulled her back together.

So staying by Levi’s side when he was feeling down was the least Addison could do. ”Come on... let’s go inside. Even if you don’t want to talk, let me stay with you, okay? Hmm?” she murmured gently.

She tilted her head up to peek at him, but with their height difference, all she could see was the sharp line of his chiseled jaw and the steady rise and fall of his prominent Adam’s apple.

When Addison acted like this, Levi simply couldn’t say no to her. Without a word, he stepped back, a quiet gesture that told her she was welcome to stay with him, even if he wasn’t ready to talk.

Maybe he still hadn’t sorted through his thoughts, or maybe the storm of emotions inside him hadn’t settled enough for him to understand them himself.

Addison understood.

She didn’t push him to open up. There were moments when silence was the only comfort someone needed, the assurance that they weren’t fighting their battles alone, that someone was there, steady and patient, ready to listen when the words finally came.

And that was the feeling Addison wanted Levi to have. She could sense the subtle guard he had put up, the uncertainty in him. His emotions were tangled and raw, and forcing him to speak now might only make him more confused.

So instead, she offered him quiet companionship, giving him the space to breathe at his own pace.

Addison stepped quietly into the room and waited as Levi gently closed the door behind them. Even in the dimness, she could see the battle raging inside him, which was written plainly in his eyes. He didn’t want to burden her, yet at the same time, he longed for her presence, clinging to it in silence.

She moved to sit at the edge of his bed. With the curtains drawn tight, the room was swallowed in darkness, and after the door clicked shut, she had to rely on her wolf senses just to make out his shape. Slowly, as her eyes adjusted, Levi’s silhouette came into view, his broad shoulders were tense, his head slightly bowed, and that conflicted expression that made her chest ache.

It was enough for her to understand everything he couldn’t say.

So Addison waited, quietly, patiently, and unmovingly. Levi stood there as if torn between stepping forward or retreating into himself again. She didn’t rush him. She simply offered her presence and let him come to her on his own terms.

Eventually, he took one hesitant step... then another... until he finally sat beside her, still silent, still guarded.

Addison lay back on the bed and opened her arms, inviting him with a single short sentence.”Come here...” she murmured softly, the gentleness in her voice saying everything she didn’t need to.

Just minutes earlier, Levi had been drowning in doubts, wondering if he was even worthy of her. But seeing Addison like this, waiting for him with open arms, something inside him cracked.

He wanted, no, he needed to let go.

So he climbed onto the bed, moved toward her slowly, and then rested his head on her chest. Her arms slipped around his neck, holding him close, while his own arms planted on either side of her body to support himself. His cheek settled against the soft warmth of her breasts, and the comfort that washed over him was immediate and overwhelming.

Addison began to stroke his hair, gentle and unhurried, saying nothing, offering only warmth and safety.

Levi’s eyes fluttered shut. The chaos inside him, his doubts, his pain, that creeping darkness, quieted little by little under her touch. His heart slowed, his breathing eased, and as the darkness receded, he finally, quietly, drifted into sleep.

Seeing Levi like this made Addison’s heart ache in a way she hadn’t expected. They hadn’t spoken a word, hadn’t done anything intimate, and yet... this moment felt closer than anything they had ever shared. For the first time, she was seeing Levi’s raw emotions, his vulnerability laid bare, and it struck her deeply.

She suddenly realized that the steady, reliable Levi she had always depended on wasn’t simply who he was... it was who he forced himself to be for her. He carried himself like a pillar so she could lean on him whenever she needed to.

But if he was always that pillar...

Who did he lean on when he was the one falling apart?

The thought alone made Addison’s chest tighten painfully.

”Sleep... Stop thinking about those thoughts that pull you into the abyss. You don’t have to carry everything on your own...” Addison whispered softly. But perhaps, in saying it, she was speaking to herself too.

Ever since she left the Midnight River Pack, she had taken on every burden alone. She had grown used to overthinking, to staring so hard at the problems in front of her that she forgot to look around and see what truly mattered... and the people who mattered. Maybe Levi wasn’t the only one who needed time to sort through his thoughts.

Maybe she, too, needed space to breathe.