CHAPTER 148: NOT EVEN HER BLOOD

When Ronan learned that his grandmother had been admitted to the hospital, he left the training center without a second thought. But halfway there, his car’s engine gave out, forcing him into a frustrating delay. By the time he finally reached the hospital, his chest was tight with worry and impatience.

As he stepped into the corridor, harsh words drifted from his grandmother’s room. The sound struck him like a blade. Ronan clenched his fists, a mixture of anger and hurt coursing through him, before stepping inside.

"You always think wrong of me," Ronan said with disappointment. "I’m not heartless."

He moved closer to the bed where the family was gathered, his eyes briefly scanning the monitors beeping steadily beside her. His gaze shifted to Kieran, who stood at the bedside, dabbing at his wet eyes with trembling hands.

"How did this happen?" Ronan asked, his tone softening as his eyes lingered on his grandmother now.

"Tell him," Azalea urged, glancing at Lucien.

Lucien hesitated, his throat tightening. "She... she has liver cancer," he finally stammered.

Ronan fell silent to hear that. Now he understood why Kieran had been crying long before he entered the room. His heart thudded in his chest, a feeling he caught when their parents died.

Turning back to his grandmother, he whispered, "Grandma, I never wished anything bad for you. You might have seen me as a curse to the pack, to your son and daughter-in-law. You’ll be alright soon."

However, he noticed that there was a flicker of annoyance on his grandmother’s face.

"All of you come running to worry about me now," Azalea said sharply, her voice quivering with both anger and sorrow. "But the day your brother threw me out, where were you then? Not one of you stopped him." Her gaze hardened as it shifted from Ronan to her other two grandsons.

She had tried to remain strong all this time, holding her composure like a shield. But now, with her family gathered and the truth laid bare, the vulnerability began to show.

"The doctor has given me only two months," she continued.

Ronan’s fists clenched at his sides as he searched her face, unwilling to accept what he was hearing. "What about treatment?" he asked. "It’s curable, right?" His eyes darted to his aunt, who stood quietly in the corner.

Azalea let out a long, weary breath. "There is no cure," she said. "If there had been even a one percent chance of survival, I wouldn’t have called Leia. I wouldn’t have asked her to meet me if there was even a sliver of hope. Lucien banished me from the pack after what I did. There was no way this old woman would have dared to return otherwise."

"I’m sorry, Grandma," Lucien murmured, his head lowered in guilt.

Before Azalea could respond, the door creaked open. The doctor stepped inside with a nurse trailing behind him, adjusting his spectacles as he cleared his throat.

"I need to examine your grandmother now," he said firmly, maintaining his professional tone. "Please wait outside for a while."

The grandsons exchanged uneasy glances before silently obeying, filing out of the wardroom. The nurse followed, shutting the door behind them with a soft click.

Ronan finally turned toward Fleur, his voice tight with desperation. "How can there be no cure? Aunt, you must have spoken to the doctor about it. Tell me you did."

"There’s no cure, Ronan," Fleur said softly, her voice cracking. "And Mom... she’s refused the treatment. The doctor told us that the best we can do now is let her spend these last two months with her family. Even if she agreed to it, the treatment wouldn’t change anything. Your uncle was here earlier, he spoke to the doctor at length. They both confirmed it."

Her composure broke, and tears streamed down her cheeks. Fleur pressed a hand against her mouth, trying to stifle her sobs, but failed.

Ronan pulled her gently into a side embrace, his arm wrapping around her shoulders as he caressed her back. His lips parted as if to speak, but no words came. There was nothing he could say to ease her grief.

Across from them, Leia stood in silence, her chest tightening with guilt. This moment was a consequence of her choices. It was she who had suggested to Lucien, urging him to drive out the one who constantly belittled Ronan. It was she who had indirectly pushed Azalea to commit the unforgivable act of sending another she-wolf into Lucien’s room.

The weight of it all pressed down on her until she could no longer breathe in that space. Without a sound, she stepped back and without anyone’s notice, she slipped out of their sights.

Her feet carried her aimlessly until she reached the hospital garden. The place was almost deserted. She lowered herself onto a lonely bench, her body still trembling.

"I was raised to be kind," she whispered to herself. "To protect, not destroy. But look at me... I tore a grandmother away from her grandsons. And now she’s dying as she doesn’t even have much time left."

Her words dissolved into the still air, swallowed by the emptiness around her.

Tears brimmed in her eyes, and she sobbed. At the same time, she ended up recalling her mother too, who fell prey to a sudden sickness.

"Leia, what are you doing here?" Lucien’s voice cut gently through the silence of the garden.

Startled, she quickly brushed the tears from her cheeks and rose to her feet. "I—I thought you all needed space," she murmured, avoiding his eyes.

Lucien stopped directly in front of her, his presence steady, unyielding. "And you’re part of that space," he said firmly.

Leia shook her head, her voice trembling. "No... because of me, you drove your grandmother out of the pack. I’m the reason—"

Her words were silenced as Lucien lifted his hand, pressing a finger lightly against her lips. His gaze softened, though his tone carried the strength of an Alpha. "Don’t say that. It was my choice. I am the Alpha. The responsibility was mine, not yours. And no one could have known Grandma would fall to such an illness."

Tears blurred Leia’s vision as his thumbs brushed gently beneath her eyes, wiping away the last traces of wetness. His touch unraveled the restraint she had been clinging to.

"Lucien... your grandmother..." Her voice broke, the guilt and sorrow spilling over. She collapsed against his chest, clutching at his shirt as sobs tore free.

Lucien held her close, his arms firm around her, letting her cry. For once, she allowed herself to surrender, letting her grief and guilt flow freely into the only embrace that felt safe.

Lucien’s own eyes burned with tears threatening to fall, but he forced himself into silence, holding steady while Leia wept against him. What struck him most was how deeply she grieved, his grandmother wasn’t even her blood, yet Leia carried the pain of losing her as if it were her own.

He stroked her back in slow, steady motions until her sobs quieted. At last, she pulled away, hastily wiping her cheeks, her breath still uneven.

"We... we’ll make these two months unforgettable for her," Leia whispered, her voice raw yet determined. "I promise, Lucien. She’ll laugh, she’ll smile, she won’t feel alone, not even for a moment."

Lucien studied her face, the fragile strength in her eyes. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he nodded. "I know. You’d never let her carry an ounce of sorrow."

But in his heart, a shadow lingered, his grandmother’s greatest and final wish. A wish he hadn’t dared to share with Leia yet. Because once spoken aloud, it would bind her to choices she wasn’t sure she was ready to make.

However, he didn’t want Leia to fall into the guilt trap by fulfilling his grandmother’s wish. So, he decided to speak about it.

"Leia," Lucien said with slight hesitation in his voice. "Before you and Kieran arrived... Grandma told me something."

Leia lifted her gaze, her eyes still rimmed red, her nose flushed from crying. "What is it?" she asked softly.

Lucien exhaled, pausing as if the words themselves were heavy. "She spoke about her last wish for me and my brothers."

A faint flicker passed through Leia’s eyes, her heart already bracing for what he would say. "Your marriage, isn’t it?"

His lips parted in surprise. For a moment, he simply stared at her before nodding slowly. "Yes. She’s discovered you’re our mate. And she believes... she believes we should marry you."

But Lucien’s tone grew firmer and respectful. "You don’t have to agree to her. I won’t allow it since you are still trying to figure out a lot of things. You’re not ready, and I won’t let anyone, not even Grandma, force you. So if she asks you... You’ll refuse. Do you understand?"

Leia simply stared into his eyes and her inner voice spoke, ’All this time he would always press me to listen to her. How can Lucien become such an understanding man?’