Chapter 427: Chapter 427 I Need You

“Do you want to reject me because of what happened with Greg? Are you afraid it will hurt me again in the future?” Addison asked. A single tear slipped down her cheek.

Even though Levi couldn’t see her face or that tear, he felt it, felt the tremble in her voice, the heartbreak laced through every word. It was as if the pain in her chest had reached straight into his and grabbed hold, violently tugging at his heartstrings. He wanted to howl from the agony of it.

But no matter what he said now, it would only sound like an excuse… and in this moment, he truly believed he wasn’t the best choice for her.

But Addison didn’t wait for his reply. She pressed on, her voice trembling.

“But have you ever thought that I don’t need you to act tough? I don’t need you to be as strong as Zion or Maxwell. You might not be like them… but I need you. I need you by my side.”

Her voice broke as the emotions she had been holding back finally surged forward. Tears spilled freely down her cheeks, as if a dam inside her had burst, and she stared at him with eyes full of pain. She could feel his anguish, just as he could feel hers, but the situation had forced them into this corner, making them act in ways neither of them wanted.

She couldn’t even bring herself to fully blame Levi; she knew how shaken he was, how terrified he’d been for her. But would rejecting each other really help? Even if she set aside the Moon Goddess’s curse, even if she ignored that looming threat and looked only at what he wanted, would pushing each other away truly save her?

Would any of this truly help them? Or would it only torture them even more? Addison already knew the answer without needing to think too hard. Levi was doing this for her; she understood that. But was she really so fragile that she needed to be protected to this extent?

She might be cursed, and she might be weaker now, but she wasn’t as delicate as they believed. She appreciated everything they had done for her, Zion and Maxwell’s quiet efforts, Levi’s silent support.

She felt every bit of it. She would never forget their care. And the very fact that she accepted their help meant that she saw them as her mates now. As mates, they were supposed to be one, bound by the Moon Goddess for a reason.

Her problems were their problems, and theirs were hers. Yet somehow, they seemed to have forgotten that part. Instead of facing things together, her mates were trying to shoulder everything alone, as if they weren’t a whole but four separate people.

Addison inched closer to Levi, but he still kept his distance. He didn’t even turn toward her. Shame weighed on him so heavily that he couldn’t bring himself to meet her eyes; he was terrified of seeing his own uselessness reflected in them.

Seeing him like this, Addison reached out, cupped his face gently, and forced him to face her. “Look at me,” she whispered.

Levi’s face turned toward her, but his eyes darted away, refusing to connect.”Do you despise me?” she asked, her expression grave.

The question hit him like boiling water. Levi jerked his gaze to her at once, panic flooding his features. “H–How could I?” he stammered. “You’re the best woman I’ve ever met. You’re strong-willed and smart… quirky and cute…”

But the more he spoke, the softer his voice became. He wasn’t answering because he thought she truly believed he despised her. He knew Addison was trying to see what he really thought of her, what she meant to him. And that truth terrified him even more.

“Then… when everyone saw me as a wolfless, weak omega, did you despise me too?” Addison asked softly.

Her eyes searched his face, studying every twitch, every flicker, looking for even the smallest hint of disdain. But there was none. Instead, Levi looked utterly flustered, almost terrified that she might think he viewed her the same way the Midnight River Pack once did.

He remembered all too well how much those memories hurt her. He had been there, watching her wipe silent tears at night after working herself to the bone for a pack that never appreciated her. No matter how hard she tried, they only ever saw her flaws.

He knew how desperately she had tried to win the approval of her mother-in-law, the former Luna. Yet despite all her effort, the shadow of the former Alpha’s death hung over her like a curse. Because she had been involved, however unintentionally, every bridge between them had already been burned. No matter what she did, she was destined to be scorned… hated.

So when Addison asked him that question, it felt as though she were tearing off the fragile bandage covering her slowly healing wounds, just to know what he truly felt about her.

How could he let her go through that pain again?

Levi felt panic rising in his chest. But when he lifted his gaze and met hers, all he saw was a clear reflection of himself, disheveled, exhausted, almost pitiful. And yet, even seeing him like this, there was no trace of disdain in her eyes. Only quiet curiosity… and understanding.

His throat tightened painfully. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed against the burning lump lodged there. He wanted to scream, to let out the pressure tightening his chest, but no words came, until finally, in a voice so weak it felt like it drained the last of his strength, he managed to speak.

“I never despised you,” he said softly. “I always thought of you as resilient… hardworking, smart, efficient, and someone with a brilliant mind. Working with you opened a world I’d never seen before. Others saw a weak, wolfless omega back then, but to me? You were like a ball of sunlight. No matter how hard they tried to dim you, you refused to stay in the dark. You showed them how wrong they were for underestimating you.”

He paused, his voice trembling as memories surfaced.

“They thought you were timid and easy to bully… but I always knew your kindness wasn’t weakness. I knew the moment you stopped giving one-sidedly, the moment you finally woke up to how they treated you, they would regret it. And I was never wrong about that.”

Levi’s voice cracked slightly as he finished, the weight of the past heavy but honest in his words.

Others never believed in Addison when she first took office as the new Luna of their pack. They whispered side remarks behind her back and ignored her commands outright. But she never gave up. Instead, she worked harder than all of them. And when no one listened, she was always the first to step forward and do the task herself, showing them how it should be done.

Eventually, even if reluctantly, they followed, because she was their Luna. And that was how she managed to turn a pack of brutes who only knew how to hunt and fight into people who could farm and sustain themselves. That farming effort became the backbone that allowed them to support Zion and his warriors at the frontlines.

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