Lily POVI sat at the kitchen counter, staring at the lasagna I'd spent hours making. Kai's favorite comfort food, just the way he liked it - extra cheese, a hint of basil. The clock on the wall showed 7:45 PM. He should have been down an hour ago.The past two weeks in the pack house had been... challenging. Luna Helen begged me to move back into the pack house, insisting that Kai needed me—at least until he recovered. I had hesitated, not sure if that was truly what was best for either of us, but in the end, I had agreed. But the Kai I was living with wasn't the one I knew.At first, it had seemed like things were getting back to normal. Kai went back to work, attending meetings, overseeing patrols, and fulfilling his duties as Alpha. But even though his routine was the same, he wasn’t. There was a distance between us, something invisible but suffocating, like a wall I couldn’t break through.It started with small things. I would be speaking to him, and suddenly, his expression wou
Lucas POVI drummed my fingers against my desk, checking my phone for the hundredth time. K was supposed to contact me any minute now, and the anticipation was killing me. Every piece of information about Lily was precious, keeping me connected to her even though we were apart.Vanessa was pacing back and forth in front of me, her arms folded tightly over her chest. She was ranting about something—I wasn’t really listening. My mind was elsewhere, focused on one thing: Lily."Lucas, are you even listening to me?" Vanessa's voice cut through my thoughts. She was perched on the edge of my desk, her perfectly manicured nails tapping against the wood in an irritating rhythm.I barely suppressed a growl. "Not really."“You’ve been avoiding me for weeks. You barely talk to me, let alone spend time with me. I deserve better than this.”I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Vanessa, not now.”“Not now?” she bristled.. “That’s all you ever say. I’ve been patient, Lucas, but I’m done waitin
Lily POVI came alive slowly to a soft, rhythmic beeping pulling me from the depths of unconsciousness.My eyelids felt like lead, my body heavy and sore as I slowly blinked against the harsh white light filtering into the unfamiliar room. It took a moment for my vision to adjust, but as the blurriness faded, I took in my surroundings.Machines. Wires. An IV drip connected to my arm. The slow, steady hum of medical equipment filled the room. The scent of antiseptic clung to everything.A hospital. I was in a hospital. What was I doing here?I turned my head slightly, my neck stiff from being in the same position for too long. That was when I saw Celeste curled up on the couch in the corner of the room, her dark hair was a tangled mess, her chest rising and falling steadily as she slept.The sight of her brought and immediate sense of comfort to me. I needed to sit up. My back was burning with pain probably from lying in one position for too long. The first attempt was embarrassing –
Lily POVAfter the pack doctors and nurses filed out, the room fell into a heavy silence. Kai remained at the doorway like a statue carved from tension and unspoken words. He hadn’t said anything to me since entering. He just stood thee with his eyes fixed somewhere above my head. Celeste was the one who finally broke the suffocating silence. Celeste exhaled loudly, crossing her arms as she turned to him. “Are you just going to stand there, or aren’t you leaving too?” Her voice had a protective edge to it that I had never heard before, as if she expected Kai to turn into the monster I had barely escaped from.Kai’s gaze flickered to her, but he didn’t rise to the bait. “I want to see Lily,” he said quietly.Celeste let out a humorless laugh. “You can see her just fine from there.” She gestured at me with an exaggerated wave. “Mission accomplished. Now, go.”“Alone. I want to see her alone, Celeste. Is it that hard for you to understand?”“Maybe,” Celeste bristled. “I don’t care if y
Lily POVThe afternoon sun cast long shadows across the sidewalks as I trudged home from college. It’s been several days since I and Kai decided to take a break from our relationship and it’s been nothing but pure hell for me. In the beginning, I was keeping track of the time, hoping he would get tired and try to reach out, but days turned into a week and a week, three weeks. A part of me still didn’t know if he had ever truly loved me or if I had just been some fleeting attachment. After all, he had been so quick to let me go.So, these days, I just live my life on a clean slate and take whatever life throws at me. Walking was my new therapy nowadays. Instead of covering the five minute car drive every day, I decided walking was soothing. My feet ached, but I loved and welcomed the pain – it was better than the numbness that has lodged in my chest since I got discharged from the hospital. I hadn’t gone back to the packhouse – not even once. Not even to take my things. Just the th
Lily POVSomehow, I made it through week four. But despite my best efforts to avoid any form of socializing, Celeste had finally managed to pull me away from my house and bring me to hers. I hadn’t wanted to come, but she’d used her trump card – her grandparents. “They miss you,” she’d said, and I couldn’t refuse them. The moment I stepped into Celeste’s house, Grandma Elena – Celeste grandmother enveloped me in a warm hug that smelled of vanilla and freshly- baked cookies. “Look how thin you’ ve gotten,” she tutted, leading me to her favorite couch in the living room. Grandpa Marcus was in his favorite armchair reading a book. His eyes lit up when he saw me. Immediately, he closed the book and rose up to come meet me. “Leave the girl, alone, Elena,” he chuckled, but his eyes were concerned as they studied my face. “Though a few of your sugar cookies wouldn’t hurt.”I bit my lips hard until I could taste blood. I felt so guilty and relieved at the same time. Guilty that I’ve been
Lily POVMy heart pounded furiously as I made my way to the front door. Hazel, my wolf, was unusually alert, giving off the same strange, familiar sensation I'd felt that day in the school cafeteria when I stopped to buy a drink. It was like she was trying to tell me something, but the message was just out of reach.To make matters worse, there was something unsettling about everything – it was as if I’ve relieved this moment before. A familiar sensation coursed through my chest – it was too familiar to ignore. As I neared the door, Hazel stirred again in the back of my mind, not in distress but something else. Recognition? Longing? She had reacted the same way with that man at the school cafeteria. The man who called me Harriet. I swallowed hard, pushing down my nerves.As I stepped outside, the first thing I noticed was that the man wasn’t facing me. He stood with his back turned he looked relaxed as if he had all the time in the world. Even from behind, something about his postu
Lily POVWhen we settled inside again, my uncle pulled me int for another hug as if he still couldn’t believe I was here in person. When he finally pulled back from the hug, tears were streaming down his face. His hands trembled as they clasped mine, and the raw emotion in his eyes made my throat tight. I could feel and see the sincerity in his eyes. This was all so alien to me. The fact that someone could cry just from finding it was so difficult to believe. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice breaking. "I'm so—so sorry, Lily."I bit the insides of my mouth to stop myself from crying. “So sorry it took me this long to find you. Harriet would never have forgiven me. I've failed you. I've failed my sister. I—" He let out a sharp breath, his fingers tightening around mine. "She entrusted me with everything, and I—" He let out a bitter chuckle, shaking his head. "I’ve betrayed her memory.”“M-Mom is dead?” I felt the hope I had held onto until this moment – hope that my mom could s
Lily POVI don’t know how long it took. I’d lost track of time completely. I didn’t know how long I had stayed and there was practically nothing I could do. At least he was kind enough not to seal my mouth before leaving, but there was no light. I had to rely on my senses. I was thirsty and hungry but I couldn’t trust the food he had placed in the room. I didn’t want to die yet. Just when I thought he would not show up, the door cracked open and he peered in. “Hello…hello…” he sounded happy."You're insane! A complete psychopath! When I get out of here—and I will get out—you're going to regret ever laying a finger on me!" I hurled every insult I could think of at him, my voice growing hoarse from the effort. "My pack will hunt you down like the rabid dog you are!"Lucas just stood there – he didn’t even flinch - watching me, that infuriating grin never leaving his face. His arms were crossed over his chest, his eyes with amusement as if my outrage was nothing more than a child's t
Lily POV"There would have been!" he snapped, his composure cracking for a moment. "We were perfect together. The strongest she-wolf in Golden Moon and its Alpha. It was meant to be."I stared at him, truly seeing the madness that lurked behind those blue eyes. "Lucas, listen to yourself. This isn't you. The Lucas I knew would never do something like this.”His expression softened slightly, and for a moment, I thought I might be getting through to him. Then he smiled, and that glimmer of hope vanished."The Lucas you knew was weak," he said. "He thought he could win you back through, respect and patience." He shook his head. "But you've shown me that doesn't work with you. You need a stronger hand.""This is insane," I said, trying a different approach. "People know where I am. Kai is expecting me at the eastern border. When I don't show up—"Lucas laughed again, the sound making my skin crawl. "Oh, I don't think he'll be looking for you anytime soon."The way he said it sent a fresh
Lily POVPain. That was the first sensation that greeted me as consciousness slowly crept back. A dull, throbbing ache that seemed to wrap around my entire body like a vice. My limbs were stiff, heavy, like they weren’t mine. I tried to move, but a sharp ache lanced through my wrists and ankles.I groaned softly, my head pounding. Darkness surrounded me, thick and suffocating, making it impossible to tell where I was.Where was I? What happened? My eyelids fluttered, struggling against their own weight as I fought to open them. Darkness enveloped me, so complete that for a terrifying moment, I wondered if I'd gone blind. The air was musty and stale, with an underlying scent of damp earth and decay.Had I met Kai yet? Was I at the eastern outskirts of the pack territory? My mind felt foggy, thoughts slipping through my grasp like water through fingers.I tried to sit up, but my body wouldn't cooperate. That's when I realized—my hands wouldn't move independently. They were bound togeth
Lily POVI paused for a minute, trying to school my expression. I didn’t want to worsen the situation than it was already. I hesitated before I showed her the message. "He can't make it here. Wants me to take a cab instead."Celeste threw her hands up. “Unbelievable! He just expects you to—” She groaned. “You are too nice to him.”I laughed. “Or maybe I just understand him.”Celeste rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck in the back of her head. "Typical Kai. Always expecting everyone to accommodate his plans.""He's going through a lot right now," I said, defending him automatically."And you're not?" She gave me one last exasperated look but she didn’t argue further. Instead, she stood up from the bed and helped me zip up my backpack. "Just... be careful, okay? Not just with whatever you might discover, but with your heart."I pulled her into a hug, touched by her concern despite her prickly exterior. "I will. I promise."Together, we headed downstairs. The afternoo
Lily POVI shoved another pair of jeans into my backpack, rolling them tightly to make space. My heart pounded, but I forced myself to focus on the task at hand. The soft rustling of fabric was the only sound in the room—until Celeste let out an exaggerated huff from the bed behind me.“You really shouldn’t be doing this,” she muttered, arms crossed as she watched me. "You're actually doing this," she repeated again. She was sprawled across my bed with her chin propped on her hand. The irritation in her voice was as obvious as the scowl on her face.I continued stuffing clothes into my backpack, trying to keep my hands steady. "I am. You’ve made that very clear, Cel. And it's going to be fine.""Fine?" She sat up, her dark eyes flashing. “Then why are you still packing?”I sighed, zipping up the main compartment of my bag. “Because I have to do this.”Celeste sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. “No, you don’t,” she argued. “Lily, for Goddess’s sake, my brother treated
Lily POVThe drive back to Celeste's house was filled with a heavy silence. Kai's knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel, his jaw clenched tight. I wanted to reach over and touch him, to offer some comfort, but I wasn't sure if he wanted that right now. His mind was elsewhere, probably racing with questions about his past.When we pulled into the driveway, Grandpa Marcus and Grandma Elena were sitting on the porch, as if they'd been waiting for us. They shared a look when they saw Kai's face—they knew what was coming."I'll wait inside," I whispered, trying to give them privacy."No." Kai's voice was firm as he grabbed my hand. "Stay with me, please."I nodded, feeling the tremor in his fingers as they intertwined with mine.We approached the porch slowly. There was no small talk, no greeting. Kai simply stood before his grandparents, his voice breaking slightly when he finally spoke.“I know you both know that I lost my memories from seven years ago. I am beginning to g
Kai POVShe collected the sketch from me again. “To say the truth, I don’t think I’ve seen somewhere like this around the pack. Instead of wasting time and energy searching for the meadow, we could simply go to the pack archives. In my former pack, there’s always a record of everything the Alpha does. Marriages, achievements… that sort of thing.”“That’s true.” I nodded. “Every pack keeps detailed records of significant events. If you lost your memory around a specific time, there must be something in the archives about your first mate, maybe even about what happened."I straightened in my chair. How hadn't I thought of that before? "You're right. The records would have everything – marriages, deaths, significant pack events.""Do you know roughly when you lost your memory?" Lily asked, already gathering her things.I closed my eyes, trying to pinpoint a timeline. "Seven years ago. I was twenty-three."Lily nodded decisively. "Then let's go. The archives will have what we need."The
Kai POVbarely slept after that dream. My mind was a battlefield, torn between the fragments of memories that refused to fit together and the overwhelming sense that I had been played. Manipulated.By who, I still didn’t know.But I was damn sure I was going to find out.The moment the sun rose, I called Lily again to remind her she was supposed to come over to the pack house. She needed to hear this. Maybe if I included her in this pain, she would understand that I wasn’t purposely leaving her out. Plus, she was the only one I could trust right now with this confusion brewing inside me.She didn’t say much over the phone. Just that she’d be at the pack house the next day.Now, as I paced back and forth in the main hall, waiting for her, I could feel my wolf clawing beneath my skin. Agitated. Unsettled.Pieces of my memory had started coming back—bit by bit, like shattered glass trying to form a reflection again. But it was slow, infuriatingly slow.I needed answers. And I needed them
Kai POVI stared at Tobias, his weathered face illuminated by the setting sun. Now that he was up close in front of me, he had a lot of similarities to Lily. The color of their eyes, for instance. Now he was staring at me waiting for me to say something—anything. But I didn’t have a damn clue what to say."A spell?" I repeated, trying to keep my voice even. The words felt foreign in my tongue, unreal even as they registered in my brain. "You're saying someone cast a spell on me?"Tobias nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. "Not just any spell, Alpha Kai. A powerful binding charm, created by a hybrid witch. The magic is... unusual. Ancient. I've rarely seen it's like."I ran my hand through my hair, trying to process his words. My life has been a series of unexplainable misfortunes and pain recently. Could it all be because of some curse?"How can you be sure?" I asked, my throat tight. "That’s ridiculous."Tobias tilted his head. "Is it?"I opened my mouth to argue, to shut hi