Kai POVThe night air was cold against my face as I raced through the forest, my wolf form allowing me to move silently between the shadows. Liam's warnings, my sister, even my own voice of reason – told me this was reckless. Dangerous, possibly stupid but I didn’t care. Lily was gone and Lucas was the only one I could think of who’d be cowardly – and obsessed – enough to pull something like this. Seven days without Lily. Seven days of torture, imagining the worst. I would no longer wait for diplomacy or protocol.I slowed as I approached the border of Golden Moon territory, my nose detecting the subtle shift in scent markers. Crossing another pack's boundary uninvited was a violation of every treaty between our kinds, but I no longer cared about politics. Only Lily mattered.Shifting back to human form, I pulled on the dark clothes I'd carried in a waterproof bag strapped to my wolf's body. The Golden Moon pack house stood in the distance, grand and imposing against the night sky. L
Kai POVMy body slammed into Lucas with the force of a freight train, sending us both crashing through his office door. Wood splintered around us as we tumbled into the room, locked together in a tangle of limbs and fury. The desk caught my hip as we fell, pain flaring up my side, but I barely felt it through the red haze of rage.Lucas twisted beneath me, using the momentum to throw me off. I rolled and sprang back to my feet just as he did the same, both of us circling each other in the confined space."You've lost your mind," Lucas spat, a thin line of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Breaking into my territory, attacking me in my own home—"I lunged forward, cutting off his words with a right hook that connected with his jaw. The impact sent a shock up my arm, but the satisfying crunch told me I'd landed it perfectly. Lucas staggered back, his eyes widening with genuine surprise."Where is she?" I demanded again, following up with a left jab that he barely dodged.Lu
Lily POVThe mirror in the bathroom of my bedroom was the only thing keeping me sane. Lucas had showed up two days ago, bruised and thoroughly injured. He had tried to force himself on me. He had tied me up and tore my clothes, while screaming that Kai would never have me. I had cried and begged and promised, but all my pleas had fallen on deaf ears. Just when I thought he would finally
Lily POV"I—I don't know what you mean," I stammered, trying to pull away, but his grip was like iron.In one fluid motion, Lucas shoved me backward, sending me sprawling onto the bed. The key slipped from my grasp, still attached to the chain around his neck."You think I'm stupid?" he snarled, looming over me. "You think I can't tell when you're playing me?"
Chapter 151Kai POVI stood in front of the French window of my office, my breathing ragged, blood was still seeping from the wounds Lucas had inflicted. Vanessa had sent me pack to my pack earlier after reluctantly agreeing to help search for her sister after seeing the evidence of Lucas's betrayal, but we had no solid leads on where he might have taken Lily.
Kai POVI had no time to dwell on it. The silver wound on my flank burned like fire, joining the chorus of injuries from my fight with Lucas. But Lily needed me, and nothing would stop me from reaching her."Kai!"I turned at the sound of my name, surprised to see my cousin Kevin rushing through the trees toward me. He came to an abrupt halt as he took in the scene—two dead assassin
Lily POVEverything hurtBrightness. That was the first thing I became aware of—a harsh, glaring light that seemed to pierce straight through my eyelids. Pain followed, radiating from what felt like every inch of my body, a dull, persistent throb that intensified with each shallow breath.I tried to open my eyes, but they felt sealed shut, heavy and uncooperative. My mouth was dry,
Kai POVDarkness covered me like a heavy blanket, thick and suffocating. I tried to open my eyes, to move, to breathe, but my body wouldn't respond. Was I dead? Did I fail to protect Lily? Did that bastard take her again? I tried to listen again for Lily’s voice, wishing I could just open my eyes. But all I could hear was something—distant beeping, muffled voices, and beneath it all, a familiar heartbeat. Lily. My wolf stirred at the sound, but we remained trapped in this void between consciousness and oblivion.Then, like a projector flickering to life, images began to form in the darkness. A forest, bathed in afternoon sunlight. The scent of pine and earth filled my nose, so vivid I could have sworn I was really there. My men flanked me in formation as we tracked rogue scents through the forest.Three years ago. Before I had met Lily. Before my memories shattered.The dream swept me into the scene completely, and suddenly I was there, living it again as if for the first time.I was
Kai POVDarkness covered me like a heavy blanket, thick and suffocating. I tried to open my eyes, to move, to breathe, but my body wouldn't respond. Was I dead? Did I fail to protect Lily? Did that bastard take her again? I tried to listen again for Lily’s voice, wishing I could just open my eyes. But all I could hear was something—distant beeping, muffled voices, and beneath it all, a familiar heartbeat. Lily. My wolf stirred at the sound, but we remained trapped in this void between consciousness and oblivion.Then, like a projector flickering to life, images began to form in the darkness. A forest, bathed in afternoon sunlight. The scent of pine and earth filled my nose, so vivid I could have sworn I was really there. My men flanked me in formation as we tracked rogue scents through the forest.Three years ago. Before I had met Lily. Before my memories shattered.The dream swept me into the scene completely, and suddenly I was there, living it again as if for the first time.I was
Lily POVEverything hurtBrightness. That was the first thing I became aware of—a harsh, glaring light that seemed to pierce straight through my eyelids. Pain followed, radiating from what felt like every inch of my body, a dull, persistent throb that intensified with each shallow breath.I tried to open my eyes, but they felt sealed shut, heavy and uncooperative. My mouth was dry,
Kai POVI had no time to dwell on it. The silver wound on my flank burned like fire, joining the chorus of injuries from my fight with Lucas. But Lily needed me, and nothing would stop me from reaching her."Kai!"I turned at the sound of my name, surprised to see my cousin Kevin rushing through the trees toward me. He came to an abrupt halt as he took in the scene—two dead assassin
Chapter 151Kai POVI stood in front of the French window of my office, my breathing ragged, blood was still seeping from the wounds Lucas had inflicted. Vanessa had sent me pack to my pack earlier after reluctantly agreeing to help search for her sister after seeing the evidence of Lucas's betrayal, but we had no solid leads on where he might have taken Lily.
Lily POV"I—I don't know what you mean," I stammered, trying to pull away, but his grip was like iron.In one fluid motion, Lucas shoved me backward, sending me sprawling onto the bed. The key slipped from my grasp, still attached to the chain around his neck."You think I'm stupid?" he snarled, looming over me. "You think I can't tell when you're playing me?"
Lily POVThe mirror in the bathroom of my bedroom was the only thing keeping me sane. Lucas had showed up two days ago, bruised and thoroughly injured. He had tried to force himself on me. He had tied me up and tore my clothes, while screaming that Kai would never have me. I had cried and begged and promised, but all my pleas had fallen on deaf ears. Just when I thought he would finally
Kai POVMy body slammed into Lucas with the force of a freight train, sending us both crashing through his office door. Wood splintered around us as we tumbled into the room, locked together in a tangle of limbs and fury. The desk caught my hip as we fell, pain flaring up my side, but I barely felt it through the red haze of rage.Lucas twisted beneath me, using the momentum to throw me off. I rolled and sprang back to my feet just as he did the same, both of us circling each other in the confined space."You've lost your mind," Lucas spat, a thin line of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Breaking into my territory, attacking me in my own home—"I lunged forward, cutting off his words with a right hook that connected with his jaw. The impact sent a shock up my arm, but the satisfying crunch told me I'd landed it perfectly. Lucas staggered back, his eyes widening with genuine surprise."Where is she?" I demanded again, following up with a left jab that he barely dodged.Lu
Kai POVThe night air was cold against my face as I raced through the forest, my wolf form allowing me to move silently between the shadows. Liam's warnings, my sister, even my own voice of reason – told me this was reckless. Dangerous, possibly stupid but I didn’t care. Lily was gone and Lucas was the only one I could think of who’d be cowardly – and obsessed – enough to pull something like this. Seven days without Lily. Seven days of torture, imagining the worst. I would no longer wait for diplomacy or protocol.I slowed as I approached the border of Golden Moon territory, my nose detecting the subtle shift in scent markers. Crossing another pack's boundary uninvited was a violation of every treaty between our kinds, but I no longer cared about politics. Only Lily mattered.Shifting back to human form, I pulled on the dark clothes I'd carried in a waterproof bag strapped to my wolf's body. The Golden Moon pack house stood in the distance, grand and imposing against the night sky. L
Kai POVI was losing my mind. Every second Lily was gone gnawed at my sanity like a slow, merciless poison. 24 hours turned into days – empty, quiet, suffocation. Hud – my wolf paced inside me, restless and growling, demanding I do something. But what could I do when we had no trail, no scent, no damn clue?I hadn’t marked her either, so there was no bond to feel her.Even now, sitting in this damn meeting, I couldn’t focus. The voices of y advisors droned on like a bee buzz. They were all talking about the welfare of the pack, patrol routes, finances, rogue sightings, a minor land dispute. None of it mattered. Not when Lily was out there – alone, scared or worse. Liam nudged me. This should be the thousandth times. I gave him a glare and tried to return my attention to the meeting. The finance director was talking about an investment. I tried to follow but got lost along the way.Suddenly, the pen I was holding snapped between my fingers, black ink splattering across the contract