Lily POVAn hour later, we were in the living room, eating from a box of pizza and watching TV but I was hardly seeing what was on the screen. My body was still humming from the aftermath of the intimacy I shared with Kai earlier.Plus sitting next to him now… our thighs occasionally rubbing, our hands brushing each other accidentally when we try to reach for a pizza slice. The tension in the room was building and I could tell, Kai felt the same way too.“What are you doing this weekend?” he asked suddenly breaking the silence.“Rest, probably. It’s been a busy week for me. I intend to also go shopping with Celeste. Do my hair, my nails…” I trailed off and turned to him, he had a sardonic twist on his lips. “What?”“You spend more time with my sister than anyone else. You spent last weekend at her house too,” he complained.“I had to help her with catering. She had friends over and needed an extra pair of hands.”“I’m beginning to think she’s the mate and not me,” he sighed, turning a
Lily POVIt was Kai.“Kai?” I whispered shaking off his hands from my face as I turned on the bedside lamp. “What are you doing here? Is it not morning yet? How did you get into the house?”He rubbed at the back of his neck, taking a hesitant step back. “I have a spare key and I… I just wanted to check on you. To make sure you’re safe. I didn’t mean to wake you,” he stammered, his eyes darting around, avoiding my stare.My eyes narrowed as I folded my arms over my chest. “Safe? You wanted to check on me? At midnight? Kai, I’m in my bedroom, it’s not like I’m outside or anything. You can’t just sneak into my room like this! What if I was naked or something? This is a breach of my privacy.”“I… I know and I’m sorry,” he said sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I just… I worry, that’s all and your door was open, I couldn’t help it.”“That’s not the point!” I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. “You can’t just come in here whenever it suits you because you have
Lily POVI whirled around to find Kai standing in the doorway. His gaze shifted from me to the half-open drawer and immediately, an embarrassed expression and something defiant clouded his features.“Why are my things here? In your drawer? I don’t remember giving you any of these things. You’ve been taking my stuff.”“Not taking,” he corrected, moving into the room. “Keeping. Safe. Why are you here? Are you snooping around?”“I wasn’t snooping. I was bored and decided to look around. I don’t understand, Kai… why do you have my things? What do you need them for? That’s…” I gestured helplessly at the drawer. “That’s not normal, Kai.”“Well, I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it. It was the only way I could stay grounded.”I stared at him, convincing myself that this was all a dream. “You’re not the first person to find a mate. Don’t you think you’re going overboard with everything? Coming into my bedroom, taking my things… it’s not healthy.”“Now you want to lecture me about what’s healthy or n
Lily POVAll my life, I’ve done everything by the books, maybe it was time to break that stifling yoke. Today, I’ll only feed on my desires and nothing else.Swallowing hard, I pushed myself from the wall and walked towards him. When I reached him, I inhaled sharply, grabbed a fistful of his shirt, anchoring myself to him as I stood on my tippy toes and placed a kiss on his lips.“Make love to me…”That was all the invitation he needed. He swept me off my feet, carrying me bridegroom style as we marched to the master bedroom. I wrap my hands around his neck, inhaling his rich scent.In his bedroom, he sits down on the edge of the bed, balancing me on his lap. He buries his head in the crook of my neck, inhaling my scent before he looks up to face me. Close up, I noticed his eyes had flecks of green in time that sparked with an intensity that threatened to consume me.His hands caressed the small of my back as he began to press open-mouthed kisses from my neck, following a straight pat
Lily POVHe kissed my inner thighs, leaving saliva trails in his wake. Then suddenly, I felt his tongue, lick my folds.A surge of electric current passed through me, making me gasp from the intimacy of the act and how awkward it felt at the moment. I tried to move away from him, but he held my hips firmly, keeping me in place.He began to lick my folds, running his tongue up and down, stopping occasionally to flick his tongue on my erect nub. I whimpered, loving the sweet sensations that coursed through my body. Instinctively, I started to move my hips against his tongue, feeling the pleasure in my lower abdomen build up again.His mouth found my erect nub again and he began to suck on it… I screamed, holding his head in place. His right hand moved upwards, reaching for my breast as he squeezed gently, running his thumb on hard nipples, while his left hand before to my butt cheek, squeezing them.I rocked my hips against his face, grounding into him, panting and saying all sorts of t
Lily POV“That was good,” I croaked weakly.I was in Kai’s arms on the bed, with my body aching deliciously as we decided to take a break. We’ve been trying to quieten the burn between us and I lost count at the fifth round.Kai – or was it just Alpha males, didn’t seem to have gotten enough of me. Even now, he was gently stroking my back and I could feel his third leg, pressing warmly against my thigh.“Mmm…” he murmured in agreement pressing a light kiss on my hair. “Are you alright? Do you feel any pain? Or ache?”I chuckled “My entire body is covered with hickeys – your hickeys Kai. I hope they disappear by Monday. It’ll be difficult to explain how I got them.”He leaned away from me, slowly dropping me on the mountain of pillows on the bed as he stared at me supporting himself with his elbow. “We could complete it with my mark,” his eyes strayed to my neck. “Once I mark you, everyone would just assume you had a wild night with your mate.”“And everyone would want to know who my m
Lily POVI stared at my phone screen, my thumb hovering over Lucas’s latest message. It has become a familiar scene over the past few weeks.At first, the messages would come twice a week, but these days, they were becoming more insistent. Waking up with a text from him was fast becoming normal and scary.“Saw someone wearing that perfume you used to love. Made me think of all those nights at our secret hideouts in the forest. Remember?”I did remember and that was the problem. I remembered everything: the good times we shared and then the ugly ending that had left me piecing myself back together. Now, here I was, finally happy with Kai and Lucas’s messages kept appearing like ghosts in my inbox.My phone buzzed again:“I know you’re reading these, Lily. The little read receipts don’t lie.”I cursed under my breath, trembling as I tried to turn off my read receipts in the chat’s settings. This had been his pattern lately – starting with nostalgia, then getting increasingly pushy when
Lucas POVThe meeting hall of the Royal Hunter Pack buzzed with tension as representatives from various packs filed in. The afternoon sun filtered through the high windows, casting long shadows across the polished wooden floor.I stood near the entrance of the meeting hall, my eyes scanning the faces of some of the young women in Kai’s pack bringing refreshments into the hall. She has stopped reading my messages or rather, it stopped getting delivered for over a week now.Despite all my efforts to reach out to her with other numbers, it still wasn’t connecting making me realize that she might have changed her number. Today we were meeting in Kai’s pack… all the werewolf packs in the region to tackle the growing vampire and rogue issue.A few days ago, Moon Star pack was attacked, but for reinforcements from Kai’s pack, No one would have survived. But all of that wasn’t my problem… I was looking for a way to meet with Lily without seeming obvious.Since the meeting was about to start,
Kai POVI paced my study room, a caged animal trapped in my own anxiety. Five days. Lily had been missing for five days, and every moment without her felt like an eternity. The weight of guilt pressed down on me, making it hard to breathe.The door opened and Celeste entered, her expression telling me everything before she spoke a word."The birds couldn't locate her again," she said, shaking her head. "They've searched every clearing, every road within fifty miles."I slammed my fist against the wall, leaving a dent in the plaster. "They must have missed something.""Kai..." Celeste began, but was interrupted as Liam walked in.My beta's face was grim, exhaustion evident in the dark circles under his eyes. "We've combed all the packs within our region. There's no sign of Lily.""That's impossible," I growled, "She couldn't have just vanished."Five days ago, Lily and I were supposed to meet at the border of our pack territory. We'd planned to find Meredith, the old pack healer who ha
Lily POV"I want to feel something," I corrected him. "I want to know if there's any... chemistry between us before we commit to something so permanent.""You never had a problem wanting me before," he murmured."That was before," I replied softly. "Before everything fell apart."Lucas seemed to consider this, his eyes never leaving mine. "And if I can't arouse you?""Then you give me more time," I said simply. "Time to develop those feelings naturally."He was silent for a long moment, and I feared I'd overplayed my hand. But then he smiled, and there was something almost boyish in his expression—as if I'd presented him with a challenge he couldn't resist."I accept," he said finally. "But no games, Lily. You have to be honest about what you feel.""No games," I agreed, ignoring the bitter irony of the promise. This entire situation was a game, one with my freedom—possibly my life—as the prize.Lucas stood and extended his hand to me. "Shall we begin now?"My heart hammered against m
Lily POVFor a second, I couldn’t breathe. The room felt like it spun beneath me.He said it so casually, like it was the simplest thing in the world. Like he wasn’t talking about changing my life forever, about chaining me to him in a way I couldn’t undo.A mating mark was permanent, sacred—it would bind me to Lucas forever. Not even Kai and I have gotten around to marking each other and now Lucas wanted to mark me... No other wolf would touch me once I carried his mark. I would be his ultimate claim.I struggled to keep the horror from showing on my face. "You… you want to mark me?" I echoed, hoping the tremor in my voice would be interpreted as excitement rather than revulsion."Yes," he said, his fingers trailing down my neck to the spot where shoulder meets collarbone—the traditional place for a mating bite. "You'd be mine, Lily. Completely and totally mine."“I wanted to do it back then but you haven’t gotten your wolf then and the whole thing that followed afterwards. But now
Lily POVAfter I heard the definitive click of the door’s lock, I immediately got to work. I tore at the tape covering my mouth, wincing as it pulled at my skin. Finally, I managed to peel it off, gasping for air.My mind raced as I tried to make sense of everything. Lucas hadn't taken me to Golden Moon as he'd said. We were somewhere isolated, somewhere no one would think to look. The packs were territorial—they rarely ventured far from their lands. If we were truly in neutral territory, as Lucas suggested, my chances of being found decreased dramatically.I got up from the bed and rushed to the window, pulling back the thin curtain. Nothing but darkness greeted me, along with the occasional headlights of a passing car. The house appeared to be on some highway, surrounded by nothing but trees. No landmarks I recognized, no signs indicating where we might be.Letting the curtain fall back into place, I sank down onto the edge of the bed. I needed to be smart about this. Lucas had mad
Lily POVA few hours later, he returned. I had showered and rested at least. As soon as I heard the key rattle in its lock, I sprang into a sitting position, I couldn’t give him the notion that I was enjoying my stay. When he finally entered the bedroom, he paused at the doorway as his eyes roamed the room before finally landing on my face. “You’re dressed?” he asked stepping inside but still leaving the door open. “As you can see,” I muttered, rising to my feet and smoothening the yellow dress I had seen in the wardrobe. “What now?”“C’mon, Lily,” he tried to reach for me but I took a step backwards. “You don’t have to be mean to me. I’ve tried to give you everything you want and need. The least you could do is appreciate me. Is it too much to ask for?”“You’ve done nothing that needs my appreciation, Lucas,” I said squarely. “What next? Please tell me.”He wanted to say something but decided against it. “Dinner. I guess you’re hungry. You didn’t touch the meal I placed in the bas
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