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 was talking to Alpha Rodriguez about renewing our territory agreements when, from the corner of my eyes, I spotted Lucas and Lily talking on the other side of the room. Despite all efforts made by me to concentrate on the conversation, my attention kept drifting towards them.I picked up Lily’s soft voice followed by what Lucas was saying to her – though I didn’t hear it clearly, I saw her smile making me clench my jaw involuntarily.“…and I know this might be too late but is there a chance I could join the coalition for external exports? I declined back then because we had lots of financial issues in our pack but now we are back on track at least,” Alpha Rodriguez was saying.I nodded listlessly, my gaze going back to them. Lucas casually touched Lily’s arms, letting his hand linger longer than necessary. Hud growled with annoyance, I gritted my teeth, holding on to the last shred of my sanity, the only thing that was stopping me from crossing the room at this moment and ya
Kai POVFrom the rearview mirror, I watched Briella's silver car creeping along the street at a measured pace with three cars between her and my car.I had caught a glimpse of her a while ago gripping the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. Beside her, I had seen Kevin, my cousin. They’ve been following me for nearly thirty minutes.At first, I had thought it was a coincidence but after stopping at the supermarket, pretending I wanted something and seeing them following me to park three spaces away from me, I knew I was being tailed.My enhanced senses had picked up Briella’s distinct scent and the sound of her engine from when I had first spotted them. I was on my way to Celeste’s place for dinner with my grandparents and after that go visit Lily. With her hectic school workload, she wanted to make sure she finished up with some of it today so we could have the entire weekend to ourselves.My grandmother had invited both of us but Lily had declined at the dying minute bec
Briella POVMy frustration has been building for weeks.Since that night I followed Kai to his sister’s place hoping to find something incriminating against him, I’ve found nothing. It was either he was careful and must have discovered that I’d been tailing him or it had all been in my imagination and he wasn't doing anything.It was worse that I couldn’t sleep or function or do any of the things I loved to do because I knew something was wrong with him. Not only had he been avoiding me for weeks, he was always busy and every time, it was the same excuses. ‘Pack business’ or ‘territory issues’ And now I’ve been hearing whispers that he was always with someone.The women at his office had been gossiping about it for a while, using it as a way to insult me subtly. I had my suspicions but I needed to confirm. Given Kai’s upbringing, he didn’t seem to me like someone who would settle for someone like Lily.But, I noticed something recently, Kai was always disappearing every dawn and would
Helen POVSleep left my eyes as soon as the call ended.Quickly, I reached for my glasses on the nightstand table and put them on, going straight to my chat with Briella. I nearly threw my phone away with what I saw. Several pictures of Kai kissing a girl that didn’t look familiar to me. There was also a video and after watching the video, it didn’t seem like he was having a fling with the girl in question.I took a deep breath, trying not to get angrier than I already had. I worked so hard to secure the alliance between our packs, put up with a lot, I won’t sit back and do nothing. I dialled Briella’s number, it rang but she didn’t answer when I tried calling the second time, it was switched off.That spoiled brat – she sounded as if she was going to cry on the phone.Sighing, I called Kai… but no response. I even tried to send a mindlink but he was too busy. I shuddered at the image of my son having sex with the woman, shaking my head to clear it off. I stared at my contacts, wonder
Helen POVMy son stood before me radiating his Alpha dominance as he broke the news to me. This would be the second time today that I would hear that my son has a mate.“Mate?” I sighed. “You cannot be so sure, Kai. Maybe there was something about her that triggered you into believing that.”He didn’t answer me and his silence confirmed everything. After he didn’t get his mate when he got his wolf and became a full-fledged adult, I stopped worrying about him finding one but to think that his mate had been in plain sight.“Kai,” I began again, trying to sound reasonable. “We need to talk about this.”He didn’t look at me. “There’s nothing to discuss, Mom.”My lips tightened with frustration as I rose to my feet too, marching up to where he stood. “There’s everything to discuss. I know about Lily, I found out everything about hr and I was hoping that you would deny it even a bit, but to think you brazenly announced her as your mate…. when I know she hasn’t made a decision yet about acce
Kai POVAfter meeting with Lily this morning, a tradition that was fast becoming a habit, I was sure that I was going to have a good day when I got a call from Celeste.Our mother has just left her house and in her own words, she ferreted information from her. If there was something my mom was good at, it was getting information from anyone and Celeste because of her beliefs doesn’t know how to lie.She had sounded so frantic and was begging me to forgive her. To an extent, I was glad that the cat had been let out of the bag and I was surprised that my mom was not acting how I thought she would If anything she didn’t call or send several messages like she would in normal circumstances like this.So, when I got home and saw her sitting in the living room – she rarely comes to this side of the pack house – I didn’t need to be told twice. As I turned to go to my room, she grabbed my arm pulling me back to her.“Fine, give Briella a chance. Go out with her on multiple dates, if you still
Lily POVI was getting ready for bed when Hazel my wolf stirred within me.“Kai, he’s here…” she informed me.“That’s not possible,” I sighed, “He went home, what would he be doing outside my dormitory, it’s late.”“Just check,” she insisted. “I can feel him.”Drawing a long hiss, I pushed myself out of bed and walked to my window which had a bird's-eye view of the entrance of my building. I was shocked when I saw him standing outside the building like he was a sentry.Quickly, I rushed to my phone on the table, wondering whether he called me and I didn’t hear it ring but to my surprise, he hadn’t called either. Throwing on my clothes, I hurried downstairs. We met halfway.His hair was dishevelled, and though his expression was as blank as ever, I could sense something was wrong.“Kai,” I tried not to sound too surprised. “What are you doing here? You could have called me.” I turned to check the hallway hoping no one had stirred when they heard our voices.“I needed to see you,” he sa
Kai POVI’d been awake for hours, just lying here, letting the darkness of my room mirror the darkness in my thoughts. The covers over my head created a cocoon, shutting out the world that I didn't want to face. I had no desire to be Alpha right now, no desire to deal with the responsibilities waiting for me outside these four walls. I was scared that if I took the covers away, thoughts of Lily would fit into my mind and drive me crazy. How I managed to survive four weeks without her warmth puzzled me. In the beginning, I had convinced myself that it was the best thing to do, but I missed Lily terribly. My wolf missed her so much. But the only way to ensure she’ll be safe is to stay far away from her. I didn’t want to keep hurting her. Just as I started drifting back into my thoughts, the covers yanked off me. “Get up!”I sat up, an expletive word on my lips, ready to lash out on whomever was the culprit, only to find my mother standing there. Her face was set in that familiar ex
Lily POVHe didn’t deny it. “You know I have visions? Intuitions that tell me if danger is ahead? I used to have that for a while, but it wasn't like this. There was no vision and..." I trailed off. “Gut instincts. I would sense danger or feel when something was off. But this…” I swallowed hard. “This is different. I saw it happen before it did.”My uncle remained quiet. I wanted to keep speaking when it hit me. my lips parted as I stared at him in horror. If my uncle knew about this, then he must have seen it before. Someone else must have experienced the same thing. “You’ve seen this before,” I whispered His eyes darkened but he didn’t say anything. "You’ve known someone like this before," I continued, my heart pounding faster.He didn’t answer.“My mom?” I started tentatively. “She was like this too?”The look in his eyes told me everything I needed to know, and suddenly the tea in front of me seemed like the most important thing in the world. I wrapped my trembling hands arou
Lily POVI couldn't move. Couldn't speak. I sat huddled in the corner, arms wrapped around my knees, staring at the destruction. The vision. Hazel's warning. It had been real. How had it been real?Celeste was the first to recover. She rushed to my side, crouching down. "Lily, are you hurt?"She started checking me for injuries. “Are you okay? What happened?”I shook my head numbly, barely able to process what had just happened.Grandpa Marcus stepped forward; his face grim as he examined the wreckage. "That wasn’t an accident," he murmured.I barely heard him.All I could think about—Was that I had seen it.Seconds before it happened.And Hazel had known.What the hell was happening to me?I sat there frozen as everyone crowded around me, their concerned faces swimming in my vision. Celeste's hand was on my shoulder, and I could feel the tremors of worry running through her fingers. Everyone was asking questions at once, their voices overlapping into concern that made my head spin.
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 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 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 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 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 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 –