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
Lily POVA few days later, I paced my dorm room. My mind was spinning with conflicting emotions. Every interaction with Kai over the last few days, plus what I have learnt some days ago through Celeste’s help, has left me feeling more alienated and uncertain.The mysterious she-wolf had a hold on Kai for show and the revelation that she was being kept unconscious only made my curiosity grow. In reality, the chances of getting caught if I go to the hospital to give her the substance from the vial Celeste had given me was high, but the time for waiting was over—I needed answers.After three hours of planning, I finally came up with a strategy. Picking up my phone, I my fingers trembled slightly as I dialed Kai’s number.“Lily?” his voice was tense as he took the call, as if he was bracing himself for another confrontation.“Hi, Kai,” I began, keeping my tone casual. “I know this sounds awkward and all, and you know me. I’m not the kind of person who will call you out of the blues and…”
Lily POV“What did you say?”Beads of sweat formed on my forehead. Celeste’s voice seemed to be echoing from far off. I wasn’t sure if I still had a smile on my face or something hideous.“They…” she stuttered.“Just lay it to me as it is, Celeste,” I murmured, giving her another expression that I truly hoped was a smile.“They say she’s Kai’s firs mate.”The confirmation hit me like a punch to the gut. I had suspected a mistress, an old girlfriend, a female friend, but nothing had prepared me for this.“First mate? But that’s impossible. Kai never…” I trailed off, swallowing the tears at the back of my throat. “That would explain things now,” I chuckled, swiping at a tear that rolled down my cheeks. “Why didn’t he just tell me? I swear, I would have understood. Why did he make me go through all this trauma of finding out?”“Hey, now!” Celeste placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Don’t jump to conclusions just yet. There’s still so much we don’t know. I am his sister, but I had n
Lily POVThat night, I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Kai’s words replayed in my mind, but so did the doubts and fears that had taken root. I wanted to believe him, to trust that our bond was unbreakable and that we would survive this, but the unknowns were too many.As far as the mysterious she-wolf remained in the background, I feel like there’s nothing that I can do or say that would change whatever was going on between Kai and her, and I can only rest if she’s out of the picture.I turned and tossed for the longest time, unable to sleep. I began to pace my room. My mind was racing with a thousand possibilities. The conversation with Kai earlier broadened my perspective and made me see things differently.The pieces weren’t adding up—Kai’s déjà vu, the mysterious she-wolf’s appearance, Luna Helen’s confrontation that day at the pack hospital… I couldn’t wait around for answers anymore.I have spent too many days and nights feeling helpless, stuck in the middle of mysteries
Lily POVAfter I went up to my room, leaving Kai in the parking lot, half of me had wanted him to leave me alone while the other half desperately wanted him to follow me but as he didn’t do that, nor think it wise to go after me, I decided not to think too much of it.I sat in front of my vanity; my thoughts were spinning like a whirlwind. The fight with Kai still stung. I replayed the scene in my head—his accusatory tone, the coldness in his eyes, and the way he had looked at Coach Jake as if he was a rival.Kai misunderstood everything. That much was clear. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that something deeper was brewing beneath the surface of his accusations. I was not only shocked that he showed up unexpectedly after I had been begging for his attention all these days.I was so surprised at how he acted. Like a doting husband.~~~The next morning, I was working on some school project, a cold cup of coffee forgotten beside me. The early morning air carried the scent of autumn an
Lily POVI froze, trying to process what he meant.“I know this is coming at maybe a wrong time…”“Maybe?” I sighed. “It is a wrong time, Coach. I mean no disrespect, but I don’t see you in that light. I know you’ve been super helpful these few weeks and you’ve helped me go through a lot of emotional stuff, but taking advantage of my vulnerability to tell me you like me? C’mon, Coach…”“It was Jake a minute ago, Lily,” he said sullenly. “And I wasn’t telling you to date me or anything, but I’ve been here for you all this while. I’ve listened to you go on and on about your woes. I liked you, Lily.. from the first day I saw you and I didn’t know you will be Kai’s mate…”“So, what’s the issue now?” I asked.“I just feel you’re not reciprocating the same energy and likeness I have for you. You literally spend the entire day talking about how much Kai has hurt you…”“Yes, because I feel that way,” I interrupted him. “But that doesn’t mean my feelings have changed. Maybe they might have dim
Lily POVNothing changed after that day in the hospital.I tried my best, put in effort to reach out to Kai, but when he wasn’t in the hospital, he was home sleeping, so I stopped trying and I stopped going to the pack house. There was nothing for me there.Since I couldn’t bear to stay idle and bemoaning my situation, I threw myself into training. Over the last few weeks, the training grounds were my refuge, a place where I could channel my frustration into something productive. Coach Jake was always ready to guide me despite his impairment.The training room echoed with the rhythmic sound of my fists hitting the punching bag. Sweat trickled down my temples as I pushed myself harder, trying to drown out the image of Kai sitting next to the she-wolf, gazing at her tenderly.“Push a little harder, Lily,” Jake called out to me, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Your form is getting better. You’re stronger than you think.”I gritted my teeth, ignoring the way my muscles were burning as I w
Lucas POVAlpha Gregory’s reign had to end.I had genuinely thought that waiting for a few more months, gathering allies or something like that would be the better approach, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that he would not change regardless and the more I keep him in power, the more harm would come to Lily.The man’s cruelty, secrets and manipulations had reached a tipping point and I intend to strip him of his power piece by piece until the pack was mine.I leaned back in my chair, swirling my wine glass in midair, allowing it to catch with the light of the office as I went over my plan one more time. My first move was to ensure Alpha Gregory’s strength waned gradually.I was a Gamma—with a Gamma wolf. Although we are better skilled in fighting battles and all, I was no match for an alpha wolf, which Alpha Gregory had. I could slowly buy all the men who are loyal to him to my side, but that would take a much longer process and something might happen in between.So,
Lucas POVI leaned back in my chair in the spacious Alpha office, which I was gradually claiming as my own.Thankfully, Alpha Gregory preferred to womanize, wine and dine these days and was barely paying attention to any pack activities going on. I drummed my fingers against the polished oak desk staring at the intelligent reports spread out in front of me.Some weeks back, I had decided that I would take charge over the security room. I had done it mainly to look out for Lily since I discovered that someone was supplying information about her to Alpha Gregory.Now, the reports were scattered before me – evidence of how close disaster had come. My heart still raced when I thought about it. Lily. My Lily. Had come so close to losing her life all on Alpha Gregory’s orders.I had acted on instinct. I had posed as Alpha Gregory, using the same means he uses to communicate with his contact from Royal Hunters pack. I immediately sent out a counter order.Capture, don’t killThankfully, the
Kevin POVThe abandoned cabin at the edge of the pack territory served as the perfect meeting spot. I inspected the three mercenaries who I had sneaked into the pack the previous days. They were hardened and trained assassins.Spread out on the makeshift table of stones we had placed in the middle of the room were maps of the pack territory and pictures of Lily taken without her knowledge, plus a detailed schedule of her movement over the past few days.“This is your target,” I gestured towards the pictures. “Her name is Lily. She follows the same route from the college every night to her dorm room. It’s usually at ten to fifteen minutes’ walk and she goes through the oak grove.”The leader of the mercenaries, a scarred man who introduced himself to me as Drake, studied the picture for a few seconds and then sighed shaking his head. “Pretty thing. Shame to waste her.”My lips curled. “She’s more trouble than she’s worth it, believe me. I’ve made sure everything is in place for you to