Kevin POVI woke up with a mild headache and a dead arm.When I turned, Briella was curled next to me, snoring gently. I smiled, pushing back her hair as I stared at her face. I had to give it to myself, I had a knack for sleeping with only the best women. I couldn’t believe I’d added my uncle’s collection to the pile.Stretching, while trying not to wake her, I slowly roused, placing her head gently on the sofa and rose to my feet. Padding barefoot, I crossed the room to the tiny kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. Just as I tried to pour myself a second glass, Briella stirred.She groaned in pain, holding her head as she slowly adjusted into a sitting position.“Oh, my head!” she groaned again.I poured her a glass of water, grabbing some aspirin from the kitchen drawer as I came towards her.“Drink this,” I said quietly “It’ll help.”She raised her head to see me and then I saw everything in her eyes. From surprise to rage and then to panic as her eyes scanned the room, pro
Lucas POV“…And may I get a report on how our warriors are suppressing the rogue alert we received a few days ago in our lower villages?” I asked staring at the Pack’s Gamma. Gamma Leo.“I was going to hand that in tomorrow, Alpha but since we’re all here, I might as well say it. Well, our warriors were able to quell it. Although they haven’t been able to drive out all the rogues terrorizing the area, they’re working hard to do it.”I nodded, satisfied.“That’s okay. Give me more updates on it and let me know when the other items arrive. Thank you all, let’s close the meeting.”I rose to my feet, while the others rose, giving me a curt bow before they filed out of the room.I dropped back on my chair, letting out an exhausted sigh, these days I’ve been working extra hard. One of the ways I knew I could bring Lily back to Golden Moon was to take charge of the affairs of the pack. So that, neither her father Alpha Gregory Stone nor her sister Vanessa would be in the way.Since I couldn’t
Lily POVThe words hit me like a punch to the gut. I froze, my hand hovering over a jar I’d been about to place on the shelf. “What?” I asked, unable to hide the surprise in my voice.He was watching me closely now with a blank look on his face. “You heard me. Vanessa and Lucas are holding their mating ceremony soon. Guess he’s moved on from his little obsession with you.”My stomach twisted. The idea of Lucas being with Vanessa felt… strange. I wasn’t jealous – far from it. But Vanessa was the exact opposite of who Lucas was. She was wild, the kind of wild I didn’t know if he could handle. They were so mismatched – different personalities and all.Kai tilted his head, studying me. “You don’t seem too upset about it,” he remarked.I shot him a strange look. “Why would I be? Lucas and I are ancient history.”His smirk faded, replaced by a more serious expression. “Then why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”My gaze dropped to the floor. “Of course, I’m worried about Vanessa my sist
Lily POVI tried not to react.Normally, a wolf’s scent wouldn’t linger on another unless they’d been intimate – sexually. The idea was wild but it made a strange kind of sense. Briella had been unusually quiet since her sudden departure from the pack – there’s been nothing on her socials and Kevin seemed different.Were they now dating?My eyes narrowed slightly as I stared at him. He must have noticed my probing gaze because instantly, his expression hardened into something more cautious. “What?” he asked warily.“Nothing,” I shook my head, trying to mask my surprise. “Just… thinking.”He crossed his arms. “Thinking about what? Come on, tell me already. You didn’t just come here to read, did you?”I hesitated, my mind still trying to to understand what could be going on between Kevin and Briella but it wasn’t in my place to pry – at least not now. Instead, I decided to change the topic.“I don’t see any books in your hand. This is not your regular hangout, Kevin. What are you doing
Lily POVDeciding not to think too much, I started sorting through the files.A moment later, I look up to find the old woman staring at me not when pity but in admiration. Her eyes crinkled with warmth.“You’re a hard worker,” she remarked “Just like your mother.”The mention of my mother made me pause again. I looked up at the woman, feeling my curiosity piquing. “You said before you knew her,” I said quietly. “On my first day in your office, you told me. What did you mean?”The old lady smiled but didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she adjusted her glasses and began arranging some papers on her desk. “Your mother was a remarkable woman,” she said finally. “Strong, kind and full of determination. You remind me of her.”My chest tightened. It wasn’t much, but any scrap of information about my mother felt like a lifeline. “How did you know her?” I pressed.The woman sighed, leaning back in her chair. “We crossed paths many years ago, in a different time and place. I'm afraid I can’t
Lucas POVToday was my mating/marking ceremony with Vanessa Stone – Lily’s sister.This was the only way I knew I could lure out whatever secrets Vanessa and her father were hiding. This way, I’d be able to help Lily and when she discovers the lengths, I’ve gone to get her, she would appreciate me more.The pack gathered in the packhouse compound with a few visitors as guests. I had insisted I didn’t want anything flamboyant. Since the union will not be lasting, I wanted to make sure none of the guest would leave with an impression that what we had would be together forever.The air was thick with the scent of freshly turned earth. I stood tall at the makeshift altar with the Moon Priest who would join us. My dark eyes scanned the crowd until they landed on Vanessa who was walking towards me. Her eyes were still puffy from crying as I had cancelled most of her last-minute add-ons. Still, she managed a smile.She wore a simple white dress, her hair cascading down her back. She was beau
Lily POVFor me, the last two weeks have been hell.The frustration from my mounting school work, Kai’s distance - basically fourteen days of scattered text messages and brief phone calls that felt more like an obligatory check-in than conversations with him and his excuse was ‘I’m busy, Lily. I have a lot of work piling up. I’m sorry.’At first, it was not a big deal for me since I was busy too with schoolwork and all but I was beginning to miss him so much.So tonight, I decided, I’d had enough of waiting for him to come to me. If he couldn’t make time for a date, I would bring the date to him. After classes, I packed an overnight bag and drove to the pack house, hoping to surprise him.The house was quiet when I arrived. Usually, Kai didn’t like servants in his living quarters of the pack house. They only came in to clean the house, make his food etc., so I wasn’t surprised. I settled myself in and then headed straight to the kitchen, an idea already forming in my mind.Kai’s favou
Kai POVI stretched lazily, slowly coming awake.This was the best sleep I’ve had in a long while. As I yawned and stretched some more, my initial grogginess faded making me notice a soft and steady breathing beside me. Turning my head, I was shocked to see Lily lying beside me. Her hair was spread across the pillow, she looked like a baby in her sleep.I closed my eyes trying to remember when she came in, then slowly, everything came to me. She welcomed me last night and told me she made my favourite meal. Sighing, I reached out to push back a strand of hair on her face.She looked so serene, so perfect, that my heart gave an unexpected lurch.My wolf – Hud stirred within me as a primal need surged through me urging me to pull her closer and bury myself in her scent. The thought of that alone was intoxicating but I clenched my fist and forced myself to take a deep breath. This wasn’t the right time – not when I was battling my own uncertainties and hidden memories.Sliding carefully
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 –