Chapter 7

Lukas’s POV

I heard her before I saw her. My wolf became alert, that familiar pull in my chest when Lily was close. She was heading towards my house, footsteps light, just as they always were. But then… I felt it. A shift in the air. A threat. My wolf growled, warning me. Something was wrong.

I bolted out the door without thinking, letting the wolf take over. I ran through the trees, faster than I thought possible. The sound of her steps slowed. Then, they stopped.

“Lily!” I called out but got no answer.

My heart pounded loudly in my chest as I pushed through the trees, out of the corner of my eyes thanks to the bright light of the full moon, I saw her, she was—on the ground, choking, gasping for air. Her hand reached out, eyes wide and terrified.

“No… no, no, no…” I said as I sprinted to her, I dropped to my knees beside her.

“Lily, hey… I’m here. It’s okay, I’m here.”

She tried to speak, her mouth opening but only desperate, horrible gasping sounds came out. I grabbed her shoulders, pulling her into my lap. She kept trying to talk, her eyes locking onto mine, pleading with me. Her body shook violently, her breaths coming in sharp, broken gasps.

“Come on, Lily. Breathe… please, just breathe!” My voice was shaking, fear making my hands shake as I tried to check her for injuries. There was nothing—no blood, no wounds.

What the hell was happening?

Her fingers curled around my arm, and she made another sound, half a word maybe before her eyes fluttered and her body went lax.

I froze.

“No!, Lily, don’t do this! Please don’t do this to me! Stay with me!.” I shouted pressing her chest trying to get her to breathe anyway I could.

“Come on, Lily, come on…” The word poured out from my mouth, broken and hollow, but even I knew that the very essence of Lily was gone, her chest had stopped moving long ago, and her eyes… just stared back at me, empty.

She wasn’t… she couldn’t be gone. She was just here. She came to see me. She was trying to tell me something.

I ran my hands over her face, trembling. “Lily…please say something” I whispered, but the silence that followed was deafening.

The heat was starting to leave her body already, her body growing heavier in my arms as reality crashed down on me. She was gone. My baby sister, the only person in this world who loved me and still cared for me, was gone because I couldn’t save her… she was dead. Just like that.

I don’t know how long I sat there, holding her, staring down at her lifeless body in my arms, feeling numb. I should’ve been faster. I should’ve sensed it sooner. I should’ve saved her.

But I didn’t.

After what felt like hours, I forced myself to stand. My hands shook as I picked her body into my arms, holding her like I did when we were kids when she’d fall asleep in my lap after a long day and I would carry her to bed. Her head rested familiarly against my chest, her once-bright eyes closed forever.

I walked back toward the house, my legs felt like a brick, and every step felt heavy. The air felt thick, suffocating, my heart raced and felt tight against my chest but I couldn’t stop. I had to bring her home. Cole… he needed to know. Sybil… the pack… they all needed to know.

When I reached the clearing, the pack house stood like a dark shadow in the distance. I could hear the others moving around inside, unaware of what I was about to bring them.

The moment I stepped into view, someone gasped.

“Lily? What’s wrong with her?” A voice came from the doorway. It was Sybil.

I said nothing. I couldn’t even if I tried. My throat felt like a balled fist and all I could do was keep walking.

By the time I reached the porch, the pack was gathered, a wave of whispers sweeping through them. Cole was the first to reach me. He froze when he saw her in my arms, his face paling as if all the blood had drained from his body.

“Lukas… what… what happened?” His voice barely above a whisper as if he was scared of my answer to his question.

“I don’t… I don’t know,” I answered , my voice coming out as a croak. “She… she was coming to see me. I… I found her like this, I think she’s d…ead”

Cole’s face filled with pain, tears filling his eyes as he fell to his knees in front of us. His hands shook as he gently touched her face. “Lily… no… no… oh my god… no. Not you too”

Sybil let out a loud sob from behind him, collapsing onto the porch, her whole body shaking. The others stood back, stunned into silence, some murmuring prayers under their breath. The pack had lost their new Luna. Less than a week after burying her parents.

Behind me, I could hear the whispers begin to spread.

“What happened?”

“Was it an attack?”

“Who would do this?”

I could feel their eyes settling on me, the weight of their gazes burning into my back.

“She was with Lukas, The bastard son… it could have been him for all we know.”

My wolf growled low in my chest, but I kept my head down, focusing on her still face, trying to block out their gossip. I couldn’t deal with them right now.

Then, someone finally voiced it out.

“Maybe he did it”

The words were soft, a whisper among the crowd, but they cut through me like a blade. I lifted my head, eyes narrowing.

“What?” I said, my voice was low

“He’s always envied his sister, hasn’t he?” another voice chimed in, louder this time. “Maybe he did it to take over. The alpha’s bastard—now he’s trying to be the alpha.”

I stared at them, disbelief mixing with raw anger. How could they even suggest that? Lily was my sister. My only surviving family.

“You think I’d do this?” My voice shook from barely controlled rage, but I forced myself to stay still and not give in to the urge to tear them apart like I wanted to. They didn’t answer my question, but I saw the answer in their eyes, the accusation.

I looked towards Cole, but he looked away pretending like he hadn't heard what was being said.

“She was coming to tell me something,” I said quietly, mostly to myself. “She found something out…”

“I didn’t kill her, I swear to you,” I said firmly, meeting Cole’s eyes. But even he looked uncertain, his grief clouding his judgment.

Someone had made sure she couldn’t speak, they had killed her to protect themselves. I would find out who did this. And when I did… they would pay. Whoever took her from me was going to regret it.

Cole’s next words brought me back to the present.