Novels by A. O. Love

Lily’s POV The music stops mid-note, conversations dying so fast it almost feels unnatural. I stare at him in shock, his arm locked firmly around my waist while heat pours from his body against mine. “M-Mine?” I repeat weakly. His dark eyes never leave mine. Behind me, Lionel moves first. “What the hell are you doing?” he snaps, grabbing my arm sharply. “Get your hands off her.” The stranger finally looks away from me. Several wolves near us lower their gazes instantly. Then one of the envoy members beside him steps forward carefully. “Alpha Leon,” the man says quietly, almost cautiously. “Perhaps this should be handled with more restraint.” My breath catches. Alpha. No. No way. The ballroom erupts into whispers almost instantly. “Alpha Leon Valcrest?” “One of the Tribunal Alphas?” “Oh my god…” “The Black Hollow Alpha…” Fear spreads through the room so quickly I can almost feel it physically. Alpha Leon Valcrest. One of the three ruling Alphas

Lily’s POV His hands rested on her waist while she pouted down at him, fingers playing lazily with the collar of his shirt. “I still hate this,” she mutters. “Why does the engagement announcement even have to happen tonight?” Lionel sighs tiredly. “Scarlett.” “I’m serious.” She leans closer. “I’m tired of hiding.” Lionel brushes his hand along her thigh. “It’s temporary,” he says calmly. “You know that.” “And Lily?” Lionel barely hesitates. “She’s the Alpha’s daughter,” he says simply. “The engagement guarantees my position as the official heir. After I become Alpha, everything changes.” I stop hearing the rest. My chest tightens so painfully that I can barely breathe. The two people I trusted most. I should walk in there and demand an explanation. Instead, I stumble backward silently before either of them notices me. I turn and run. I don’t even realize I’m crying until I taste salt on my lips. I don’t know how long I run. At some point, my visio

Lily’s POV I step closer carefully again. “Can you let them help you?” For a second, I genuinely think he’s going to refuse again. Then he finally leans back against the stretcher. The doctors waste no time after that. The entire time they cleaned and stitched his wounds, I stayed beside him because every single time I moved too far away, his body tensed again. It takes nearly an hour before they finally manage to sedate him properly. Only then do I step outside the room. Lionel is waiting in the hallway, arms crossed tightly over his chest. The second he sees me, his expression hardens. “What exactly were you thinking?” I blink tiredly. “What?” “You went to the cliffpoint alone.” “There wasn’t time to wait.” “There are guards for a reason, Lily.” “I was trying to help someone,” I reply quietly. “That’s not the point.” I stare at him for a moment. “You’re going to be Luna soon, Lily. You can’t keep acting recklessly. So many Alphas from other pack

Lily’s POV “We would’ve died without him.” I pause. “What?” The injured wolf pushes himself up slightly with a wince. “The black wolf.” Several others nearby go quiet immediately. “He came out of nowhere,” another mutters. “Huge thing. Bigger than any wolf I’ve ever seen.” “He tore through the rogues by himself.” I frown slightly as I move toward them. “Who was he?” They all exchange uncertain looks. “No idea,” one finally admits. “Never seen him before.” “He got hurt protecting us,” another adds quietly. “One of the rogues stabbed him.” “Where is he now?” I ask. Silence. Then one of them swallows hard before answering. “The cliffpoint near the eastern river.” My chest tightens immediately. “He fell?” “We think so.” His face twists with guilt. “The rogues attacked again and by the time we got there, he was gone.” I am already turning around before he finishes speaking. “Lily?” one of the nurses calls after me in confusion. I look toward one

Lily’s POV “But Lionel, you promised you would pick me, and we would spend some time together before my party tomorrow…” I trail off as I hear a heavy sigh coming from the other end of the phone. I bite my lips, knowing what that sigh meant and what usually came next after it. “You’re being childish, Lily,” I roll my eyes at the all too familiar expression, but stay silent nonetheless. “I have a lot to do and I can’t just drop everything at your whims. You may not know this, but the pack cannot run itself. As the future Alpha, I have a lot of responsibilities and I cannot shirk them.” “But…” “Your father expects a lot from me, you wouldn’t want me to disappoint him, would you?” I let out my own heavy sigh, “No…” “That’s my girl. We’ll see each other tomorrow, okay? Happy birthday, Lily.” I open my mouth to respond, but he has already ended the call. I stare at the phone in my hand, before tossing it carelessly onto the bed and flopping backwards into my bed and pulling