Kai
"What now?" she repeated, her voice rising with indignation. "You just gave the most lackluster welcome performance I've ever witnessed! That poor girl traveled hundreds of miles to meet you, and you treated her like she was a tax collector!"
"I was polite," I replied evenly. "I followed proper protocol."
"Protocol?" my mother sputtered. "This isn't a business transaction, Kai
Kai"What now?" she repeated, her voice rising with indignation. "You just gave the most lackluster welcome performance I've ever witnessed! That poor girl traveled hundreds of miles to meet you, and you treated her like she was a tax collector!""I was polite," I replied evenly. "I followed proper protocol.""Protocol?" my mother sputtered. "This isn't a business transaction, Kai
Kai POVI wanted the ground to just open up and swallow me whole. Despite telling my mother in the plainest words ever that I would not be personally greeting Isabella Richardson, despite my explicit instructions to send a driver and security detail instead, here I was standing on the tarmac like some eager suitor waiting for his arranged bride to arrive.The whole situation had spiraled out of control when my mother discovered my refusal to participate in her welcome committee. My mother had gone into a frenzy. She had cried and wailed until her voice was sounding from every part of the pack house. She had reminded me of other Alpha’s and how they always did what their mother’s told them, then recited how she’d spent sleepless night taking care of me until adulthood. And the final straw that broke the camel’s back was when she brought up my father. “I know your dad must be rolling in his grave now, Kai. How can you embrass our family this way?” she had sobbed, dabbing at her eyes.
Kai POVAbe's eyes lit up with a smile. "Alpha Kai, it is such an honour to work with you! I’ve heard so much about you, and your mom is one of my treasured customers. When she told me she wanted me to style you, I was on cloud nine. Thank you for having me.”“I wanted to tell him that he was wrong about me wanting him to be here, but I held back and just nodded my head.Your mother has told me so much about this year's gala," he continued, "and I must say, I've prepared quite an exquisite collection for the occasion."He gestured dramatically toward the clothing racks behind him. "This year's theme—'Unity, Prosperity, and Alliance'—requires a precise aesthetic approach. You'll need to change your appearance three times during the evening to represent all three cardinal points that the gala celebrates properly."I glanced at my mother, who was watching our exchange with a satisfied expression. The theme she'd chosen was perfectly political—designed to emphasise cooperation amongst pac
Kai POVLiam was quiet for a moment, apparently processing the implications of our limited options. "How long do you think you can maintain this separation from Lily?" he asked finally.The question has always left me disoriented. I stared into a space for a while before shrugging and replying, "As long as necessary," I said, though the words felt like lies even as I spoke them. "However long it takes to find a solution." "And if we never find one?" I stared at him, unable to voice the possibility that had been haunting my nightmares. A life without Lily, watching her from afar but never able to hold her, touch her, share the simple intimacies that made the mate bond so precious. It was a painful future I didn’t want to contemplate. "We'll find one," I said with more conviction than I felt. "We have to." Liam studied my face, seeing through my forced hope. "For what it's worth, I think you're doing the right thing. It's not easy, but protecting her is more important than your happ
Lily POVI stared at the mountain of paperwork covering my desk, trying to force myself to focus on budget approvals and territorial agreements that required my immediate attention. The quarterly financial reports alone needed three signatures and detailed review, but my mind kept wandering to thoughts of Lily despite my best efforts to concentrate.Was she safe? How were her classes going? Had she forgiven me for what happened by the lake? The questions circled endlessly through my mind, making it impossible to focus on the tasks at
Lily POVThe bus ride back to pack house felt longer than usual, giving me too much time to think about what answer to give Jason. By the time I reached my stop, I was mentally exhausted.As I walked up the winding path to my quarters, I spotted Emma pacing frantically on the front porch. She looked disheveled. Her hair was escaping from the carefully packed bun at the back of her head and was wringing her hands with in anxiety.