LOGINLily POV
The door handle turned once. Then twice. Then again, more forcefully.
Nathan and I stood frozen in the center of his bedroom, our eyes locked on that slowly turning handle. My heart hammered so hard against my ribcage that I thought it might break through. Nathan had positioned himself slightly in front of me, his body tense and ready to fight.
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Lily POVThe door handle turned once. Then twice. Then again, more forcefully.Nathan and I stood frozen in the center of his bedroom, our eyes locked on that slowly turning handle. My heart hammered so hard against my ribcage that I thought it might break through. Nathan had positioned himself slightly in front of me, his body tense and ready to fight.
Lily POV"I didn't mean it has to happen now or anything," Nathan added quickly, misreading my silence. "I know it's way too soon to be talking about this. I just wanted you to know that when I think about my future now, I see you in it. In every part of it."I turned in his arms to face him fully, setting the mug of tea down on the balcony railing. Then I kissed him, pouring all the gratitude and affection and desperate need to feel wanted into that kiss.
Lily POVI was curled deep into Nathan's arms, my body fitting against his like we were two puzzle pieces designed to connect. The room was dark except for the faint moonlight streaming through the window, casting silver shadows across the bed. We'd spent the evening making out, kissing until our lips were swollen and our breathing was ragged, touching each other with growing urgency.But when things had started moving toward something more intimate, something had stopped me. Some invisible wall I couldn't quite name had made me pull back, and I'd whispered that I wasn't ready yet.I'd expected disappointment. Maybe even frustration. But Nathan had simply kissed my forehead and said, "We have all the time in the world. I'm not going anywhere."That response had made me want to cry with relief. He respected my boundaries without making me feel guilty about them. After everything I'd been through with Kai – the rejection, the pain, the constant feeling of not being enough – Nathan's pat
Kai POVWe walked quickly away from the arena, heading toward the pack house where we could better coordinate our response. That's when I saw Celeste hurrying toward us, surrounded by a murder of crows that flew in tight formation around her head.She looked terrified."It's an attack," she said breathlessly as soon as she reached us. "Two separate forces coming from different directions."My heart dropped. "Explain.""The border with Golden Moon pack has been breached," Celeste said, her words tumbling out in a rush. "They're approaching quietly – the birds say they're trying to stay undetected. And on the North side, there's a strange group of wolves that don't belong to any pack the birds recognize. They're the ones who killed our border patrol.""Numbers?" I demanded, my mind already racing through tactical options."The birds counted about six hundred wolves total," Celeste said. "And Kai... they're all heading in the same direction. Toward the pack house."Six hundred wolves. Th
Kai POVI wanted to die.That was the only thought that kept running through my mind as I stood in the arena, surrounded by celebrating pack members who had no idea that their Alpha was barely holding himself together. My heart palpitated with every beat, each thump against my ribcage sending fresh waves of pain through my entire body.The pack doctor had examined me this evening after I'd finally stopped struggling against the warriors who'd held me down. His diagnosis had been grim but expected: it would take days, maybe even months, for the pain to subside. I wasn't just grieving for myself – I was grieving for my wolf, Hud, who howled constantly in the back of my mind, and for Lily, my ex-mate, whose pain I could still somehow feel echoing through the severed bond.Ex-mate. The words tasted like ash in my mouth.My mind kept wandering to her, no matter how hard I tried to focus on the ceremony happening around me. Where was she? Was she safe? Was she in pain like I was? Moons, if
Celeste POVKai laughed again, that same hollow sound. "I don't know what I want anymore, Celeste. I don't know anything anymore."Our mother, who was walking a few steps ahead of us with her usual regal bearing, suddenly turned and glared at both of us. Her eyes were sharp as daggers, and the message was clear: be quiet, stop drawing attention, behave yourselves.Kai and I both fell silent immediately, years of conditioning making us obey without question. When Mother turned back around, I leaned closer to my brother."Lily didn't want to break up either," I whispered urgently. "This is all Mother's fault. She manipulated everything, pushed you two apart—""It doesn't matter," Kai said, his voice flat and emotionless. "The decision was for the best."I paused mid-step, staring at him with surprise and disbelief. "For the best? You're going to throw everything away just because Mother—""What would you have me do, Celeste?" Kai turned to face me fully, and for the first time, I saw th







