CHAPTER 5: CROSSING A LINE(PART ONE)

ELIZABETH'S POV 

The whole pack was alive tonight.

Music pounded through the big open hall that served as both community center and party space for our pack. Lights glowed low, casting shadows that danced along the walls. The smell of roasted meat and spilled beer filled the air, mixing with the wild energy of wolves celebrating a victory on the ice.

The team had won, which meant everyone was riding the high. Wolves were clapping each other on the back, girls were laughing in clusters, drinks sloshed as people toasted. It was the kind of night where rules softened and lines blurred.

But I couldn’t focus on any of it.

Not when I could feel him here.

Phillip.

I hadn’t even seen him yet, but I knew he was somewhere in the room. My wolf stirred restlessly, tugging at me, the same way she always did when he was close. No matter how hard I tried, I could never fully ignore that invisible tether between us.

I stuck close to Reagan at first, my brother distracted by his teammates and already halfway into his second beer. He was laughing, surrounded by noise, not paying much attention to me. Which was exactly what I needed.

I didn’t want him to see the way my eyes kept scanning, searching the room for someone else.

And then I found him.

Phillip stood across the hall with a drink in his hand, surrounded by a group of players. His dark hair was damp from his post-practice shower, curling at the edges of his neck. His broad shoulders were tense, his jaw sharp as he laughed at something one of the guys said.

I froze, my chest tightening.

God, why did he have to look like that?

Why did my heart have to trip over itself just because he existed in the same space as me?

I forced myself to look away, focusing instead on the music. A fast song pulsed, people cheering as someone grabbed another beer from the keg. My friends pulled me toward the crowd, but my body felt heavy, like it wanted to root itself exactly where I was.

Because the longer I stood there, the more I felt his gaze burning into me.

And sure enough, when I risked another glance, Phillip’s eyes were locked on mine.

Dark. Intense. Like they always were when he thought no one was watching.

My stomach flipped.

I looked away first, heat crawling up my neck.

It didn’t matter how many times he avoided me, how many excuses he made, I knew.

I wasn’t stupid.

I felt it when he was near. The way his presence filled every corner of my chest. The way his wolf called to mine, low and insistent, every time we got too close.

He could keep pretending, but I wouldn’t. Not tonight.

“Come on, Liz!” one of the girls tugged my arm, pulling me into the dance floor. I let myself go for a while, swaying to the beat, laughing when someone spun me around. But my eyes betrayed me again and again. No matter how hard I tried, they always found Phillip.

And each time, his gaze was waiting.

I lost track of how many times our stares collided, how many times my wolf whispered, Go to him.

So when I finally turned and found him standing only a few feet away, separated from the crowd, my breath caught.

He wasn’t smiling anymore. His face was unreadable, but his eyes, they burned.

“Hey,” I said, louder than I meant to, because the music thudded around us.

He didn’t answer right away. Just studied me, his jaw tight, knuckles flexing around the bottle in his hand.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” I blurted before I could stop myself.

His shoulders stiffened. “I’m not…”

“Yes, you are.” I stepped closer, ignoring the way my heart raced. “You’ve been avoiding me since forever. You think I don’t notice? You think I don’t see the way you look at me and then suddenly can’t get away fast enough?”

“Elizabeth…”

“No.” My voice cracked, but I didn’t back down. “I’m done pretending. I know you feel it too.”

His nostrils flared, his wolf close enough I could sense it.

The pull between us was a living thing. Thick. Heavy. My skin buzzed under it, my wolf pacing in my chest.

He leaned closer, voice low so only I could hear. “You don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“Yes, I do.”

“You don’t.” His tone was sharp, but the flicker in his eyes betrayed him. “You’re my best friend’s sister. You think this is simple? You think I can just…” He broke off, shaking his head.

“I don’t care what you can or can’t do,” I shot back. “I care that you act like I don’t exist when you know damn well I do.”

His breath caught, chest rising and falling hard.

For a second, neither of us spoke. The noise of the party faded around us, replaced by the pounding of my heart.

Finally, he muttered, “You should go back inside.”

But instead of listening, I grabbed his wrist.

His eyes flashed, wild and hungry.

“Walk me outside,” I said, daring him. “Unless you’re too much of a coward.”

Something inside him snapped. His lips pressed into a thin line, and without another word, he set his bottle down and grabbed my hand.

He didn’t lead me gently. He tugged, almost rough, weaving through the crowd until we stepped into the cool night air.

The door swung shut behind us, muting the music.

The silence was worse.

The air crackled between us, sharp and dangerous.

Phillip turned to me, his face shadowed under the porch light. His breathing was uneven, his wolf practically clawing at the surface.

“Why do you keep pushing me?” he demanded, his voice low and rough.

“Because you keep running.” My own voice shook, but I forced the words out. “And I’m not letting you run anymore.”

His chest rose and fell hard.

“Do you even realize what you’re asking?”

“Yes,” I whispered. “I’m asking you to stop lying.”

His eyes darkened, and then he was moving, one step closer, then another.

Until there was barely any space left between us.

I could feel his heat, the strength in him, the storm in his chest barely held back.

“I can’t,” he muttered, almost to himself. “I shouldn’t…”

“Then don’t think,” I whispered.

That was all it took.

The dam broke.

His mouth crashed against mine, hard and desperate, like he’d been holding back for years.

The kiss was fire, my whole body lighting up, my wolf howling with victory. My hands grabbed at his shirt, pulling him closer, while his arms locked around me, strong and unyielding.

There was nothing gentle about it. Nothing careful.

It was hunger. Need. The kind of kiss that stripped away every excuse, every lie.

When he finally tore back, both of us were breathing like we’d run a marathon. His forehead pressed against mine, eyes shut tight, like he was fighting himself.