Lilyâs POV
I walked slowly inside the room as I closed the door gently behind me. I knew Alpha Darius' stare was on me as I looked up at him. He was seated at the edge of the King-sized bed placed in the right corner of the big room, close to a large window that flooded the room with rays from the moonlight which made the room bright.
I couldnât help but admire the beauty of the room, the room was neatly arranged as an Alphaâs room should look like. I never had the opportunity to enter the room ever since Alpha Darius moved in after his fatherâs death. I knew life wouldnât have been the same if he hadnât lost his memories during the war which led to the killing of his family. I walked closer towards the bed as I pressed my feet against the soft carpet covering the floor.
We looked at each other in silence for a while before I finally lowered my gaze to the floor as I tried to figure out why he invited me to his chambers. My heart began to beat fast as he walked closer to me, and my mind flashed back to when he kissed me on my lips along the hallway and I quickly stepped backwards.
âWhat is he up to this time?â I asked myself with confusion etched on my face. I wondered if he had begun regaining his lost memories of my relationship with him before the war. As I closely examined his eyes, I noticed that the look on them was not a pleasant one.
His eyes were burning in anger as I looked at him. I felt a sudden panic surge through my body as I wondered if he was going to punish me for the kiss. If I could remember he was the one who kissed me first, he made the move first.
I couldnât figure out the reason behind the anger etched on his face. He looked at me fiercely as if he was going to tear me apart the next moment. I tried to hide my fear as I still managed to keep a straight face as though I didnât notice the anger etched on his face.
âIs there anything you are hiding from me, Lily?â He asked, his voice low but deep breaking the silence in the room.
I moved two steps away from him close to the door as I tried to create a breathing space for myself before I answered his question.
âI don't seem to understand what you mean my lordâ I replied, my voice barely audible.
Confusion was etched on his face as his countenance changed slowly, his facial expression seemed to soften a bit. He walked towards the window and looked out into the garden filled with beautiful flowers as though he could find the answers to the question he asked me on the flowers.
âI mean⊠Why do I feel different around you? Why does my wolf tend to get excited whenever you are around me?â He queried, his gaze still fixed outside the window.
âI have no idea what you are talking about, my lord.â I replied sharply, my heart was beginning to beat fast. I knew it was a lie. I clearly understood what he was saying because I also felt the same way whenever I was around him.
I knew he was my fated mate, but he had no idea because he lost his memories. I can't start telling him the truth since he doesn't remember anything about me before he lost his memory, we used to be close friends.
âWhy do I feel like you are hiding something from me, Lily?â He asked, raising his voice a bit as he turned to look at me. He relaxed his back on the window while he faced me as he folded his arms across his chest. He looked me straight in the eyes as though he was going to compel me to tell him everything I know.
âI mean you are not the only female in this palace but my wolf always yearns for your presence, my wolf is always excited to be around you. I know something is not right, I just can't figure out what is actually happening to me.â He remarked.
I felt the urge to speak up but it was as though the words got stuck in my throat, I just stood looking at him in silence. I couldn't even look him straight in the eyes, my gaze was still fixed on the floor. I feared he might sense that I was lying to him.
âIâm sorry my lord, I don't know anything about what you are talking aboutâ I lied again, my tone laced with fear. I was already getting anxious.
He moved away from the window towards me and placed his two palms on my shoulder. I was lost in thoughts as images of the sweet memories we shared before he lost his memories started flashing back.
âDo you mean you don't feel anything whenever you are around me? My presence doesn't stimulate any feelings at all?â He questioned as he looked at me closely in the eyes as though the answer to his question was written in my eyes.
âI don't feel anything at all.â I replied, my tone laced with certainty. I felt a pang of guilt as I uttered the statement. I began to feel uncomfortable lying to him and I felt suffocated in the room, I just wanted to go out of the room and take in some fresh air.
âThis is a misunderstanding, my lord.â I asserted, my voice soft and calm.
Confusion was etched on his face as he looked at me suspiciously, it was as though he wasn't impressed by my response. He took his palms off my shoulder. The thought of Selene suddenly came to my mind.
I knew she wouldn't be happy if she discovered that Alpha Darius invited me to his room. She had tried her best not to allow him to remember any memory of me at all. She always ensured I kept my distance from him as far as she could. She made life so unbearable for me in the palace and always treated me differently from other maids working in the palace.
The thought of what she might do to me if she finds out Alpha Darius invited me to his chambers elevated my heartbeat. I looked at him and noticed that he wasn't ready to let me go out of his room. I began to think of how I could leave the room without upsetting him.
âWhat about the kiss?â He questioned suddenly, his voice interrupting my thoughts. âHow did you feel when you felt the touch of my lips on yours?â He continued, as he lowered his tone.
The words hung in the air as my body stiffened, I wasn't expecting him to mention anything about the kiss. I just wanted to run out of his chambers. I had a feeling that whatever he was hitting at might not end well for me.
He moved closer to me as he pressed his thigh against mine, he touched my chin gently and lifted up my face and my gaze met his own. My body stiffened and my heart began to pound loudly. He lowered his face against mine as he moved his lips closer to mine. I closed my eyes.
I suddenly heard the loud sound of the door and I quickly opened my eyes. It was Selene, she stood at the door with a shock expression clearly written on her face as she held the door knob.
Lily's POVI had never realized how extensive the cave system was, it seemed to penetrate deep into the mountainside, a gullet big enough to swallow us all if some giant beast had freakishly evolved to munch on humans. They had borne me through several apartments of a very modern aspect, placed me on a wooden bedstead somewhat of the Posture of our Field beds, and left me in a large room, where a few small Stones an Inch or two in length and breadth served as windows, within the space of ordinary panes, and by them I knew when it was day or night.Theyâd taken off my gag when we were deep enough that thereâd be no one to hear my shouts, however the ropes that bound my ankles and wrists were tight enough to cut off circulation. I was sitting against the cold stone wall while they were getting ready for whatever they were going to do with me."The best site," the Girl said critically, surveying the cave. "Remote, difficult to get to, and the local fauna will dispose of any... specimens.
Darius's POVThe war room had turned into a command center within hours of finding Lily gone. A map of the terrain had consumed all available space, pinned with colored markers to show areas that had been searched, potential hideouts, and the last places where our searchers had been. In the middle was Captain Marcus standing on the table, moving the army around in the woods by directions over the air.âReport from Team Three,â he said, reading from a message that had just come in. âThey picked up the tracks of the cart for about two miles to the northeast and then lost it at Rocky Creek. The soil gets too hard to accept a wheel print beyond that.â"Agreed," I responded stoically, looking over the map and the pockets of the grid we had already checked. It was now six hours after we realized Lily was gone, and we had sent out every available guard in neatly organized search patterns, yet nothing but stone-cold trails and false leads had been found.âWhere are Teams Four and Five?â Becau
Chapter 193Siennaâs PovâHey man, can we talk?âAshton called out from a distance.Adrian was still holding onto me. He responded to him âIâll see you in a few. Just give me some timeâ.Adrian rubbed my hair and whispered into my ears âYouâre gonna be okay, alright? Go in and take a shower okay? Youâre sweating Siennaâ.The preparations continued in earnest. Just when we thought that everything was working perfectly, we woke up to a very disturbing situation. That morning, as I got out of my bed, my phone notifications beeped.. Still in my sleepy state, I yawned and sulked âWho the hell is that? Itâs too earlyâ.I struggled to get out of the bed and into a sitting position. I reached for my sidestool, accidentally knocking the phone from the stool to the floor. âFuckâ.I stood up and reached for the phone on the floor. When I successfully carried it, I raised it to my face and pressed the power button by the side. The news my eyes saw made my heart leap very fast almost out of my c
Darius's POVMargaret's frightened confession had brought to light the extent of the plot against Lily, but not its author. Was not willing to give under even the full weight of my Leading. Goodbye Ceceliaâ and that is when it happened, on her sweet lips, a mutual name was spoken. Her allegiance was as admirable as it was maddening.âPut her in the dungeons,â I'd told Captain Marcus. âNo visitors, no contact with anyone until she feels like being more open with facts.âBut by the hours after Margaret was arrested, my wolf was getting restless. The uncompleted mate bond between me and Lily was eerily silent, for once that silence was welcome; the voices in my head coming from it were a constant torment. "I need to tell her," I said out loud in my empty den, the words clawing the back of my throat like shattered glass. âWhatever Iâve done to her, I cannot stand by and let her be killed by someone else while I cower like a craven.âThe very idea of going to find her felt as if I had bee
Darius's POVWhen I entered, the grand hall seemed like a tomb, packed with drawn pack faces, their very lives contingent upon my ability to step up and lead them through the crisis. Captain Marcus was next to the head table on one side and Dr. Matthews and three senior pack members were on the other side, expressions grave as they spoke about the hunting accident that had taken three of our own.I straightened my spine and stitched firmness into my voice as I neared, but each step felt like trudging through quicksand. The defective mate bond thrummed with Lily's rage and determination, and something else I didn't recognize, something that made my wolf itching and jittery under my skin.âReport,â I snapped, trying to sound more authoritative than I actually was.The three hunters had been chasing down a rogue bear by the eastern border, started Captain Marcus, his grizzled face pinched in distress. âThe animal came out of nowhere and attacked them. Thomas Blackwood, broken leg and gas
Lily's POVSomething fundamental had changed inside of me during my visit to the old prison cell. Where I used to wear my heartbreak like an open wound, it had turned hard and brittle â a diamond-sharp clarity that cleaved down through years of confusion and self-doubt.Now I knew why the Luna mark had never gone away, why I'd never turned my back on Darius despite every logical reason to loathe him. The unfinished mate bond was a shackle that linked us, keeping us pinned together in hell and neither could find peace until it was fulfilled⊠or until it was severed once and for all.âHe didnât mean to let me go,â I thought as I scrubbed the floors at the old grain storage building. What an asshole, right? This still doesn't excuse him doing what he did, but I think he knew, even when he told me to get out of his life, even when he put me in stasis, that I needed to be bound to him forever by more than a debt so I'd be a burden rather than an ally.I should have been an eruption of rage