The Promise Under the Full Moon

Lily POV

My feet pounded the ground as I tore through the forest, cold air biting at my skin. But the sting of the chill couldn’t compare to the ache in my chest. I had run far from my uncle’s cabin, desperate to escape the suffocating prison that had become my life.

I kept running until I reached the old, broken-down house. My parents' home. I hadn't set foot here in years, but tonight, it was the only place I could think of. The last refuge, even in its decayed state. The memories of them, of love and warmth, were all that made me feel like I still belonged to something.

I hesitated before pushing the door open, the creak of wood like a whisper from the past. Dust filled the air as I stepped inside. The furniture was broken, the walls were cracked, but it didn’t matter. I could still hear echoes of my parents’ laughter, and feel the safety of my father’s embrace. I had been happy here once. That was enough.

Collapsing onto the floor, I leaned my back against the splintered wall, tears burning in my eyes. The weight of everything came crashing down—the anger, the loneliness, the helplessness. My chest tightened as sobs wracked my body. How had everything gone so wrong?

“I miss you,” I whispered into the empty air, the words breaking as they left my lips. “Why did you leave me with him?”

I wiped my eyes, trying to focus on the happier times, but the pain was too much. They were gone. My parents, the warmth of this home, the love that made life bearable. I was stuck with a man who saw me as nothing more than a tool to break and control. There was no escape. No future.

Eventually, exhaustion took over, and I slipped into a restless sleep, right there on the cold floor. In my dreams, I was back with them—my parents, their arms wrapped around me, their smiles so full of life. But the peace was fleeting. Darkness crept in, pulling me back to the reality I so desperately wanted to avoid.

I woke to the sound of footsteps. My heart raced as I blinked awake, my vision slowly clearing. The shadow in the doorway made my stomach drop.

My uncle.

“Well, well, well… what do we have here?” His voice dripped with mockery as he stepped inside, his broad figure blocking the morning light. “Running away to your dead parents’ house? Pathetic.”

I shrank back instinctively, pressing myself against the wall. My breath hitched in my throat as I tried to stammer a response. “I didn’t… I just…”

“You what?” His eyes gleamed with a twisted amusement as he stepped closer, his boots crunching over broken glass. “Thought you could hide out here? Forget your place?”

My pulse quickened. There was no point in running now. Nowhere else to go, no one to save me. I had nothing left but to beg.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, the words choking in my throat. “I didn’t mean to disobey. I just needed to think. Please… I’ll do whatever you ask.”

A cruel smile tugged at his lips as he crouched down, his hand roughly grabbing my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes. “You’ll do whatever I ask?” His voice was low, dangerous. “Now that’s more like it.”

His grip tightened, and I winced, but I didn’t pull away. I had to play along and make him believe I would be obedient. Survival meant giving in, for now.

“I swear,” I choked out, my voice barely steady. “I’ll be good. Just… Please don’t hurt me.”

He let go of my chin and stood, pacing slowly around the room. The silence was suffocating as he considered my words, his dark eyes never leaving me.

“The Full Moon Celebration is in two days,” he finally said, his voice almost casual.

My stomach twisted. Of course, he would bring that up. The Full Moon Celebration—the one time of year when the pack gathered for the unmated wolves to find their fated partners. A time for alliances, for new bonds. But it was also a time of power and status. And I had neither.

His smirk widened as he saw the fear flash across my face. “If you find a mate, someone with power… well, maybe I’ll forgive you,” he sneered. “Maybe I’ll even treat you well.”

My breath caught in my throat. This was it. My way out. If I could find a mate with enough power, like Jake Carter—the son of one of the most respected Alphas in the pack—I could escape. I could finally be free of him.

“You’ll let me go?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

He leaned against the doorframe, his smile never faltering. “If you find someone worthy, yes. But don’t get your hopes up, girl. You’re hardly anyone’s first choice.”

The humiliation burned deep, but I swallowed it down. I wouldn’t let him see me break.

“I’ll do it,” I said, forcing my voice to stay strong. “I

**I’ll find a mate.**

My uncle raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by my sudden resolve. He hadn’t expected me to fight back, not even like this. “We’ll see,” he muttered, turning to leave. “Two days, Lily. Don’t disappoint me.”

The door creaked behind him, and as the heavy silence settled in the room once more, I felt my body tremble. Two days. That’s all I had to find someone—anyone—who could take me away from this nightmare. My heart pounded in my chest as I thought of the Full Moon Celebration. It had always been a grand event for others, but to me, it was now my only lifeline.

But my uncle wasn’t done.

He paused at the door and glanced back at me, his gaze colder than the night before. “If you don’t find a mate,” he said, his voice dripping with venom, “don’t bother coming back. Because I won’t be as forgiving.”

The threat lingered in the air long after he was gone, suffocating me. For the first time in years, the weight of my future pressed down on me so heavily I could hardly breathe. This was it. This was my one chance to escape him. But how? How could I find a mate—one strong enough to stand up to my uncle, to protect me—when I felt so broken inside?

I sat there in the silence of my parents’ abandoned home, staring at the cracked walls and the remnants of a life long gone. Slowly, I stood and stepped out into the morning light. The sun was just beginning to rise, casting long shadows through the trees, and the cold air made my skin prickle.

I glanced back at the house, memories of love and warmth now mingled with the cold reality of the world I was trapped in. As I turned away from the ruins of my past, something stirred within me.

For the first time in years, hope flickered—small, fragile, but alive.