Chapter 3

LILA

I walked out of the Packhouse, on the verge of tears, after the heated altercation, and didn't looked back. The crushing acceptance of Lyric's death, my father's apologies and Tyler's disgusting proposal- they were driving me nuts.

I was about to step into the car when I heard the familiar clink of bells coming from behind, followed by a feminine voice.

"Lia." The voice called out, stopping me in my tracks.

I turned and saw Aethera ambling towards me with purpose. Her gray hair was tied back into a loose braid, and a pale crystal pendant rested on her chest.

"Aethera," I gave a curt bow, trying to muster a modicum of respect, despite the storm inside me.

"I need to speak with you before you go. This is important." She looked somewhat crestfallen.

I looked at my driver, then back at her, hoping she wasn't here to drop another bomb on me.

"Okay."

The woman stepped closer, her eyes darting around nervously, which was very unlike her.

There was a brief pause.

"Lila, I lied to your father and the Pack years ago."

My gut churned from the rising foreboding. "What?"

She nodded. "It's about your sister. The Moon goddess never chose Lyric to be the Luns of the Pack." She said slowly, shockingly smitten. "Lila. It was always you."

Emotions ranging from shock to anger followed, and it took a while before I finally found my voice. "You're lying. Again. Tyler sent you to brainwash me into thinking I'm meant for this."

She shook her head. I could see the pain flash across her features when I'd called her a liar. I didn't care, because she was a liar. "No, girl. Not this time. I let greed guide me. Lyric gave me something. An ancient artifact from your mother’s collection. Something sacred. I was weak. I let her buy her destiny."

I didn't realise how badly my hands were shaking until I tore my gaze away from her, choking with hatred.

"So... this was all your fault. My sister died because of you. Because if you did the right thing, she would have been free from whoever killed her. And not just that. You let me live in shame, you let me believe I was nothing. You have no idea how much I want to hit you right now." I snarled, repressing the urge to yell at her and wring the life out of her throat.

"I know." She said, head bowed. "And I will carry that guilt forever. But the Moon Goddess has spoken to me again. I also have good news, Lila."

I sucked in a deep breath, raising my face to prevent the tears from falling. "I don't care. You can go to hell with your lies." I lowered myself into the backseat and was about to slam the door when she roared at me.

"The goddess said you must marry Alpha Tyler."

That was a lie, right? I wanted to believe it was a lie, but disregarding the directives of the goddess or her messengers were often fatal. Right now, I wanted to disregard everything that came out of her mouth because she'd already lost my respect for her.

"Excuse me?"

The smitten look had vanished, and in its place was a sinister, serious look, like that of a statue carved from stone. "You are meant to rule. But you cannot do it alone. Tyler is the other half of the path."

No. No way this was true. It had to be a ploy, carefully constructed to fool me. And I'd be damned to fall for it. I laughed bitterly in her face.

"The same man who cheated on me? Who threw me out like garbage? You want me to marry him?"

"The future of the Crescent Pack depends on it." She said matter-of-factly, not seeming to care about my story. "Really? Like I could give a shit if this Pack burns. You go back to the goddess and tell her, if she was really the one who gave you this message, that I have a family now and I'd like to be left alone."

Her face turned an angry crimson in an instant.

"How dare you speak about the goddess in that regard? Watch your tongue, Child, or the goddess will bring down her wrath on you!"

I scoffed. "No, I don't think so. Liars and manipulators like you and Tyler deserve to face the wrath of the goddess. This is the last time we'll be having this conversation."

Her face was grim now. "Trust me, this is not the last time we'll be having this conversation. You're afraid, so you push it away. But you'll return, Lila. That child will bring you back to this place. And next time, it won't be an argument. It will be surrender. And when you return... the price of your pride will be heavier than you can carry."

There was a certainty in her tone that sent a chill skittering down my spine, but I slammed the car door close and the chauffeur drove me back to Raven Pack right after. I looked out the window most of the time, watching the trees blur past.

My mind was spinning. Aethera’s words felt like poison. I hated her. I hated that Pack. But more than anything, I wanted to be back here with my family. When we pulled into the driveway, however, Jackson was standing by the door, looking so worried. He strode towards us the moment he saw the car.

"Don't you have your phone?" He asked the moment I stepped out, looking so pale. I'd never heard him sound so stressed before. In my haste, I'd left it behind.

"No... what's going on?"

"It's Gavin. He's not well. I got a call from his school an hour ago. He was rushed to Central City hospital."

My whole body froze. "What do you mean?"

He sighed, "He collapsed at school. I have been calling your number but you left your phone. Where have you been?"

I didn't wait. I grabbed his arm and got back into the car. "Central City hospital." I barked. "Right now."

"Already called ahead," Jackson said, trying to keep calm but I could see the panic in his eyes. The fear. It scared the wits out of me.

I spotted the doctor near the nurses' station once we were inside the hospital. "I'm his mother. Gavin Greg. Where is he?"

"Mrs. Greg. He's in ICU. We're doing everything we can."

"Can we see him now?"

He didn't meet my eyes, just shook his head. "I'm sorry. Not yet. He's... he's unstable again. We need to wait a little longer."

I felt like I'd been rammed into a brick wall. "Please, I just need to hold his hand. Just for a minute. He needs to know I'm here. Please."

He looked at me pitifully. "If we let you in now, it could make it worse. His body's not responding to any kind of stimulation. It's like... it's shutting down."

I pressed my face into my palms. My skin was hot with fear. This couldn't be happening.

This couldn't be real. He'd been full of energy this morning when he brought me my phone. Now they wouldn't even let me see him.

What if I never got to see him again?

Then, in the middle of the storm inside my head, a memory came hurtling back. I remembered Aethera’s words.

"Trust me, this is not the last we'll be having this conversation. You're afraid, so you push it away. But you'll return, Lila. That child will bring you back to this place. And next time, it won't be an argument. It will be surrender. And when you return... the price of your pride will be heavier than you can carry."