Troubled.

Chapter 3

Lilian POV:

I tore it open, unfolding the letter with trembling hands.

"Dear Lilian,

I hope this letter finds you well. I apologize for my abrupt departure earlier. It was not my intention to upset you further.

I realize that seeing me must have brought up painful memories and emotions. I want you to know that I never meant to hurt you all those years ago. I was young, foolish, and blinded by my responsibilities as an alpha.

But now, my father's health is deteriorating, and we are in desperate need of a doctor. Lilian, you are the only one I trust to help him. Our pack doctor does not have the expertise needed to treat his condition.

I understand if you are still angry and do not wish to come back. I know I have no right to ask anything of you after what I did. But I am begging you, Lilian, please find it in your heart to help us. I am willing to do anything to make amends and make things right between us, for the sake of my father. He has always cared for you like a daughter, and I can't bear to see him suffer like this.

If you're willing to help us, meet me at our old spot in the woods tomorrow night at midnight. I'll explain everything then.

I know this is a lot to ask, and I will respect your decision either way. But please think about it. We need you.

Please, Lilian, I'm desperate. I can't lose my father.

With sincerity,

Lucas."

I stood there, the letter slipping from my fingers as tears welled up in my eyes. The flood of emotions was overwhelming. How could he expect me to just forget the pain he had caused and come running back to the pack?

But I couldn't ignore the plea in his words. The thought of his father suffering, of the pack in need, tugged at my heartstrings. Could I really turn my back on them, on him?

I wiped away my tears, my mind racing with conflicting thoughts. I needed to make a decision, and I needed to make it soon.

"I had even forgotten to close our small gate," I said to myself as I flipped through Lucas' letter. "That's unlike me."

Suddenly, I saw my husband's car enter our dealership. I quickly tried to figure out a way to get rid of the letter before he got out of the car.

Damien got out of the car and approached me. "Hey, babe. How are you?" he asked, giving me a kiss. " You look ... Pale." He said looking at me.

I tried my best to hide my panic.

"I'm...fine," I replied hesitantly. "You know, you should really stop with your stupid diagnoses. I'm a doctor too, remember?"

We laughed, but my mind was still elsewhere. I couldn't help but think about the letter I had to get rid of before Damien saw it.

We entered the house, but my mind was still elsewhere. As soon as we walked through the door, my triplets Liam, Landon, and Lana came running to say hi. "Daddy!" they shouted, throwing their arms around Damien.

"Hey guys, how was school today?" Damien asked, giving each of them a hug.

"It was good! We learned about dinosaurs!" Liam exclaimed.

"Dinosaurs are so cool!" Landon added.

"I drew a picture of a T-Rex!" Lana chimed in.

"That sounds amazing!" I said, smiling at their excitement. "Now let's go eat dinner."

As we sat down to eat, I tried to act as if everything was normal despite the envelope burning a hole in my pocket. After dinner, I put the triplets to bed .

The next morning, after i dropped the kids off at school, I found an identical envelope in my car. The handwriting was the same as the one I was desperately trying to get rid of.

This time I didn't read the contents of the letter anymore, I tore it open, my hands shaking with anger.

"What does Lucas want from me?" I yelled, crumpling up the letter and throwing it onto the seat next to me.

As I drove to work, my anger boiled over. A passerby looked at me through the windows of my car and I shouted at him. "Mind your own damn business!"

It caused him, causing him to flee.

He fled frightened, well done for him .

"What's happening, Lil?" my colleague asked as I barged into the hospital.

"I don't want to talk about it," I snapped at her, still feeling riled up.

I poorly handled treatments for patients, almost resulting in the death of a patient. My colleagues were outraged, surprised by my lack of focus.

"What's wrong with you, Lilian?" my coworker asked. "You're never this sloppy. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I lied. "Just a little distracted."

The afternoon, as I walked through my triplets' school, I spotted Lucas charmingly chatting and laughing with my son, Landon. I didn't waste any time and marched straight to them.

"I don't want you near my son ," I commanded Lucas.

Lucas lifted his head and flashed a mischievous smile, " what's the problem?" he asked.

"Stay away from him," I repeated firmly.

Lucas turned back to Landon. "It's crazy how much this little one looks like me physically, don't you think?" he said, rubbing Landon's head.

My heart felt like it was about to jump out of my chest. Did he know that Landon was his own son? I was taken aback but remained composed, not revealing anything to Lucas.

I managed to keep calm despite the storm of emotions going on inside me.

"No he doesn't look like you, he'll never be like you," I trampled angrily.

Lucas backed off a little, sensing my anger. "Hey, I was just joking. Don't get your panties in a twist," he said.

I took a deep breath and asked Landon to go pick up his two other brothers from their classes. As Landon left, I turned to Lucas with eyes full of anger.

"What do you want, Lucas? Why are you constantly harassing me?"

"I just want you to come back to the pack," Lucas said calmly.

"I'll never go back to the pack. And you have no right to harass me or my children," I snapped back.

Lucas paused for a moment before sighing, "Look, I'm sorry for making you angry. I just thought you could help look after my father. He's not doing well."

"I'm sorry about your father but that doesn't mean I'm going to come back to the pack," I replied firmly.

He took a step closer, his expression pleading. "Please, Lilian, my father's condition is worsening. He needs your healing abilities. You're the only one who can save him." Desesperation was etched on his face.

I swallowed hard, my heart torn between the memories of the pain he had caused me and the compassion I still felt for his family.

"I made a mistake, Lil," Lucas said, his voice filled with regret as he looked down.

I raised an eyebrow at him, not willing to let him off easily. "And what mistake was that, Lucas?"

"I was young and foolish," he continued, his eyes pleading for forgiveness. "I thought I knew what I wanted, but I was wrong. I never stopped caring about you, even when I pushed you away."

I scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "Oh, you never stopped caring about me? That's funny, because it sure didn't seem like it when you left me broken and alone."

Lucas winced at my words, clearly feeling the weight of his actions. "I know, Lil. I messed up. But can't you see that I need you now?"

I shook my head, my heart aching at the thought of being pulled back into the pack and all the memories that came with it. "Words are cheap, Lucas. You can't expect me to forget all that pain and hurt just because you need me now."

"But my father..." Lucas trailed off, his eyes filling with tears.

I sighed, feeling the weight of the situation weighing on me. "I'm sorry, Lucas. I'm not the 19 year old girl you left behind. I've changed, and I'm not willing to come back to the pack. My decision is made."

"I told you not to talk to strangers," I scolded Landon as we hurried away from the school.

"But he seemed friendly," Landon protested.

"It doesn't matter. We don't talk to strangers," I replied firmly.

I quickly ushering my children into the car.

Once we were all seated, I couldn't resist the urge to scold Landon some more. "I can't believe you would talk to a stranger like that," I berated him.

"But Mom," Landon whined, "he seemed nice."

"You don't know that for sure," I countered, my eyes fixed firmly on the road.

As I drove, my triplets began to bicker in the backseat, their voices rising louder and louder. "Mom, he's touching me!"

"He's not, she's lying!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

I turned around to scold them, and that's when it happened. Another car appeared out of nowhere, hurtling towards us at breakneck speed. I was frozen, unable to move or even scream as we careened towards it.