Alpha's Hidden Precious Luna-Chapter 19

Lily POV

The morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, gently rousing me from my slumber.

I stretched like a lazy cat with a smile on my face. I couldn’t remember the last time I slept until sunrise. For a moment, I lay still expecting a shout from Vanessa asking if her breakfast was ready or if I had her goat milk bath ready or my father growling with approval at the salty food I made that morning.

A sad smile played on my lips as I wondered how they would be coping. Vanessa must have gone crazy and I wish...

I stopped... what was I doing? Why was I worrying about them after everything? Shaking off the nostalgia, I rose from the bed and made my way to the bathroom to shower. I stayed for a while, scrubbing every part of my body clean. After that, I made my way to the closet.

Celeste had generously offered to share her wardrobe with me and had told me last night to use any of her clothes I like. As I browsed through the clothes, I felt drawn to a simple, pale blue sundress. As I slipped it on, I couldn’t help but marvel at how well it fit.

As I fixed my hair, I heard the breakfast bell. As I climbed down the stairs, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling bacon greeted me. Celeste’s grandparents were already seated at the table, along with Celeste and a man I didn’t recognize. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with an air of authority that immediately made me think of Alpha Kai.

“Good morning, dear,” Celeste said warmly as I approached beaming at me. “That dress looks perfect on you. It suits you even better than it does me,”.

I felt a blush creep up my cheeks. “Thank you,” I murmured. I’ll pay you back for it as soon as I can find a part-time job,”.

“You look stunning dear, better than yesterday,” Elena stretched her hand towards me which I took happily. “Come sit by me and let’s eat breakfast, okay,”.

As I settled on the table, I saw the stranger eyeing me but said nothing. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

“Lily, we have a guest I’d like you to meet,” Celeste said pointing at the stranger. “This is my brother, Liam. Well, not technically my brother but I call him one because we grew up together. He’s also Alpha Kai’s Beta,” she explained. “Liam, this is Lily, the girl I told you about,”.

Liam extended a hand, a kind smile on his face, which I shook tentatively. I was not used to kindness yet, so all of these smiles felt strange to me. His grip was firm, his gaze flickered all over my form.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Lily,” he said, “I’ve heard so much about you. Grams and pops won’t stop talking about how beautiful you are. And they were right,”.

I swallowed hard, managing an awkward smile, wondering exactly what he had heard. “It’s nice to meet you too,” I managed to reply “And thank you,”.

Elene quickly heaped food on my plate. She and Marcus were taking turns urging me to eat more. I could feel Liam’s eyes on me, but I focused on my plate, trying to ignore the weight of his gaze. But it wasn’t long before he broke the silence.

“Lily,” he began, his tone carefully neutral. “I hope you don’t mind me revisiting the past and asking, but I was part of the soldiers who fought those rogues that were after you that day. Do you have any idea why you were being chased? Why someone ... anyone might want to ... target you?”

The question hit me like a physical blow. I set down my fork, my appetite suddenly gone. How could I explain that it was my family that wanted me dead? That my father had sent those rogues after me? Would they even believe me if I said so? I didn’t even know why he wanted me dead so badly.

“I...I’m not entirely sure,” I admitted with a stutter. “It’s all so confusing,”.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be asking her questions like that, Liam... give the girl a break...”.

“It’s fine, Elena,” I said softly “Sooner or later we are going to have this conversation, so better now...”.

Liam leaned forward,” his expression softening slightly. “Take your time. Any information could be helpful in keeping you safe,”.

I took a deep breath gathering my thoughts. “I was... I was rejected by my mate,” I began, feeling the words ease out of me like the most natural thing. “After that, my father insisted I should attend college in another pack and thought it was to give me a fresh start. But on my way there...”.

I trailed off, the memory of that terrifying night still too fresh. Celeste reached out, placing a comforting hand on my arm.

“It’s okay,” she said softly. “You’re safe now,”.

I nodded, grateful for the support. “I think... I think that maybe they wanted to get rid of me so that my ex-mate... well not that he’s my mate yet but we’ve been together for nearly three years. So, I don’t know if they wanted him to be with my twin sister instead. They would be a perfect match, after all, and live happily ever after. Two strong wolves, both from prominent families,” I added bitterly.

The bitterness in my voice surprised even me. I saw Liam’s brow furrow as he processed this information.

“But why would your boyfriend reject you? You’ve dated for quite some years,” Liam asked, his tone genuinely puzzled.

I felt my cheeks burn with shame. This was the moment I had been dreading, the admission that set me apart from every other werewolf I’d ever known. But looking at the kind faces around me, I knew I couldn’t keep the truth hidden any longer. Besides, it’ll be easy for him to find out later. So it is best he hears it from me directly than from someone else.

“Because,” I said softly, my eyes fixed on the table, “I don’t have a wolf. And I...I don’t think I ever will,”.

The silence that followed after my confession was deafening. I kept my gaze down, afraid the see the judgement or pity in their eyes. But when Liam spoke, his voice was surprisingly gentle.

“Lily,” he said, waiting until I looked up at him. “I won’t pretend to understand everything you’ve been through, but I want you to know something. Yesterday might have seemed like the end of your world, but I believe it was the beginning of a new Chapter for you,”.

I blinked, surprised by the conviction in his words. “What do you mean?”

Liam exchanged a quick glance with Celeste and everyone at the table before continuing. “Let’s just say that I have a feeling things are going to change for you. For the better. It doesn’t matter whether you have a wolf or not. You’re a part of us,”.