Andrew POV
There was something oddly grounding about sitting still in my wolf form.
The breeze tugged gently at my silver fur, moonlight rippling over the lake like liquid light, but I stayed seated, deliberate, calm, unmoving. I didn't want to frighten him.
Jamie needed time to take me in, to understand that beneath all this power, I was still his mate.
But when I glanced his way, he wasn't moving either. Just staring. Wide-eyed. Mouth slightly parted. Face… unreadable.
A knot tightened in my chest.
Was he scared?
Or worse… did he think I looked monstrous?
The insecurities hit quicker than I liked to admit. I'd imagined this moment for weeks now—him seeing all of me. The raw, primal truth. And now that it was happening, I didn't know what to do with his silence.
But then, slowly, Jamie stepped closer. His scent was all nerves and awe and something else too—something that made my wolf stir with quiet satisfaction. He reached out, brushing tentative fingers through my fur, voice barely above a whisper.
"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
Relief hit me like lightning.
Without thinking, I leaned in and licked the side of his face. A full, warm sweep across his cheek—my only way of telling him how much that meant. He chuckled softly, rubbing my ears, and for a brief, perfect second, the world felt like it made sense.
Until it didn't.
A scent cut through the air—familiar, sharp, and cloying all at once.
Lilith.
I smelled her before I saw her. My head turned instinctively toward the trees near where I'd left my clothes, my body tensing. Jamie sensed the shift, stepping back slightly as I rose to all fours.
And then she stepped out of the shadows.
Lilith always had a flair for dramatics.
She emerged like a ghost draped in silk and starlight—long black hair flowing behind her, her dark eyes glittering with something unreadable. The silver moonlight kissed her sharp cheekbones and curved lips, casting her beauty in an otherworldly glow. But it wasn't her beauty that made me stiffen.
It was the knowing smirk curling on her lips. The danger that always lurked beneath it.
"Well, isn't this cosy?" she drawled, folding her arms as she eyed me, then Jamie. "Two secret lovers bonding under the moonlight... I wonder what the Council would think of this little forbidden union."
Jamie froze beside me.
I shifted, bones snapping as I transitioned swiftly back to human form. The cold air bit at my skin, but I didn't flinch. Not when Lilith was watching. Not when Jamie was still processing her presence.
I grabbed my pants off the ground, tugged them on roughly, not breaking her gaze. "Lilith," I said, voice low.
She gave a small mock-bow. "Andrew. It's been a while."
Jamie's confusion was obvious. I caught his glance but kept my eyes on her.
Lilith and I… we had history. We'd grown up together. Trained together. Once, when I was younger—before I ever met Jamie-I—I thought maybe… just maybe she could be my mate. The connection had never gone deeper than a flicker of hope. Not even a kiss. And ever since Jamie crashed into my world, I hadn't thought of Lilith once.
That wasn't mutual.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, voice hardening.
"Oh, just taking a stroll," she said sweetly. "Or maybe… checking up on the prophecy everyone keeps whispering about. You know, the one where a forbidden bond between two wolves nearly destroyed everything last time?"
Jamie flinched.
I moved to stand slightly in front of him again.
Lilith's gaze sharpened. "Don't worry. I'm not here to tattle. Yet. But you should know, not everyone is going to be as… forgiving as me."
"This doesn't concern you," I said.
"Oh, Andrew." She gave a pitying smile. "Everything about this concerns me."
Her tone shifted, darker now. "You've always been mine. You just forgot for a while."
Jamie tensed behind me. My fists clenched.
"I was never yours," I said. "And you know it."
She didn't flinch. If anything, she smiled wider, like she'd expected that answer. "We'll see."
And just like that, she turned and disappeared back into the woods—graceful, deliberate, and far too pleased with herself.
Jamie stepped up beside me, brows furrowed. "Who… was that?"
"Her name's Lilith," I muttered. "Daughter of Oona."
I didn't miss the way his eyes widened. He knew that name.
"And she's not just anyone," I added, gaze fixed on the trees. "She's dangerous. And if she's watching us, then something's coming."
A howl echoed in the distance. Not ours.
Jamie turned toward the sound, eyes darting to mine. "That's not Furstone."
No. It wasn't.
And it wasn't a coincidence either.
Suddenly, I knew in my gut—we were out of time.
Something had happened back home.
Something bad.
"Get dressed," I said quickly, already pulling on my shirt. "We need to move. Now."
As we bolted back down the narrow path, the sting of wolfsbane brushing my skin, I could already feel the tide turning. The air smelled like smoke. Like betrayal.
And deep in my chest, my wolf growled—not in fear.
In readiness.