Lily POV
Nearly 12 years later
I watched as my sister chased after the kids, she was an excellent mother, a little overbearing at times and always so watchful of everything they did including me. I couldn’t get anything past her. When she had her firstborn, a little boy, they named him Ryker. I could tell her life was moving on for the better, when the twins came along, Arial and Lana when I was ten, I decided to move back in with my father.
Aria had enough on her plate with running the pack and looking after the kids. I often felt guilty about her being forced to raise me but at the same time I’m glad she did. I knew I never would have made it to adulthood without her. My father and I have now built a bond, the way it should have been in the beginning, although I also class Reid as my father giving me two.
When the twins were born, I felt a little out of place. Life moved on, yet I stayed the same, only growing older. My life has been thrown into chaos since, my wolf and I never had a chance to bond. Having been forced to shift so young. For years Aria, my father and Reid tried to help me learn how to control her, but nothing we did worked and eventually we gave up trying. When she had control it was hard taking it back from her. My wolf was completely altered, and I don’t think I will ever be able to let her out willingly, she can’t be trusted.
I knew I was a danger to my nieces and nephew so I made the decision to leave. It was safer that way, Aria and Reid tried to get me to stay but I couldn’t put that burden and worry on them. Aria thinks she owes it to me to fix me, but she doesn’t realise she doesn’t actually owe me anything. If anything, I owe her for throwing her life away for me. For everything she has done and still continues to do for me.
I still occasionally stay with them, still see them almost daily, I just hate not being at home. Most of the wolves of my father’s packhouse are older and if I lose control, I know they can take me down if needed. I won’t risk that here with the kids present, I would never forgive myself if I hurt one of them.
As I walked through the clearing towards where Aria was playing on the swings with the kids, she looked up, a smile lighting up her face. I waved at her, heading toward them.
Ryker, seeing me, jumped off the swing mid-air, running towards me despite the panicked look his mother gave him. He was eleven now and looked so much like his father with his black hair and silver eyes, the girls too had black curly hair but their mothers amber eyes. Ryker threw himself into my arms. Catching him we tumbled backwards onto the grass.
“Aunty Aunty” He squealed. I hugged him tight, smelling his hair. He always smelt of cinnamon. Aria came over standing over the pair of us looking down at the pair of us on the grass, an amused expression on her face.
“Ryker what have I said about jumping off the swings like that, you could have hurt yourself” Ryker rolled his eyes and I smiled before giving him a wink. He was a wild child always up to mischief, maybe he gets that from me, I thought smugly.
Aria held her hand out and I grabbed it letting her pull me to my feet. She embraced me in a hug before holding me at arm’s length, her judging eyes penetrating as she gave me the once over.
“You have been partying again; you know you need to stop this, you’re about to take over the Black Moon Pack. It’s time to grow up Lily”
I sighed the same lecture every fucking time, doesn’t she get sick of giving the same speech, swear she rehearses it for when I come over.
“Don’t roll your eyes, you know I’m right; you are about to meet the new Alpha of the Crescent Pack today and you smell like a brewery” She scolded.
“Fine I’ll change, okay” I left out the part that my father and Reid and I had been in discussion already about me standing down. I don’t want the Alpha position. I know with my wolf I can’t be Alpha. Aria doesn’t know this; we have all been hiding it from her though. I think she knows something is up. We have been waiting to let her know, deciding to let it come out at the meeting. I knew she would pitch a fit if she knew beforehand. But we have a plan and today she will find out about it.
“I have already met Alpha Damien, and I don’t care what anyone thinks. My life, my body. I will do what I like Aria” I argued back. She went to say something, but I beat her to it.
“But if it makes you feel any better, I will change okay” She looked tired, the kids and I suppose the stress of me has caused her many sleepless nights. Yet she still looked the same, no different, never aging along with Reid. Even the other pack members aged slower than most because of their link to her. Aria having Hybrid and Lycan blood had its advantages. My sister was a pure Hybrid. The second last of her kind, her father was born from an original vampire and a Lycan, we only found all this out when her father came back into her life when I was six, when the hunters attacked and destroyed everything including me.
As I walked back into the Blood Moon Pack house, I made my way upstairs to Aria’s room on the top floor. As I was walking up the stairs, I saw Amber, my best friend and accomplice, although I feel Zane sometimes wishes I weren’t such a bad influence on his daughter with my wild ways and partying.
“Lil, are you here for the meeting?” She called out to me.
“Yep, come upstairs with me, Aria wants me to change.” I said, rolling my eyes. She walked up the stairs with a knowing smile on her face, she had also been scolded a few nights before for sneaking in late. Her father Zane and the Beta of the Blood Moon Pack gave us stern talking to, then he rang my father like he was going to do anything. I only have to bat my lashes and dad was wrapped around my finger. I know he doesn’t like punishing me because of my childhood, so why not play on it.
“Where’s your father?” I asked nervously.
“Probably off with Wendy, doing something” She said.
Wendy and Zane both lost their mates in the war with the hunters, a few years later we were shocked to find out they had been granted second chance mates. Our shock got stronger when they announced they were getting married and were each other’s second chance Mates. Amber was upset at first. No one could replace her mother, but Wendy was a great stepmother and helped raise her, so eventually she came to see it as a good thing.
When we got upstairs to Aria’s room. I walked in not expecting to find Reid getting dressed.
“Shit sorry Alpha '' I apologised, Reid was standing only in his black pants his shirt still undone revealing his abs and V-line that disappeared into the waistband of his pants, he quickly buttoned it up.
“All good Lily, you know where her closet is.” he said, pointing to it in the corner of the room. Aria must have warned him I was on my way up, then again Aria never thought I was dressed appropriately and always made me get changed before meetings. So, he was probably used to me helping myself to her clothes.
“You’re not gonna scold me too, are you? Because if you are, I will rock up like this” I said cheekily. Reid smiled and shook his head.
“No, I’m sure Aria will give you enough shit, Are you ready for today?”
“Yep, just want to get it over with and then bail, you can deal with Aria” I stated. Man, she was going to eat him alive when she finds out he kept this from her.
“She will come around eventually, what about meeting Alpha Damien, you haven’t seen him in what, twelve years, and I know your father had that falling out with him last year”
“That’s dad's business not mine, I don’t care for this Alpha Damien, I will be just glad when I don’t have to keep going to all these Alpha meetings, they’re so bloody boring.”
He smirked before turning to look at Amber crossing his arms over his chest making him appear wider. Amber’s eyes went wide, having the Alpha staring at her as she shifted from one foot to the other.
“Amber, get your father to meet me in the boardroom after the meeting please” He said. Reid then walked over, kissing my head in a fatherly way. Amber quickly left, obviously feeling awkward with Reid getting dressed in front of her, not that nudity was a big thing with werewolves, and he had pants on. So, besides his masculine chest you couldn’t really see anything.
“Get ready the other Alpha’s will be here soon, I know they won’t like it when they find out that my pack will be bigger than theirs once you hand the pack over to me, so prepare yourself. This could turn into an argument” He left the room, and I walked into the closet.
One thing I loved was Aria’s sense of style, I was always borrowing her clothes, it annoyed her sometimes. I rummaged through and grabbed out a pair of jeans and shirt before throwing on one of her black leather jackets and putting my sneakers back on. Looking in the mirror, I felt I looked decent enough and no way was I letting Aria dress me. She would have made me wear a dress.
I scrunch my face up at the thought, but looking in the mirror I looked great, I was tall, not freakishly tall but taller than Aria, my long blonde hair falling in waves down my back to my waist, then there were the eyes which is what most people noticed right away. I had hoped they would go back to normal. I hated them, people always stared, not that they would ever say anything with my father’s presence, yet they made me self-conscious. You could tell there was something wrong with me, no matter how hard I try to pretend I am okay. I know what people call me. I have seen the looks on their faces, heard the whispers. It used to bother me, used to hurt when no one would let their kids play, I learnt to keep my circle small which is hard in Pack.
I was the Unhinged one. They aren’t wrong though. So, I have learnt to accept it. My half amber, half sapphire eyes staring back at me. A constant reminder of what those sick Bastards did to me. As if the nightmares weren’t enough, I even had the reminder when I was awake. My past haunting me like a shadow following me everywhere I went.
“Fuck what anyone thinks” Layla my wolf growled in my head. She really was a hard case to crack, one minute she almost seems normal then others she is just a savage, primal and acts out of instinct, we still don’t know what’s wrong with her and our bond. We have learnt to accept it. No point crying over something that can’t be changed.
“Behave, please don’t embarrass me” I whispered back to her.
“Behave? You embarrass yourself, got nothing to do with me. Besides, everything will change soon” She told me. I wondered what she meant, and I could feel her pacing in the back of my mind, always so restless, always watching, looking for an opportunity to shove past my walls I had carefully built to keep her contained. “You never make any sense”
“Everything will make sense, make sense” She rambled
“What will?” I asked annoyed.
“When we turn eighteen, yep eighteen then everything makes sense” Clearly, she didn’t know what she was talking about, so I gave up trying to get answers. I walked out heading back downstairs, only to run back into Amber who was trying to sneak off with her mate. She found her mate on her sixteenth birthday, I haven’t found mine. Layla and I don’t think we have one because of what happened all those years ago. I was often jealous that everyone else in our grade either found their mates already or had boyfriends. People steered clear of me, I’m the unhinged one, the dangerous one, keep your children away parents would say, something isn’t right with that one.
Even if we did have a mate, I would have to reject them. I am not mate material, no one wants a broken Mate. Layla didn’t agree, she thinks our mate would accept us, love us despite our fucked-up situation. She also said she will kill me if I reject our mate. Like I said she is unhinged, to kill me she also kills herself, I think she forgets that part.
My wolf one minute is lucid the next batshit crazy. I shake my head at the memory. Amber holds a finger to her lips, and I smile as she and Shaun sneak out the back, no doubt to let their wolves free in the forest surrounding the property and to escape the watchful eyes of her father.
I make my way down the stairs when I suddenly get hit with the most intoxicating scent. Mmm someone must be baking chocolate cookies, my mouth instantly watering, there was something else too though a masculine smell. I hear voices off to the side coming from the kitchen. I quickly duck around the corner and run for the board room. I can’t afford to be late; I open the door and all eyes turn to me.
Shit I am already late. My father has a lazy smirk on his face like he expected nothing less, Reid didn’t even look in my direction at all, he knew I was on my way down. Aria was glaring. I shrunk back under that gaze before realising I’m also an Alpha technically, so I hold my chin high and walk to my seat, ignoring her eyes boring into me. I notice the Alpha from the Forest pack is already here and the Alpha Thomas from the Red Moon Pack, but the Crescent Moon Alpha was also running late. I sat in my seat. I hated the Crescent Moon Alpha, I heard he was obnoxious and liked to sleep around. I met him when we were rescued from the hunters, and haven't laid eyes on him since. Only heard the rumours about how he killed his own father and took over the pack. Apparently, he is ruthless and merciless when it comes to his pack which is now the biggest pack in the country.
I knew he would be pissed when he finds out mine and Reid’s packs were merging, making ours the biggest and strongest in the country. I stared at the ceiling waiting for the last Alpha to arrive bored already. Only looking up when that intoxicating scent hit my nose again just before the door opened, and in stepped the Crescent Moon Alpha.
I must admit he was hot as fuck. He froze his eyes looking around the room before landing on mine. He looked shocked before he composed himself and walked into the room taking the seat across from mine. My wolf was going crazy trying to take control.
“Settle the fuck down, what’s gotten into you Layla?” She didn’t answer, just kept pushing against my skin.
Reid spoke, pulling my attention back to everyone in the room. What I wasn’t prepared for was the creepy bloody way Alpha Damien was watching me, like I was a piece of meat he wanted to devour. I glanced around at the others, but no one was paying him any attention to notice. I sat back in my chair and glared back at him, hoping he would look away instead, he smiled. He was gorgeous I must admit, but then most werewolf men were. He wore a button up shirt that had the arms rolled up to the elbows he looked business like yet casual, the rolled-up sleeves showed just how muscled he was, I could also tell he had tattoos running up both arms and across his chest, I could just make them out from the few buttons of his shirt that were undone.
“I wonder what they are of?” Layla said excitedly. That’s when I realised, I had been staring no checking him for too long. I quickly pulled my eyes away, looking towards Reid who was standing at the front explaining something that I missed. Yet I could feel him still staring.
I looked at him out of the corner of my eye and he smirked, raising an eyebrow at me, which made me blush. He knew I was having trouble trying to ignore him.
“Lily, Lily?” I shook my head turning to Reid.
“Yep, what is it?” He stared at me like I had grown two heads, shit what did I miss?
“Your announcement” He said, looking at me sceptically. Oh yeah right that I thought before standing up. I stood up and turned more to Aria who was sitting next to Reid, she was not going to be happy and if I couldn’t get the rest of these Alpha’s on board, I might not have the choice but to run the pack with Reid’s help. My father who was seated next to me squeezed my hand gently, encouragingly. I looked down at him and smiled before looking back at Aria.
“Well as you all know, my father is going to retire, he has had enough of running the Pack, and me being the sole heir it’s meant to be handed down to me” Everyone nodded, yet Aria eyed me suspiciously.
“What do you mean lily” her lips pressing into a tight line. Oh man she was going to kill me.
“Well Alpha Reid and dad and I have been talking, I don’t want the position, so we came up with an idea to merge the packs and Reid take over” The other alpha’s in the room started discussing numbers but Aria looked livid that this was kept from her.
Her voice ringing out in the room as she turned on Reid. “You knew and didn't say anything. I knew something was up with all these pack meetings you had” Reid looked back at her apologetically.
“Lily wanted to wait to tell you, that’s why” He said, digging me an even bigger hole to bury myself in.
“No, I won’t allow it, Lily, it is your pack you need to run it. Why would you want to step down from a position of power Lily you have been trained for this? You can do this” She argued, pulling everyone’s attention to me.
“No, you and dad have been training me. I don’t want this Aria; you know exactly why I can’t do this. The pack is safer in Reid’s hands. Dad wants to retire, and he can’t if no one runs the pack and I am not that person”
“Lily you are Alpha for a reason, you’re meant to run your pack” She screamed back at me. The room had gone completely silent except for us yelling at each other.
“Not anymore why are you arguing with me over this Aria, this is a good thing. Yes, I am supposed to run the pack but that was before fucking Kade came into the picture and fucking destroyed me. I'm not Alpha I don’t want to be so shut up and accept it, this is how it has to be”
Aria went to yell some more before Reid put his hand on her shoulder pushing her back into her seat, she suddenly realised we were in a room full of other Alpha’s and screaming at each other. I watch her blush.
“Sorry Alpha’s forgive me” She said politely. None of them said anything, like they could anyway she had Lycan blood she could literally have them begging at her feet and kissing her toes if she commanded it. I sat down too, suddenly exhausted from yelling. Alpha Damien was staring at me again, this time a look of concern spread across his face, I raised an eyebrow. What the fuck was his problem? Do I have food on my face, or something why does he keep staring? I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I wanted to shrink under his green eyes.
“I think he’s hot!” Layla sprouted her head up. I rolled my eyes at her which I actually did to Damien before I realised. His lips turned up like he knew what she said.
“So, does anyone have a problem with the new arrangement or any questions?” My father asked. All eyes on him except Damien’s who was still gawking at me. Fucking creep.
“Alpha Damien?” Reid asked when he didn’t answer, he looked to Reid “sorry what was the question?” Reid’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Do you have a problem with me taking over Lily’s Pack” He repeated.
“If that’s what she wants, I will support that” He said looking back at me. Reid looked confused, like he was expecting Damien’s declaration of war. Quite frankly so was I. Everyone seemed to glance at him. You could hear a pin drop. It was that quiet, like we were wondering if we heard right.
“You don’t have an issue with this at all,” Reid asked, astonished.
“Like I said, if she wants to step down from her Pack, I will support it” Aria looked pissed, hoping he would be at least on her side.
“Well, this meeting went quicker than I thought, if everyone agrees this probably could have been done over the phone. I am sorry for wasting your time Alphas” The Alphas of the forest pack and red Moon pack got up shaking my father’s hand then Reid’s before leaving the room. I stood up and went to follow, wanting to get out of here before Aria jumped me.
“Not so fast Lily” I groaned, really.
“Let’s not do this Aria. I won’t argue with you, my decision is final. I am not changing my mind”
She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose frustrated. Amber sent me a text message, my phone binging once. I pulled it from my pocket and opened the message.
House party at Brent’s tonight you coming?
Yes, I will pick you up
I closed my phone, and everyone was staring at me again.
My smile instantly slipped from my face.
“You better not be sneaking out with Amber tonight Lily; you know she is grounded after the last time” I often forget that Aria could read me like an open book.
“What I do with my life and body is my business not yours, same goes for Amber” I heard my dad snort; he was so used to us bickering constantly that he now actually found it funny.
“Go have fun I will sort everything out here with Reid” My father said, pulling me to him and kissing the top of my head. I hugged him back and went to walk out when I heard Damien speak.
“If I may, can I speak to the three of you, I have a favour to ask” Seeing how I was stepping down. I didn’t bother to stick around to hear what it was he wanted to say, instead I walked out.
