Chapter 11
Lila
“As you know, only ten of you will be advancing to the next stage of the selection.” The steward’s voice was smooth, almost
theatrical, as if he enjoyed drawing out the suspense. “Nine names will be announced first. However, there is one final girl, the
only one chosen from a northern pack.”
A murmur rippled through the group. I felt eyes turning toward me, sharp and accusatory.
“You’ve succeeded!” one girl hissed under her breath her voice laced with resentment,
I exhaled slowly, keeping my face neutral. I didn’t want to be chosen. I had tried very hard not had already convinced themselves that I had schemed my way into this position.
The steward began listing the names of the first nine selected women.
“Vanessa Gray.”
to be chosen. Yet somehow, they
Vanessa gasped, then let out a triumphant little laugh, basking in the envious stares directed her way.
More names followed – women from various regions, their faces shifting from fear to exhilaration as they realized they had
made it one step closer to being the selected.
I didn’t pay attention to most of the names. My mind was already spinning, trying to anticipate the inevitable moment when the
steward would say mine.
Except… it never
r came.
“The last name is…” The steward paused dramatically. “Jane McCarthy.”
A beat of silence.
Then, like a shockwave, gasps and hushed whispers erupted through the hall.
It wasn’t me.
For a moment, I stood completely still, my body unable to process what I had just heard. Then, slowly, I felt my shoulders relax. Relief washed over me, lightening the tension that had been gripping my chest like a vice.
I was one step closer to home.
The other girls whose names weren’t called, didn’t take it as well; most stood there stunned in disbelief, their hands covering their mouths. And the five who were eliminated burst into tears on the spot, wailing as if they had just lost the greatest opportunity of their lives
1 swallowed hard, suddenly feeling a strange, hollow emptiness settle in my stomach
+15 Bonus
Fate must be toying with me. It was clear Damon didn’t feel the same pull towards me that I did for him. He didn’t recognize me
as his mate.
This was what I wanted. So why did I suddenly feel so… disappointed?
Slowly, we returned to our rooms, the atmosphere thick with mixed emotions. Some of the selected women strutted through the
halls with their heads held high, enjoying their newfound status. Others, like Vanessa, were insufferable.
She all but paraded past me, nose lifted arrogantly. “No matter how much you try and seduce him,” she sneered, “the Lycan King
has no interest in you.”
I barely spared her a glance. “Move,” I muttered, brushing past her.
But Vanessa wasn’t done. “Oh, what’s wrong?” she crooned, stepping in front of me again. “Disappointed? Did you actually
believe you had a chance? Poor thing. You really should be nicer to me, you know, seeing as I’ll soon be your Luna Queen.”
I should have ignored her. I should have walked away.
But something in her smugness, in the way she looked down on me as if I were the dirt beneath her shoes, made my blood boil
with the memories.
Vanessa bullied me almost as much as Elena did when we were kids. Locking me in a closet, making me scrub a toilet with my
own toothbrush. It took every ounce of control I could muster to keep my hands to myself.
Instead, I turned to her, my expression calm but my voice sharp as a blade. “Your pride is precisely what reveals your insecurity. Actually, the person who’s most afraid of not being chosen here is you, Vanessa.”
She faltered.
It was only for a split second, but I saw it: the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes, the way her lips pressed into a thin line.
I had hit a nerve.
Without waiting for her to recover, I walked away, leaving her standing there, stunned.
Later that night, my thoughts drifted to my mother.
I had done everything for her. And now, for the first time, I wasn’t there to make sure she was safe. Was Alpha Henry keeping his promise to get her the best medical care she needed?
I had to know.
Slipping into my room and closing the door, I reached out through the mind link, searching for my mother’s caretaker. Sasha, are you there? I asked, my pulse quickening.
A pause. Then, a familiar voice answered. Lila? Are you okay?
I’m fine. How is she?
2/4
The caretaker hesitated. Then, to my relief, she spoke softly, With the help of better doctors, her condition has improved.
+15 Bonus
I let out a shaky breath, overwhelmed with relief. Tears stung my eyes, and I wiped a few away. Mom was safe. She was healing.
But the caretaker wasn’t finished. Lila… I overheard something you should know. Alpha Henry was speaking with someone about
your wolf’s weakness.
I stiffened. What do you mean?
He said there might be a reason for it. That you might not have been born this way. The compassion in her voice tore at my chest.
It might have… been done on purpose.
A chill crawled up my spine. Done on purpose? That didn’t make sense.
My mother and I had always believed that our weakness came from our mixed blood, that the silver wolves in our family had
simply grown weaker over the generations.
But if someone had interfered, if my wolf’s strength had been taken from me on purpose, then that meant….
I didn’t even realize I had ended the mind link or wandered away from my room, until I found myself standing in the empty
corridor, lost in thought
Then, out of nowhere, a familiar presence hit me like a force of nature.
I looked up, my breath catching in my throat.
Damon was standing at the end of the corridor, his tall frame bathed in the dim glow of the lights lining the walls. His piercing eyes locked onto mine making my heart ache more than it already was.
I wanted to look away, to turn and flee before I had to acknowledge the strange one–sided pull I felt toward him.
But I couldn’t. My feet remained rooted to the spot as he began walking towards me, each step slow and deliberate.
His presence
e was suffocating. Overwhelming. Every instinct in me screamed that I should go to him, while every rational thought
pushed back that I shouldn’t feel this way toward him.
No. We’re not mates; he had made that clear.
I clenched my fists, mentally begging the Moon Goddess to stop playing these cruel tricks on me.
Damon stepped in front of me, his gaze sweeping over my face before settling on my eyes. His brows furrowed slightly, as if seeing something that unsettled him.
“You’ve been crying,” he said.
It wasn’t a question.
I blinked, caught off guard. Before I could stop myself, I let out a bitter chuckle. “What, are you going to punish me for that too?”
But instead of anger, his shoulder dropped slightly with guilt?
I stared at him, completely thrown off..
That wasn’t possible. Why would the mighty Lycan King feel guilty that I was crying?
