Chapter 131
Kai POV
“Alpha.” He greeted me stiffly, dipping his head.
It was my turn to be surprised. Lily has never mentioned an uncle to me. Why now of all time?
I barely acknowledge him. My entire focus was locked on Lily who has refused to look at me.
“You didn’t tell me you had an uncle?” I heard myself ask.
Her lips parted in surprise as she stared atm.
“I p>
“Are you sure he’s really your uncle or is this another one of your antics to stay away from me p>
“Seriously, Kai!” Celeste called out with irritation in her voice. “Lily found out a few hours ago herself. The least you could be is be kind p>
“I wasn’t talking to you, Celeste,” I said woodenly and turned to Lily. “I came here to talk to you, can we talk at least? I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Went to your Dorm room and all p>
“She doesn’t want to talk to you, Kai. Not when you’re like this. Have you forgotten in a hurry that you asked her to leave? You broke up with her, Kai p>
“Stay out of this, Celeste!” I fumed and then snapped back at Lily. “You’ve been telling our business to everyone. Really p>
“I am not everyone,” Celeste yelled, grabbing my arm. “I am her friend and I won’t let you hurt her p>
“Hurt her?” Her uncle’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about? What do you mean p>
“It’s fine, Uncle. I’m fine,” Lily said quickly, giving her uncle a reassuring look before turning to me. “I needed space and Celeste invited me to the house for the weekend. I wasn’t purposely avoiding you, Kai p>
Liar.
I could hear her heart pounding — I couldsmell the faint tang of nerves beneath her scent.
She was hiding something.
Tobias glanced between us again, frowning deeply.
“Lily, do you want me to stay p>
My head snapped toward him, a low growl rumbling in my chest before I could stop it.
Tobias stiffened immediately, his hand twitching toward his belt.
“Kai.” Celeste’s voice was sharp, cutting through the tension.
I gritted my teeth and forced the sound back down.
“I’m fine,” Lily said quickly, her voice a little too bright. “I’ll talk to him p>
Tobias glanced at her, clearly hesitant, but she gave him a small nod. After a long moment, he finally stepped back. Celeste shot me a warning look before following him into the other room.
As soon as the door closed behind them, silence settled over us.
Lily stood frozen in the middle of the room, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. For a second, neither of us said anything. Then, quietly, she asked,
“Why are you here p>
I swallowed hard, struggling to find the right words. I didn’t know how to explain the storm raging inside me.
The fear.
The need.
The unbearable pull that only seemed to grow stronger every damn day.
Instead, what came out was,
“I needed to see if you were okay p>
Lily’s blue eyes flicked toward me, something flickering behind them.
“I don’t need you to check on me p>
My wolf – Hud bristled at the coldness in her voice.
“Liar p>
I took a slow step closer, my heart hammering against my ribs.
“You can’t shut me out, Lily p>
Her eyes narrowed. “Why not? You’ve been shutting me out since the day we met p>
I flinched.
She wasn’t wrong. But I couldn’t tell her the truth.
Not yet. Not when I didn’t even fully understand it myself.
I forced myself to take a shaky breath, trying to steady the chaos raging inside me.
“You don’t know what you’re asking for p>
Lily’s chin lifted slightly.
“Then tell me p>
Her voice was soft, but there was steel beneath it — the same quiet strength I’d seen from the very beginning. The same strength that made me want to fall at her feet and destroy anyone who ever dared to hurt her.
I opened my mouth… But the words wouldn’t come out.
Because if I told her p>
If I let her in… I wasn’t sure either of us would survive it.
So instead, I whispered the only truth I could give her.
“I’m trying to protect you p>
Lily’s eyes softened, but her voice was steady when she answered.
“Maybe I don’t need protecting p>
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to take a step back before I did something I couldn’t undo.
“You have no idea what you’re asking for p>
Then I turned and walked away—because if I stayed one second longer p>
I wouldn’t be able to let her go.
Just as I reached the end of the pathway that led to the house, I heard my name being called from behind. When I turned, I noticed it was Lily’s uncle running towards me. Out of courtesy which was so unlike me since I’ve had enough fill of socializing today, I waited.
“I’m sorry for holding you back, Alpha!” the man said quietly when he reached. “We didn’t get to introduce ourselves properly back then. I was told you’re my Lily’s mate p>
I stared at him for a moment before nodding. “Yes, I am p>
“My name is Tobias and I’m her mother’s brother. I have no business with butting in regarding your relationship with my niece but I noticed something odd. You’re in pain, Alpha. It’s like your heart is heavy and you think there’s no way to stop the ache. I don’t know if it’s just me overreacting but p>
“Will that be all?” I interrupted him. “If you’re worried about me taking care of your niece, you just need to say that. I and Lily have been away from each other for a while now dure to a few circumstances but I’m back now and I’ve decided to take responsibility for my actions instead of running away. I love, Lily so much and p>
“If I may, Alpha,” he interrupted me again taking a step toward me. Without warning, he reached for my left wrist, grabbing it firmly. His eyes turned, such that it was only the white part showing.
Taken aback by the sudden closeness and suddenness of everything, I reacted slowly. When I got myself, I yanked my hand away from his and took a step back.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I growled “How dare you touch me without my permission p>
“You’re under a curse, Alpha. A curse put on you by a hybrid witch. Did you know that p>