Chapter 188
Lily POV
I realized too late that I’d revealed more than I intended. The bruises on my neck suddenly felt like they were burning, and I instinctively raised my hand to cover them.
“What happened, Lily?” Luna Helen’s voice had dropped to a dangerous whisper. “Tell me exactly what occurred p>
“Nothing serious,” I lied, my voice barely audible. “Just a brief moment where he seemed… different. But I handled it p>
“You handled it,” she repeated, her tone making it clear what she thought of that claim. “A young woman with no training in self-defense, who just got her wolf a while ago, handled a violent episode from a cursed Alpha werewolf p>
“I used the mindlink,” I admitted, hoping the truth might appease her anger. “I was able to reach him, to bring him back p>
Luna Helen closed her eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. When she opened them again, the fury had been joined by what looked like genuine fear.
“Do you have any idea how close you came to dying today?” she asked, her voice now quiet but no less intense. “How close my son came to becoming a murderer p>
“But he didn’t,” I insisted. “He fought it off. He came back to me p>
“This time,” she said sharply. “But what about next time? What happens when your abilities aren’t enough? When the curse is too strong for him to fight p>
I didn’t have an answer for that, and we both knew it.
“You’re young,” Luna Helen continued, her voice taking on a lecturing tone. “Young and in love and convinced that your feelings can overcome any obstacle. But this isn’t some romantic fairy tale, Lily. This is real life, with real consequences. And if you continue down this path, you’re going to get yourself killed p>
“So what?” I shot back, my own anger finally rising to meet hers. “I’m supposed to just give up on him? Pretend that we don’t love each other p>
“You’re supposed to exercise some common sense!” she snapped. “You’re supposed to trust the people who are trying to help you instead of sneaking around like teenagers p>
“We weren’t sneaking around,” I protested. “We just wanted a few hours together p>
“A few hours that nearly resulted in tragedy,” she interrupted. “A few hours that have probably set back his recovery by weeks p>
The accusation hit me like a physical blow. “What do you mean p>
“Every intimate encounter feeds the curse,” Luna Helen explained, her voice heavy with disappointment. “Every mark you exchange, every moment of passion, strengthens the dark magic’s hold on him. The progress we’ve made in the past week? Gone. We’re back to square one, possibly worse p>
I lowered my head, instantly feeling guilty. I had been so focused on our need to be together, our right to love each other, that I hadn’t fully considered the consequences of our actions.
“I didn’t know,” I whispered, tears beginning to blur my vision.
“Well, now you do,” Luna Helen said coldly. “The question is, what are you going to do with that knowledge p>
“I’ll stay away from him,” I promised, though the words felt like they were tearing my heart in half. “I won’t make things worse p>
“No,” Luna Helen said, shaking her head slowly. “I don’t trust you to make that choice when faced with temptation. You’ve already proven that your judgment can’t be relied upon p>
A chill ran down my spine at her tone. “What are you saying p>
Luna Helen straightened to her full height, every inch the formidable pack Luna. “I’m saying that if you go one inch closer to my son—if you so much as breathe in his direction—I will personally ensure that he is removed so far from your reach that you’ll never find him p>
The threat was delivered with such calm certainty that it was more terrifying than any amount of shouting would have been.
“You wouldn’t,” I breathed, unable to believe she would separate us so completely.
“Try me,” she replied, her eyes hard as steel. “I will have him transferred to our most remote safe house, somewhere you’ll never think to look. You won’t know where he is, how he’s doing, or whether he’s even alive until the curse is completely broken p>
The image she painted—being cut off from Kai entirely, not knowing if he was safe or suffering—was my worst nightmare made real.
“Luna Helen, please p>
“No,” she cut me off sharply. “You had your chance to be reasonable, to follow the guidelines we established for everyone’s safety. Instead, you chose to be selfish and reckless. There won’t be a second chance p>
“What was I supposed to do when he showed up at my school?” I fired back feeling frustrated.
“No!” she said coldly. “You’re supposed to say, No, Lily. You’re a woman, you can deny a man your body if you want to. I raised my son well, I thought him self-control but I know damn well the feeling between mates, I know how uncontrollable the desires are but you can hold back. You can stop him. You would have fucking done that p>
“I’m sorry I sighed. “I just miss him so much. It’s not easy p>
“I don’t care!” she responded, moving to the door. Her eyes had taken on a cold look. “I suggest you spend some time thinking about what kind of person you want to be, Lily. Someone who helps her mate heal, or someone who feeds his curse for her own gratification p>
With that devastating parting shot, Luna Helen stormed out of the office, her heels clicking rapidly across the floor as she made her way to the front door. I heard it slam behind her with enough force to rattle the windows, leaving me alone in the suffocating silence of the small office.
I sank into one of the leather chairs, my legs no longer able to support me. The weight of what had happened, what I had risked, what I might have lost, crashed down on me all at once.
Luna Helen was right. I had been selfish, reckless, thinking only of my own needs and desires without considering the bigger picture. And now, because of my poor judgment, Kai’s recovery had been set back, possibly permanently.
Worse than that, I was now facing the very real possibility of being separated from him completely. Luna Helen wasn’t making idle threats—she had the power and resources to make good on her promise to hide him away where I could never reach him.
As I sat alone in that small office, filled with an ache in my heart and an uncertain future, I finally understood the true cost of loving someone under a curse. It wasn’t just about resisting temptation or being patient—it was about making impossible choices between love and safety, between desire and wisdom.
And I had just learned that sometimes, no matter how much you love someone, love alone isn’t enough to save them.