The last Lunar His Unawakened Mate"

Chapter 9 LILY POV

My chest heaved as I skidded into the game room, my bare feet sliding slightly on the polished floor. I braced my hand against the doorframe, trying to catch my breath and stop my hands from shaking.

Jace and Joe were on the far side of the room, completely distracted by a racing game on the TV screen. They didn't even look up. Thank god.

Emma, however, snapped her head around the second the door creaked. Her eyes widened as she took in my pale face, my wild eyes, and the fact that I was hyperventilating. She scrambled off the sofa and rushed over, grabbing my upper arms.

"Lily! What happened?" she whispered frantically, glancing over her shoulder at the boys before dragging me further into the quiet corner of the room. "Did you get caught? I told you your dad would hear you!"

"I... I didn't get caught. I hid in the supply closet," I gasped, my voice trembling so hard I could barely form the words. I squeezed her hands back, needing something to anchor me. "But Emma... I heard them. Or at least, I heard fragments."

Emma’s breath hitched. "What did they say?"

"Jake was angry. He was demanding to know who the rogues are after," I whispered, my heart slamming against my ribs all over again. "And my dad... my dad said they are targeting a daughter."

Emma went completely rigid, her fingers tightening on my arms. "A daughter? Which one of us?"

"I don't know!" I cried softly, tears of pure frustration stinging my eyes. "The door is too thick. I couldn't make out the exact words. But then my dad whispered something about turning eighteen... and then he used a word I’ve never heard before. He said Lunar."

"Lunar?" Emma repeated, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Like... the moon? Lily, that doesn't make sense. Every werewolf pack is connected to the moon."

"I know, but the way he said it... it sounded like a title. Or a secret," I said, my mind spinning in circles. "And right after that, future Alpha Jake went dead silent. The whole hallway froze, Emma. It felt like the air turned into lead. I swear he smelled me through the door because his footsteps came straight for the hallway. If I hadn't jumped into that closet..."

I trailed off, a cold shiver running down my spine as I remembered the heavy, suffocating weight of Jake's presence standing just inches away on the other side of the closet door. He had paused right there. He had to have known I was inside. [1]

"They're hiding something massive from us," Emma whispered, her eyes dark with sudden fear. "If the rogues are targeting one of us for whatever this 'Lunar' thing is, we aren't safe anywhere. Not even inside the pack house."

I looked over at Jace, who was laughing out loud as his toy car drifted across the screen. A heavy, protective weight settled deep into my stomach. I didn't have a wolf, and I didn't understand the ancient secrets my father was whispering about behind closed doors. But looking at my little brother, I knew one thing for certain.

Our pack was running out of time, and whoever the rogues were coming for, I had to be ready to fight