Lex's POV
"Any news, son?" My father, Alpha King Alexander, asked as he, my mother, Queen Luna Emily, and Zackary's parents, the Royal Gamma pair, Jax and Mila, entered my office.
I wasn't surprised at all by their sudden visit. They must have heard about the commotion downstairs.
I internally sighed as I sat back in my chair. The she-wolf I just met looked exactly like the girl from my dreams. Every curve and every hair—even her button nose and beautiful green eyes— were exactly as in my dreams.
Why can't I scent her?
"And?" My mother chirped, breaking the spell the girl had me under.
She and my father occupied the lover's couch, while Mila occupied the single couch with Jax standing behind her.
"Tell us," Mila urged. "Did you get the results?"
My gaze lazily shifted to Zack sitting on the windowsill—he looked like a deer caught in headlights.
Zack's gaze met mine.
"Should I tell them?" he mind-linked. "You know we don't have the results yet. They will be disappointed."
"Well," I replied, acting as if our parents weren't there listening. "If you don't, they will make our lives..."
"Come to the point, boy!" My father growled impatiently, cutting me off. He was never this impatient before.
I internally rolled my eyes, and I inhaled deeply before nodding to Zack.
"You will have to tell them," I said. "You found her..."
He sighed, jumped off the windowsill, and got closer.
"The doctor hasn't finished the results yet," he stated, maintaining a blank expression. "There was..."
"Why is it taking so long? It's been two weeks!" Mila cried out.
Jax quickly pulled his mate into his arms to comfort her. A heartbreaking sob escaped her lips.
I knew the heart-crushing feeling. I felt the same. The loss of a pup was unbearable—losing a mate was even worse. But as a mate, I never felt Lilly died. I always believed that she was still alive.
I knew Lilly was my mate from a very early age—I got my wolf at five. It was a normal instinct for me to protect and care for my mate.
Was the girl who was waiting with James and Jacob my mate?
Why can't I feel the sparks?
Was she broken?
"I told you not to tell them until we had solid proof," I conveyed my disapproval to Zack over the mind-link.
"I didn't tell them," he growled back, his face turning hard. "I tried to keep it a secret, but Queen Luna did her rounds at the hospital the same day I was there. She probably saw me and asked the doctor why I was there."
I sighed and rubbed my hand over my face, annoyed.
If my mother had seen him at the hospital, she was undoubtedly responsible for this meeting—she was as relentless as a bloodhound pursuing an injured rabbit. She could find any secret, and if she saw Zack at the hospital, she must have asked the doctor, who had no choice but to answer his queen.
My gaze shifted towards my mother, and my mind flitted to the last girl who claimed to be Zack's long-lost sister. My mom told the Gammas to test the girl for blood before letting her in, but they ignored her.
My mother decided it was best to keep herself out of it—for Mila's sake. It had put a lot of strain on their friendship—one that lasted more than twenty-five years.
A warrior found the girl wandering in the woods alone, her clothes shredded and dirty. She looked lost, hopeless, and a lot like Lilly. She had the same golden hair and green eyes, but something felt off when I was near her.
My wolf, Lotus, didn't even give her a second glance—even after we confirmed that the she-wolf had already turned eighteen. My wolf had no interest in her. He didn't see her as his mate.
My father commented that maybe it was because I hadn't turned twenty-one yet—the legal age of a Lycan wolf.
I tried my best to be kind to the girl, but we just couldn't establish a connection.
On the other hand, Zack's parents enthusiastically welcomed their daughter back into their home.
Zack was suspicious of the girl. She enjoyed wandering the woods alone and found the girl's behavior uncanny. Then small items, followed by larger and more expensive ones, disappeared. Mila and Jax chose to ignore it, but Zack couldn't stay silent. He quickly learned her routine.
Zack awaited the ideal moment, anticipating her imminent departure to the woods. He silently rose from his bed and observed her as she slithered out of the window of her bedroom.
Zack didn't waste time. He sneaked over to her bedroom and collected different kinds of DNA samples. He was meticulous in his approach, replacing her toothbrush and razor with new ones and seizing a few hairs from her brush.
Once he was satisfied, he visited the doctor's office the next morning.
The outcome of the blood test was heartbreaking. The girl was not his sister; she was a fraud. It shattered Mila's heart.
We implemented strict precautions after that, but we never got any closer to finding Lilly.
That was until recently.
Zack believed that he had found his lost sister—all the signs were there. Even his wolf harbored an emotional attachment to her.
Zack made sure he took some kind of sample for testing. He wanted to be certain before he told his mother.
Now it was just a matter of waiting while the lab compared Zack's DNA with the girl's.
"There was some misunderstanding at the lab," I replied. "We have resolved the issue now. We should have the results in a couple of days..."
"Besides—" Zack began to speak, but my gaze snapped toward him, narrowing my eyes.
"Don't bargain on that," I warned, interrupting him. "There is—"
"Why not?" He asked. "If she is your mate, you will find out tonight..."
"You should be able to recognize her the moment you see her," Gamma Jax said, pecking his mate's lips.
"I-"
"You should be able to smell her from across the room," Dad said, hugging Mom.
"And you should be able to feel the small electric sparks dance on your skin," Gamma Mila added, smiling.
"I wish I had," I internally groaned. Lotus just stared at the she-wolf, confused. He couldn't quite identify his emotions. However, he couldn't take his eyes off her either. There was something, but we couldn't figure out what it was.
"And please keep in mind," my mother said, pecking my father's lips. "Your wolf will go crazy. He will have the deep need to mark and—"
"Oh, no, please stop!" I expressed my disgust by waving my hands at my parents. "Spare me the descriptive mating details... I already know them by heart..."
My parents chuckled, and my father pulled my mother in for a long and passionate kiss.
"Oh, Goddess," I groaned, looking away with a smile.
My parents were still deeply in love with one another. I hoped to have such a deep connection with my mate one day.
A knock at the door erupted, and my gaze shifted toward it.
"Enter," I answered, and the door slowly opened, revealing one of my senior warriors. He seems a bit anxious about something.
I waved him in, and he hurried closer, bowing his head as he passed the royals inside.
"Your highness," he said, stopping at my desk. "My apologies for disturbing you. A minor issue requires your immediate attention."
"What kind of minor issue?" Zack asked, stepping closer.
A cold shiver ran down my spine as the warrior disclosed the cause for the interruption, clearly shaking with fear.
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