Chapter 6 Chapter Six

LILA’S POV

The coldness of the stone wall penetrate through my thin hospital gown as Walter’s claws pricked at my throat, drawing pricks of blood which trickled down my neck to my chest. His breath was hot against my face, part human, part something so primal I can't describe,  the silver streaks in his dark hair  glow under the faint moonlight shining through the corridor window.

He’s going to kill me, I thought, my heart hammering so hard I  felt like it would burst through my ribs. But even with the feeling of fear, another sensation throbbed on the surface, something warm tugging, it felt like a magnet is  drawing me to him despite the danger.

“Why were you watching me?” he growled, his voice angry and something else I can't place, that vibrated through my whole body. “have you come here to finish what you started two years ago?” he asked

“I... I wasn’t spying,” I choked out, my voice just a whisper against the pressure of his hands. “I heard the noise… I was worried and only came down to check.”

Worried? The word was foreign even to my own ears. This was the man I’d allegedly betrayed, the Alpha that got crippled because of me. But as I looked into his blue eyes, speckled with gold, the giveaway sign of his wolf struggling to surface, I couldn’t bring myself to lie about what I’d felt when I’d seen him in pain.

Walter’s grip loosened just slightly, though his claws still rested on my skin. “Worried?” he asked shocked, as if the word was alien to him. “You have no right to be worried about me. Not after everything you did.”

“I didn’t do anything,” I said, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. “I never did any wrong to you. I don’t know what everyone think of what happened that night, but I didn’t...”

“Lies,” he growled, cutting me off. His body strained against me, and I watched in horror as more fur pushed through his skin, only to withdraw immediately, leaving him shaking with the effort of holding back his shift. “You left me alone bleeding in that alley, Lila. You left me to die and ran back to Caelum and your precious human life.”

The memory of that night flooded back, sparkling fragments of lights, the smell of blood and rain, and then Walter shoving me out of the way of a rogue wolf’s claws. Then… nothing. I’d woken up in my father’s house with no memory of how I go there, only to be told I’d abandoned my protector to save myself.

“I don’t remember,” I said, tears stinging my eyes now. “I was scared, I was hurt, and when I woke up, everyone told me I’d run away. I tried to find you...”

“Lies,” he said again, but this time there was a crack in his resolve. His hands slid from my throat to my shoulders, still holding me firmly against the wall but no longer threatening to strangle me. “You didn’t try to find me, you didn't care. You got engaged to my cousin and pretended none of it ever happened.”

Before I could respond, a loud crash sound came from the end of the corridor. Adrian burst through the door, his muscular frame filling the space as he drew a silver dagger from his belt.

“Alpha!” he shouted, his voice sharp with panic. “Don’t forget what she is! She had put you in this condition before and she’ll do it again if you let her!”

Walter’s head turned toward his beta, and for a moment, I saw the struggle fighting within him. The feral glow in his eyes faded, replaced by the cold, guarded look he’d worn earlier. He stepped back from me, running a hand through his hair as he tried  steadying his breathing.

“take her to her quarters,” he said, his voice flat and distant once again. “And make sure she stays there and no more wandering the halls after midnight.”

Adrian nodded, moving forward to grab my arm. His grip was so tight I'm sure it's enough to bruise as he pulled me away from the wall, his gray eyes fixed on me with open hostility.

“You think you can seduce your way to get his affection?” he hissed as he led me down the corridor. “You don’t know the Alpha like I do. He’s been through enough because of you and I will not let you ruin him, not on my watch.”

“I’m not trying to seduce anyone,” I shot back, yanking my arm free from his grasp. “I just want to pay off my debt and get out of here.”

Adrian let out a dry, mocking laugh. “Get out? You think you can just walk away from the Fairmoon Pack once you’ve succeeded in digging your claws into our Alpha? You’re actually more foolish than I thought.”

We reached my room, and he pushed the door open aggressively and turned to face me. “Stay inside. If I catch you wandering again especially anywhere near the Alpha’s chambers, you would not like what I will do to you.”

With that, he slammed the door behind me, leaving me alone in the room. I dropped onto the bed, my body shaking as I think through everything that had just happened. The way Walter had looked at me part anger, and part something else I couldn’t quite place. The pull I’d felt between us, was so strong it had made my skin tingled and my heart fluttered.

And then there was the truth about his condition. He couldn’t shift fully, not like every werewolf is supposed to. Every time he tried, it always left him in agony, his body caught between human and wolf. And he thought I was to blame.

I’d barely had time to catch my breath when there was a knock at the door. I tensed, expecting Adrian to return with more threatening words, but when I called out “Come in,” it was Nora who stepped inside, carrying a tray with food and fresh clothes.

“I’m sorry about all that,” she said quietly, setting the tray on the small table by the bed. “Adrian means well, he’s just protective of the Alpha. He’s been by his side since the incident two years ago.”

I nodded, pulling the clothes toward me, it's a simple black dress and a pair of flats. “Thank you,” I said, my voice still shaky. “For the clothes. And for… for treating me differently.”

Nora gave me a small smile, though there was sadness in her eyes. “You’re not a monster, miss. I’ve worked in this estate for five years now, and I’ve seen what true monsters look like. You’re just lost that's all.”

She helped me change out of the hospital gown, her movements gentle as she avoided the bruises forming on my throat and arms. As she adjusted the dress over my shoulders, she paused, her fingers brushing against the small scar on my collarbone, the only visible mark from that night two years ago.

“Do you remember?” she asked softly.

I touched the scar, remembering the sharp pain of claws tearing through my skin. “I don’t really remember,” I admitted. “Just flashes of memories. Walter pushing me out of the way. Then nothing.”

Nora’s expression was thoughtful as she stepped back. “The Alpha doesn’t talk about that night,” she said. “But I know it changed him. Before, he was… different, he smiled more. He cared about more than just the pack.”

She glanced toward the door, as if making sure no one was listening, then leaned in slightly. “He still has the jacket he was wearing that night. It’s covered in blood, his and yours. He keeps it locked in his desk drawer like it’s some kind of reminder.”

I felt a little pain in my chest at her words. Whatever that had happened that night, Walter had been carrying the weight of it with him every single day. And he’s blaming me for all of it.

“Eat something,” Nora said, breaking the silence. “You’ll need your strength. Working for the Alpha will not be easy, especially, with the tensions rising between our pack and the Ironclaws.”

“The Ironclaws?” I asked, picking up a piece of bread from the tray.

“Draven Harlan’s pack,” she explained, her voice a whisper as if afraid of being heard. “They’ve been invading at our borders for months now. Saying the Fairmoon Pack is weak because our Alpha can’t shift. They want to take over our territory, our businesses and everything we’ve built.”

The mention of Draven Harlan sent a shiver down my spine. I’d heard stories about him and how he’d risen to power by challenging the previous Alpha and killing him in single combat. He was savage, and if he thought Walter was defenceless, he wouldn’t hesitate to strike.

I ate slowly, the food tasting like ash in my mouth as I thought about everything Nora had told me. By the time I’d finished, the sun was beginning to rise,

“I should go,” Nora said, moving toward the door. “The Alpha will expect you in his office at eight sharp. I’ll come get you when it’s time.”

After she left, I lay back on the bed, and closed my eyes but also aware that sleeping would be impossible. My mind was flooding with questions, about who I really was, about what had happened two years ago, about the strange pull between Walter and me that seemed to grow stronger every time we were near each other.