Chapter 13
Kael’s POV
Lisa didn’t move at first. She just stared at me with wide, shocked eyes like she had seen a ghost.
But then, just as I took a single step toward her-
She turned and ran.
“Lisa! Wait!” I shouted, but she didn’t look back.
My heart slammed against my ribs as I rushed after her, pushing through the shop doors into the street
outside. The sun was bright, too bright. People bustled past, talking, laughing, shopping but all I could think
about was her.
Where was she?
I scanned the crowd frantically.
There! A flash of brown hair in the distance.
“Lisa!” I shouted again, running faster.
She weaved through the crowd like a shadow, slipping past vendors, darting between carts. The busy
marketplace swallowed her like a wave, but I kept running, pushing past startled strangers.
“Move!” I barked at a man blocking my way.
What was she doing here? Why was she running from me?
My wolf, Valric, growled in my head.
She’s scared. Of us? Of the pain we caused.
I clenched my teeth and kept going.
I needed to see her.
Just once.
I needed to make sure she was okay. I needed to tell her that I…I don’t know what I needed to say. I just couldn’t let her disappear again.
She had just left the pack. No warning. No goodbye. Just vanished.
I had searched for days after she ran. I told myself it was only because she was a pack member, because it was my duty. But deep down, I knew the truth.
I was worried for her.
I kept running, heart pounding, eyes scanning every face. People yelled as I shoved past. Street vendors called out their deals, children laughed, music played from a corner. It was too loud. Too crowded.
I turned a corner. My breathing was ragged.
She was gone.
I stopped in the middle of the street, turning in all directions.
No sign of her. Not her scent. Not her voice.
Nothing.
We lost her, Valric snarled in my mind. No…Find her, Kael. Don’t stop now.
I don’t know where she went.
She’s close. I can feel it.
+25 Points
I spun in circles, ignoring the stares from the people around me. My chest tightened. My hands shook.
She had been right there.
She was alive.
But now she was gone again.
“Lisa…” I whispered.
Then I heard a familiar voice behind me.
“Kael! What is wrong with you?!”
I turned sharply.
Roxanne was running toward me, her heels clicking against the stone pavement. Her face was flushed and her hair bounced around her shoulders.
She stopped in front of me. She was panting slightly. “Are you mad?! Why did you run out of the shop like that?! Did a thief steal your wallet?!”
I just stared at her.
“What’s wrong?” she asked again and grabbed my arms. “Why are you behaving so weirdly?”
I blinked, trying to find the right words. “I saw her.”
“Who?”
“Lisa,” I said softly. “I saw Lisa. In that shop. She was there. She saw me and ran.”
Roxanne’s face twisted. “What?”
“She was there. Right there, Roxanne. And she ran away.”
“No,” she said quickly and shook her head. “That’s impossible, Kael. Lisa is gone.”
“She’s not,” I snapped. “She was in the shop, I swear it.”
2/5
Chapter 13
“She can’t be!” Roxanne insisted. “What would she be doing in the Frostbane Pack?”
I swallowed hard. “Maybe… maybe Alpha Rylan took her in. Maybe she is staying here.”
+25 Points
Roxanne scoffed. “Highly unlikely. She ran away. She left her pack. That makes her a rogue. No Alpha would ever accept a rogue like her.”
“She is not just some rogue,” I growled. “She is…”
“She is what?” Roxanne cut in, eyes narrowing. “She is your mate? Is that what you were going to say?”
I flinched.
“You have already rejected her, Kael. She has run away from the pack,” she said harshly. “And she is probably dead in the forest somewhere.”
“Don’t say that!” I barked. “Don’t talk about her like that. She is your sister!”
“She was my sister. She chose to leave everything behind,” Roxanne snapped. “And you’re probably just hallucinating. Maybe you saw someone who looked like her and convinced yourself it was her.”
“I know what I saw,” I said firmly. “It was her. I know it.”
Roxanne crossed her arms. “Even if it was her, why are you so bothered? She chose to disappear. You
should be focused on me. I am the one you’re going to marry.”
I stared at her.
“I am the one you love, right?” she said and stepped closer. “Or are you in love with her?”
I opened my mouth. No words came out.
Tell her the truth, Valric said.
Not now.
You’re lying to her. You’re lying to yourself.
Shut up, Valric. I love Roxanne.
Liar.
“This is not what you think,” I told Roxanne. “Of course I love you.”
She studied my face.
“I don’t want to hear her name again,” Roxanne said sharply. “From this moment on, Lisa doesn’t exist. Not to me. Not to you.”
I looked away.
“Promise me,” she said.
I hesitated.
315
< Chapter 13
“Promise me, Kael.”
“I promise,” I said, my voice hollow.
+25 Points
She smiled and wrapped her arms around me. “Good. Now, come on. Let’s go back. I haven’t picked a dress yet.”
She dragged me back toward the boutique. I followed her. My steps were heavy. But my heart wasn’t in it. It was still out there. Chasing a ghost.
She’s alive, Valric whispered.
Yes.
And you let her get away.
I didn’t mean to.
You hesitated. You always hesitate when it comes to her.
I clenched my fists.
Inside the boutique, Roxanne returned to browsing dresses like nothing had happened. I stood near the wall. I was silent, watching her twirl in gown after gown.
But my mind kept drifting. To her eyes. To her voice. To the way she ran. Why did she run from me? Was she afraid that I would hurt her again?
I already had once. And I didn’t regret it.
It had to be done.
Lisa was never meant to be Luna. She was weak, hesitant and always hiding in the background. I needed someone strong beside me-someone like Roxanne. Someone who understood the pressure, the politics, the war always brewing on our borders.
Choosing Roxanne was the right decision.
Lisa… she wouldn’t have survived this life. She wouldn’t have survived me.
I did what was necessary-for her, for the pack, for myself.
And yet…
Rylan had accepted her. Why?
He wasn’t the kind of Alpha to take in strays. He had to know something.
What was Lisa doing here? Was she safe? Was she happy?
I stared at Roxanne as she posed in another dress. It was white this time, with crystals along the hem. “Do you like it?” she asked.
I forced a smile. “Yeah. It’s perfect.”
She beamed. “Then I’ll take this one.”
She called over a clerk, who began packing the gown. I just stood there. I was numb. I didn’t know how I was supposed to go back to normal.
Lisa was alive. She was here. And I was expected to pretend that she didn’t exist.
You can’t ignore this, Valric growled in my mind.
I’m not ignoring it. I just needed to know that she is alive. I needed the closure. That’s all.
Liar.
I’m not lying, I snapped. I have no regrets. I am happy with my decision.
Keep telling yourself that.
It’s the truth.
No, Valric growled. It’s the excuse you made to protect yourself. But we both know what
saw her. You felt everything.
I clenched my jaw.
Shut up, Valric.
you
felt when you
You can lie to Roxanne. To the pack. Even to yourself. But not to me. You never stopped thinking about
her.
I closed my eyes.
My chest felt tight and heavy.
Maybe I didn’t regret it. Maybe I did. But it didn’t matter anymore. What mattered now was that I was
getting engaged to Roxanne soon and I needed to focus on my future as the Alpha of the Nightshade
Pack.
 
	 
 
		 
		 
		 
		