"Just a little more… and I won't be alone anymore…"
—————————————————
Time moved forward.
It always did.
Unbothered by pain, by longing, by unanswered questions—it simply continued, leaving everything else behind to struggle within its passing.
Three weeks since lucien stopped following Elena, he was busy looking for the moon child.
Three weeks since Lily had last stepped into the dark forest.
Three weeks since she had stood before that cursed house… and felt something reach for her from the shadows.
Three weeks since she had met him.
The vampire.
The one she still, stubbornly, continued to call—
Brother.
Even though he had told her not to.
---
Life, however, had not changed.
Not for her.
The mornings still came too early, the cold biting into her skin before the sun had even risen. Her hands still moved through endless chores, carrying, cleaning, serving—always moving, never resting.
The voices around her had not softened.
If anything, they had grown sharper.
"Move faster."
"You're useless."
"Even for an omega, you're disappointing."
The words fell on her as they always did.
Repeated.
Familiar.
Almost expected.
Yet—
They still hurt.
She did not show it.
She had learned long ago that showing pain only invited more of it.
But inside—
She felt it.
Every time.
Still—
She endured.
Because something inside her had changed.
Not her life.
Not her surroundings.
But her thoughts.
At times, when her hands worked on their own, her mind wandered—quietly, secretly—back to that night.
To the cold forest.
To the unnatural silence.
To the moment someone had pulled her away from something she still did not fully understand.
Her fingers would pause slightly, just for a second, as the memory surfaced.
His voice.
Cold.
Sharp.
Mocking.
Yet—
He hadn't hurt her.
"…Don't call me brother…"
She remembered the way he had said it.
The way his tone had tried to push her away.
And yet—
She had not felt fear.
Only something strange.
Something warm.
Something she did not have a name for.
A faint smile would appear on her lips without her noticing.
"…Brother…" she whispered softly once, under her breath, as she worked.
And just as quickly—
She shook her head, returning to her task before anyone could notice.
But no matter how much she tried to act the same—
Something inside her had already shifted.
And she could not return to who she had been before.
---
She had stopped going to the forest.
Completely.
Not out of fear of the witch.
But because of him.
Because somewhere in her heart, his warning had settled deeper than anything else.
And without realizing it—
She had chosen to trust it.
Even now, when she passed near the edge of the forest, her steps slowed.
Her gaze would drift toward the trees.
Dark.
Still.
Waiting.
For a moment, she would stand there, her chest tightening slightly as if something inside her was being pulled again.
A silent call.
Faint.
Persistent.
But then—
She would remember his voice.
Stay away from that place.
And she would turn away.
Every time.
---
Her life remained the same.
Her suffering remained the same.
But one thing continued to grow stronger with each passing day—
Hope.
Her eighteenth birthday.
The day she would finally understand.
The day she would smell her mate.
The day everything would change.
She counted it silently.
Every night.
Every morning.
Every breath bringing her closer.
"Just a little more…" she whispered to herself one evening, sitting quietly on her bed, her tired body finally allowed a moment of rest.
Her fingers curled slightly against the thin fabric beneath her.
"Just a little more… and I won't be alone anymore…"
Her voice was soft.
Fragile.
But filled with belief.
Because without that belief—
She would have nothing left.
---
Far away from her—
Someone else was not waiting.
Not hoping.
But burning.
The Witch.
The air around her house no longer held stillness.
It trembled.
Distorted.
As though the forest itself could no longer remain calm under her presence.
Her form stood within the dim interior, no longer concealed, no longer gentle.
Her true nature surfaced.
Fury.
Uncontrolled.
"How…?" her voice echoed, low and sharp, cutting through the silence like a blade.
Her fingers clenched tightly, dark energy curling faintly around them like smoke that refused to dissipate.
"My spell… should have been absolute…"
Her eyes darkened further, glowing faintly with something unnatural.
"She should have come to me."
A pause.
Her breathing slowed.
But the anger did not.
Instead—
It deepened.
"And yet…"
Her gaze lifted slowly, as though looking beyond the walls, beyond the forest—toward something unseen.
"She stopped."
The realization twisted into something far more dangerous.
"Someone interfered."
The word lingered.
Heavy.
Poisoned.
She extended her hand, dark energy gathering again as she attempted to see beyond the barrier that now blocked her sight.
To find Lily.
To reach her.
But—
The moment the energy spread—
It shattered.
Like glass.
An unseen force pushed back violently, cutting off her vision entirely.
The Witch froze.
Her expression stilled.
Then—
A slow smile spread across her lips.
Not calm.
Not pleasant.
But terrifying.
"So… there is someone protecting you now…"
Her voice dropped into something quieter.
More dangerous.
"Good."
Her fingers relaxed slowly.
Because this—
This made things far more interesting.
"I was getting bored…"
Dark energy coiled around her once more.
"And I never leave my toys unfinished."
---
Elsewhere—
Far from the forest—
Another storm was forming.
Not of magic.
But of decision.
Leo sat upon a large stone, his posture still yet heavy, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon where unfamiliar territories stretched beyond his reach.
The journey had been long.
Exhausting.
He had crossed territories he once considered impossible to enter.
Met Alphas who were once enemies like they planned.
Observed packs that lived differently from his own.
And yet—
Nothing.
No scent.
No pull.
No sign of the one destined for him.
His fingers tightened slightly against his knee.
"…Do you really think this is a good idea?" Jimmy's voice broke the silence.
Leo did not respond immediately.
Jimmy stepped closer, his expression more serious than usual.
"The Silver Pack…" he continued, his voice lowering slightly. "They're not like the others. They're stronger. Sharper. They'll recognize us the moment we step inside."
Tez nodded beside him, crossing his arms.
"He's right," Tez added. "Their senses are too strong. Especially for detecting other Alphas. Even if we hide our identity, our scent alone could give us away."
Leo finally exhaled slowly, his gaze lowering slightly as their words settled into his thoughts.
"I know," he said quietly.
His voice was calm.
But not unaffected.
"I know exactly what we're walking into."
He lifted his head again, his eyes sharper now.
"That's why you two won't come with me."
Both of them reacted instantly.
"No."
The word came from both Jimmy and Tez at the same time.
Firm.
Unwavering.
Leo frowned slightly.
"This isn't something I can risk," he said, his tone more serious now. "If something goes wrong—"
"We already decided," Jimmy cut in, his voice steady. "We started this together. We finish it together."
Tez stepped forward slightly, his gaze meeting Leo's directly.
"You think we'd let you walk into the most dangerous territory alone?" he added. "If something happens to you there, we won't even be there to help."
Leo fell silent.
Not because he had no answer—
But because he understood them.
A long breath left him.
"…Then we do this properly," he said finally.
They both nodded.
Relief mixed with determination.
"We hide our scent," Tez said immediately, already thinking ahead. "Not just mask it—completely suppress it."
Jimmy added, "And we don't enter as Alphas like we planned. We go as something else. Traders. Travelers. Something normal.We need to find a way where we can hide our scent."
Leo leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees, his mind already working through the possibilities.
"But how…" he murmured quietly.
The question remained.
Unanswered.
For now.
---
And while plans were being made—
Something else had already begun to move.
In the depths of the forest—
The Witch stood before a cracked mirror.
Her reflection—
Changed.
Gone was the ancient, decaying form.
In its place—
A young woman stood.
Beautiful.
Calm.
Perfectly human.
But her eyes—
Still carried that same darkness.
That same hunger.
Her fingers brushed lightly against her reflection, a slow smile forming on her lips.
"If you won't come to me…" she whispered softly, her voice smooth now, controlled, almost pleasant.
"Then I will come to you."
The next moment—
She stepped away.
And left the forest behind.
---
The Silver Pack awaited.
And with her arrival—
Everything…
Was about to change.