Lily Evans POV
The piece of paper crackled in Lily's shaking hands as she read the words again. She's mine, isn't she?
Emma was finally asleep upstairs after the crazy night at the party. Lily had thought they were safe, that maybe she could pretend everything was normal for just one more day. But Dominic's note, slipped under the door like a threat, changed everything.
Her phone buzzed on the kitchen table. A text from an unknown number: We need to talk. Tomorrow morning. Pack cabin. Don't make me come find you.
Lily's heart pounded so hard she could hear it in her ears. Five years of hiding, five years of building a new life, and now it was all coming apart because of one Christmas party.
She grabbed her phone and scrolled through her contacts until she found Maya's number. But what could Maya do? This wasn't about friendship anymore. This was about werewolf pack rules and Alpha commands.
Without thinking, she found herself dialing the number Ethan had given her earlier.
He answered on the first ring. "Lily? What's wrong?"
"He knows," she whispered, clutching the note so tight it started to tear. "Dominic knows about Emma. He left a note and... I don't know what to do."
"I'm coming over," Ethan said instantly. "Don't go anywhere. Don't answer the door for anyone else."
"But what if he—"
"I'll be there in ten minutes. Just breathe, okay?"
Lily hung up and started walking around the small kitchen. Her mom was visiting her sister for the week, which had seemed perfect for their return to Pine Ridge. Now Lily felt completely alone.
The electric feeling she'd experienced around Ethan at the party kept coming back in waves. Even now, just hearing his voice made something inside her chest feel warm and safe. She'd never felt anything like it with Dominic, not even when she thought she loved him.
A soft knock came at the back door exactly ten minutes later. Lily looked through the curtain and saw Ethan standing there, snow in his dark hair.
"Thank goodness," she breathed, opening the door.
Ethan stepped inside, and immediately that strange pull between them got stronger. He looked at the crumpled note in her hand.
"Can I see it?"
Lily handed it over, watching his face get serious as he read.
"He's not wasting time," Ethan muttered. "This is classic Dominic. Corner his target, demand answers."
"Target?" Lily felt sick. "Is that what Emma and I are?"
Ethan looked up quickly. "No, that's not what I meant. I'm sorry." He moved closer, and Lily felt that weird electric sensation again. "Lily, there's something we need to talk about. What happened between us at the party—"
"I felt it too," she interrupted. "That... whatever it was."
"It's called a mate bond," Ethan said quietly. "A true mate bond. It's really rare."
Lily stared at him. "Mate bond? Like, werewolf mates?"
"You're not werewolf, but sometimes humans can be mates to wolves. The connection is instant and impossible to ignore." Ethan ran his hand through his hair. "I've never experienced anything like it."
"But Emma's father is Dominic. How can I be your mate if I already had a friendship with another werewolf?"
Ethan's expression got complicated. "That's the thing about true mates. When you find your real match, it changes everything. Past relationships don't matter anymore."
A chill ran down Lily's spine. "What does that mean for Emma?"
"I don't know," Ethan admitted. "Pack laws about this stuff are really old and confusing. But Lily, what I do know is that I want to help you. Both of you."
Lily felt tears starting. "Why? You barely know us."
"Because..." Ethan stepped closer, and the air between them practically buzzed with energy. "Because when I look at you, I see my future. And when I see Emma, I see a little girl who deserves to be protected."
"But she's Dominic's daughter. He has rights."
"Maybe. But you have rights too. You're her mother." Ethan's voice got stronger. "And if we really are mates, that changes things legally."
"How?"
"Ancient pack law says that when an unmated woman with a child finds her true mate, the child's loyalty follows the bond. Emma would be considered mine to protect."
Lily's head spun. "That's crazy."
"Pack laws are crazy," Ethan agreed. "But they might be the only thing that keeps Dominic from just taking Emma away from you."
The thought made Lily's stomach drop. "He wouldn't do that."
Ethan's silence was answer enough.
"Oh god," Lily whispered, sinking into a kitchen chair. "What have I done? I should never have come back here."
"Hey." Ethan knelt beside her chair, taking her hands. The moment their skin touched, warmth spread up her arms. "We'll figure this out. I promise."
"How can you promise that? You don't even know what we're up against."
"Because true mates guard each other. It's not a choice—it's who we are."
Lily looked into his eyes and saw something she'd never seen in Dominic's: complete honesty. No games, no manipulation, just pure desire to keep her safe.
"What do we do now?" she asked.
"Now we—"
A loud bang on the front door cut him off. Both of them froze.
"Lily!" Dominic's voice boomed through the house. "I know you're in there. We're talking tonight, not tomorrow."
Emma's scared voice drifted from upstairs. "Mommy? Who's yelling?"
More pounding on the door, harder this time.
"Open the door, Lily, or I'll break it down. Don't test me."
Ethan stood up, his whole body tense. "Stay with Emma. I'll handle this."
"No," Lily grabbed his arm. "If he sees you here, it'll make everything worse."
"LILY!" Dominic's roar shook the windows.
Emma started crying upstairs.
Lily's mind raced. She could pretend Ethan wasn't here, try to face Dominic alone. Or she could let Ethan help and risk making Dominic even angrier.
The pounding stopped suddenly. In the quiet, they heard footsteps walking around the house.
"He's checking the other doors," Ethan whispered.
Then they heard it—the sound of the back door handle turning slowly.
"I thought I locked that," Lily breathed.
But as the door creaked open, they realized their mistake. In a house full of werewolves earlier, someone had learned to pick locks.
Dominic's massive frame filled the doorway, his eyes glowing with Alpha power in the dim light.
"Well, well," he said, looking between Lily and Ethan. "Isn't this interesting."