Chapter 35
Lily's POV
I stood frozen against the wall, my lips still tingling from his kiss. My heart was pounding like a bass drum at a concert. I should've slapped him. I should've shoved him and stormed out with some badass line about never touching me again.
But instead?
I kissed him back.
Like an idiot.
Like a complete, utterly confused idiot.
My fingers were still gripping the fabric of his shirt, and his were in my hair, and for a moment, it felt like we were the only two people in the universe.
What the hell was I doing?
His chest was rising and falling fast. His eyes were less angry now, they were just... intense. Hungry. Not with power or control like before. But something more. Something terrifyingly real.
He brushed his thumb gently across my jaw. "Why are you doing this to yourself Lily?" he asked softly. "Why are you fighting what you feel for me?"
I blinked up at him, trying to swallow past the lump in my throat. "Let me go, Joe."
And to my surprise, he did. Just like that.I took a single step back like he was giving me space to breathe.
I turned to leave, needing distance, needing to get out of that room before I lost the last ounce of sense I had left.
But then…of course…he grabbed my wrist again.
"Don't," I said, without looking back. "Whatever just happened… it was a mistake."
His grip didn't tighten, but he didn't let go either. "Say it like you mean it, and I'll let you go."
I turned, eyes locked on him. "It was a mistake," I said clearly. "One that won't happen again Joe."
He nodded slowly, like he was absorbing every word.
"I have someone who actually cares about me," I continued. "Someone who didn't reject me when I needed him most. Someone I don't want to lose because of a stupid, emotional moment or…whatever that was."
Joe's eyes darkened. "Just emotions right? If it was just emotions, then stop me now."
"Hmmm…" I opened my mouth to reply…
And he leaned in again.
And again… I didn't stop him.
This time, there was no fury. Just fire. Deep, slow-burning fire that had been waiting way too long to ignite. His hands cradled my face like he was holding something precious. My hands slid up his chest again, pulling him closer, hating myself for needing this… for needing him…as much as I did.
Then his lips broke from mine and his forehead pressed against mine.
And then came the words that slammed me back to reality like a freight train.
"Marry me," he whispered.
I blinked.
My heart stopped beating.
"…What did you just say?"
He didn't laugh, or smile or flinch. "Marry me, Lily."
I took two steps back, completely rattled. "Are you serious? Like, serious serious?"
"Yes."
"You're insane," I said, still breathless. "You rejected me, Joe. You told me I wasn't enough. You made me feel like garbage. Like I was unworthy of being your mate. You don't just get to walk back into my life and drop a proposal like we're in some fairytale reboot."
"I know," he said, his voice lower now. "I know I messed up. But I can fix it. I want to fix it. Just… give me a chance to make things right. A second chance please Lily."
I laughed, bitter and broken. "That's not how life works, Joe. You don't get to rip someone apart and then staple them back together with a ring."
He stepped toward me, his hands slightly raised. "I'm not asking you to forget. I'm asking you to try again. With me."
I shook my head, trying to hold myself together. "I've been building something with Mark. Something that feels safe. Real."
Joe's jaw clenched. "Safe isn't the same as real. You know that."
"You're one to talk," I snapped. "You think real love comes with decrees and guards? That's not love, Joe. That's control."
He looked down briefly, then back up. "Mark isn't who you think he is."
Oh no.
"Nope. Stop right there. You don't get to do that." I pointed at him. "You don't get to attack the one person who's been there for me while you were off being king of heartbreak island."
"I'm not attacking him. I'm telling you… he's hiding things from you. He is cheating on you"
"You think that matters to me right now?" I shouted. "He showed up for me. He saw me when you didn't. When I was broken. When I was alone. And maybe he's not perfect, but at least he didn't toss me aside like some phase you outgrew."
Joe flinched. Like my words physically hit him.
Good.
But then, it hurt me too. Because I didn't want to keep hurting him. And yet, here we were.
I took a breath. My voice dropped to a whisper. "Even if you undo that stupid decree, even if you apologize a hundred times… it doesn't change what you did. It doesn't change how you made me feel."
He stepped back, just slightly. "And what if I said… I still feel everything? That my wolf still wants yours? That I still…"
"No," I cut him off, voice shaking. "Don't…Don't say it unless you mean every damn word, because I won't survive hearing it again and watching you walk away."
Joe was quiet. Just… staring at me. And I hated that he looked as lost as I felt.
"I will never marry someone who shattered me the way you did," I said, my voice cracking. "No matter what bond we have… I won't go through that twice."
And just like that, I turned.
It took everything..everything…in me not to look back as I walked out of the palace. Not to let his silence pull me in one last time.
By the time I slid into the backseat of the cab waiting outside, the tears finally came.
Hot,Silent and angry.
Not just because I was heartbroken… but because I still loved him.
Even now.
Even after everything.
And that?
That hurt worst of all.