Lily Greene:

The bitter wind cutting across the trees chilled me to the very bone. My heartbeat in my chest was a loud, irregular drum as I ran further into the woods. Though I hardly noticed it, my senses detected pine and damp earth. All I could hear were relentless, always closer footfalls behind me. Damon Romano, the man I had been pressed to wed, was hunting me.I never had wanted to be his wife. Against will I had been thrown into this dark universe full of secrets, violence, and the unknown. Being away from that house destroyed me every step I took as it was oppressive. I had to leave, be free from him, of this twisted fate. Running from Damon Romano, though, felt as though one was trying to outrun the breeze. Impossible.Tripped on a root, I staggered forward and scraped my palms on the cool, moist ground. Though my arms ached, I kept not stopping. I lacked the means necessary. His loud, violent appeal to my name could be heard behind me."Lilly,"Said in his frigid, under control voice, that one word made me shudder. He was not calling out loudly. Damon never felt forced to shout. His voice was enough to stop anyone dead in their tracks. Not me, either, though Not tonight. Breath came in explosive spurts as I pulled myself up and shot once again.There was nowhere to run to. It was clear to me. He knew this. I had to try, though. The woodland had an eerie glow from the full moon hanging above; the shadows of the tall trees extended like claws in the darkness. The globe itself seemed to be watching, waiting for whatever next could come.Damon had warned me against running away. He had looked squarely at me, those cold, icy-blue eyes that seemed to see everything, and told me what would happen should I try to leave him. But he failed to understand it. I sprinted. Being with him seemed like a jail with just two conceivable results: either I died or I lost myself completely.Just as I thought I might have preserved some distance between us, I heard the faint sound of leaves underfoot. Then he was there, moving too rapidly for any human, cutting off my path like a shadow becoming flesh.His long frame loomed over me as he entered the moonlight, muscles tense under his dark shirt, his face set in a mask of cool control. His wild, untamed look stemmed from his messy hair barely slinking slightly over his eyes. I paused to forget about breathing."Lily," he continued, softer this time but still very demanding. "I spoke with you about this. One cannot leave me.I knew I couldn't run away from him as my legs were shaking when I tried to back off. Not when he looked at me that way. Not when his words slid into my bones like poison, my heart surged for reasons I explain.Knowing it was a lie, I said, "I'm not going back." Even yet, I knew I had little choice."You don't know what's at stake," he said, stepping forward closely. "This transcends our particular circumstances. It denotes them. He gestured toward the black, unbounded wilderness encircling us.The herd. The planet you still do not know.I spat, backed off farther, without thinking about your load; the ground behind me slanted down. I never begged for this life.You were born into it, he said, squinting narrowly. You simply do not yet know it."What are you pointing at?" Fear and resentment mixed within me and shook my voice. One of you is not me. I am not here right now. I am not in your class.His eyes showed something different than icy calculation or rage for the first time since I had seen Damon. Damon's glance softened only momentarily. I watched uncertainty."That's where you're wrong, Lily," he continued, once more walking toward me. More than you are aware, you belong here.The words hung between us, weighted with meaning I yet could not understand. But right now I can not focus on it. I refused to let his remarks throw me off. I had to work out a manner of escape even if it meant, I felt it then as well. Something strange and horrible heating to the surface within me. The moonlight itself seemed to have poured into my veins, illuminating something ancient and strong within me. < I gasped, staggered back; my eyesight blurring made the world seem to tilt."What...what's happening??" I coughed out hands shaking as they rested on my chest.Damon modified his count. He no more carried the cold, detached Alpha I had come to know. His eyes flicked with almost perfect awareness, as though he had been waiting for this."You're waking," he said softly but with a force that sent a tsunami of worry across me. I told you you were born into this."No," I murmured, shook my head, then inhaled more quickly. "No, no this cannot be happening. Different from you, I am not like that.He was close enough right in front of me now to enable me to feel the heat coming from his torso. His hand reached out and swept my cheek in a more intimate way than anything we had ever done.His voice low and ominous, "Lily," he whispered, "you've always been like me." You only lacked awareness of it.And before I could even begin to understand the horrific truth he was revealing, the world burst around us.She had heard my cautionary words. I had presented her with every remaining option. She still shot, though.Lily Greene carried something about which I went crazy. One thing I was powerless over. She was not merely my wife; that had been a formality, a need. Her attitude toward me was one of defiance and dread all mixed together. She never gave up even though she knew she would win.She was unaware, though, that I could not be fled from. None made it out of Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack, King of the Underground of this city. Most obviously not her as well.I moved fast among the forest, her fear guiding like a lighthouse. I could feel her pulsing emotions filling the air. She was needy, afraid, and yet... something had changed. I realized it right away when she departed. She had awakened something; something I had known but hadn't anticipated to surface so rapidly.She was part of this universe whether or not she liked it. And this morning the awakening had begun.Her back pressed against the tree while I watched her perched on the edge of a slope, eyes wild with panic. Beyond that anxiety, though, was something more. something sturdy. She linked to the Moonstone, the historic relic destined to decide the fate of Earth. This was clear to me.My voice quiet and under control, I murmured softly, moving toward Lily. We should stop running now.She shook her head softly, turned away from me, but she was already captivated. No road of escape was clear-cut. None more.She said, "Please," her voice breaking. Just let me go away.I could not stop the flutter of emotions across my cheeks. I decided against doing this. I still had no choice, though. Her fate decided those of my pack, my kingdom.Approaching Lily, I said, "You belong in this field. You were never supposed to leave."Then something in the air changed as I was ready to clasp her hand. The woods echoed with a crack of sound, and I turned just in time to see a black figure dash across the night.I hardly had time to react before the surge of force sent me backward. The world whirled, and as I struggled to stay alert, my vision darkened and I dropped hard against the ground.Viktor's eyes fixed on Lily, through the mist, as he entered the clearing."It's time, Lily," he murmured with a wicked smile and loathing in his voice. "Time to choose."Lily is left standing between Damon, the man she was forced to wed, and Viktor, the criminal looking to use her power for own dark intentions. She must make decisions as the powers of the werewolf society converge, one that will determine not only her but also the fate of the pack overall.The hunt begins right now.