Lola’s POV

Flint turned around, and I saw his red eyes in the light. For a moment, everything stopped. The color was clear and strong. It meant only one thing, he was my mate. My wolf inside me jumped, her voice echoing one word again and again: “Mate.” My heart sped up. My hands felt cold. This was real.

The forest scent I had followed earlier, the strange feeling in my chest, it was all because of him. Suddenly, memories from years ago came back, like someone pressed play on a movie I had kept hidden in my mind.

Flint saving me from the wild dog in the yard, his arms tight around me, his voice low and steady. Him finding me in the woods when I got lost as a child, carrying me home on his back while I cried.

The way he always checked if I ate, how he left snacks outside my door when I had a bad day. Every little thing felt different now. It wasn’t just kindness. It was a bond. It was fate.

I realized, in a way, I had always loved him. Even before I understood what love meant, I wanted to be close to Flint. I wanted him to see me. Now, I knew why. I truly believed we were meant to be together.

I took a shaky step toward him. My eyes burned with tears that I refused to let fall. I wanted to ask if he felt it too, if he knew that this was the truth.

He didn’t look surprised. He didn’t even blink. He just watched me come closer. There was something in his eyes that I couldn’t read..

Morgan was standing off to the side. He laughed, rolling his eyes. “Wow, so the rumors are true,” he said, smirking. “The pretty girl and the perfect Alpha. Good luck, Flint.” He shot me a teasing look and strolled away, whistling like he was above it all.

When he was gone, it was just me and Flint. I stood in front of him, every muscle tight with nerves. My voice shook. “Did you know?” I whispered.

Flint’s jaw tensed. “I figured it out,” he answered.

“How long have you known?” I pressed. He looked down, away from me. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does to me,” I said. “I spent so long wondering if I was broken, if I was the problem. You could’ve told me.”

He sighed. “What was I supposed to say? That my mate was my sister?”

I felt a sting in my chest. “I’m not your real sister, Flint. I’m adopted. There’s no blood between us.”

He looked back at me. “That doesn’t change how things are. You lived with my family. You call my parents Mom and Dad. Everyone in the pack sees you as my sister.”

“But it’s not true,” I said. “We aren’t related. You know it. I know it.”

He shook his head. “It’s not that simple.”

My voice dropped. “You’re making it complicated, not me. I know what I feel. I know what the bond means. Don’t you?”

He paused. His voice softened for a second. “Lola… even if it wasn’t this way, it wouldn’t change anything.”

My stomach twisted. “Why?”

He looked away again, this time his shoulders stiff. “Because you’re just an Omega.”

That cut through me like a knife. My breath caught. I stared at him, stunned.

He kept going. “I’m going to be Alpha. I need a Luna who is strong, someone who can help lead, someone the elders will respect. You know that.”

His words reminded me of every time I’d heard “not enough.” I remembered his voice at the table, “She’s not my type.” It hurt more now than ever.

“You think I’m weak,” I said quietly.

Flint didn’t answer right away.

He looked at me, and for a second, there was a hint of hurt, but it disappeared. He looked away. “It’s what the pack needs.”

I wanted to scream, to run, to disappear. But my feet were stuck. My voice cracked, but I forced the words out. “And what about what I need? What about how I feel?”

He didn’t answer.

He turned and started to walk away, leaving me alone. My eyes blurred, my chest hurt. It felt like someone had wrapped a hand around my heart and was squeezing, tighter and tighter.

My knees buckled. I couldn’t hold myself up anymore. I dropped to the ground. Pain shot up my legs and into my hips, but it was nothing compared to the pain inside my chest.

I gasped, grabbing at the grass, nails digging in. My head felt like it was burning. My wolf inside me howled, desperate, scared, broken. “Please, Moon Goddess, please” But nothing happened. There was no help, just pain.

I pressed my fists to my chest, trying to stop the hurt, but it only made it worse. Tears streamed down my face. The world spun around me.

I forced myself up, legs shaking, eyes still blurry with tears. I stumbled forward, desperate to get away from the crowd, from Flint, from everyone. I just wanted to hide, but I kept running into people. My mind was foggy, like everything was happening underwater.

Suddenly, I bumped hard into someone. I looked up and saw Amy, standing there, arms folded, watching me with that cruel little smile she always had.

She didn’t even try to hide her pleasure. “Wow, Lola, you look like a mess. What happened? Did the big, strong Alpha tell you the truth?”

I ignored her and tried to step around, but she blocked me, shifting her weight so I couldn’t pass.

She leaned in, voice low so only I could hear. “You really thought you could have him? ”

I kept moving, not trusting myself to say anything. My foot caught on something. It was Amy’s leg. She’d stuck it out on purpose.

I tripped and fell hard, my knees hitting the ground. Laughter rang out around us as other people turned to look. My dress was dirty now, my hands scraped, my hair a mess.

As I hit the ground, my bag slid across the grass, flipping open. Books, pens, and papers tumbled out. Most embarrassing of all, my small pink diary slid out, landing right at Amy’s feet.

She spotted it immediately. I saw her eyes light up. She bent down, scooped it up, and held it up for everyone to see.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” she said loudly, waving the diary above her head.

Panic shot through me. “Amy, give that back,” I said, voice shaking.

But Amy was already flipping through the pages. She turned, holding it so people could see. “I wonder what kind of secrets are in here? Maybe a confession or two?”

I reached for the diary, but she yanked it away.

Amy’s voice got louder. “You want to know what’s in here, everyone? Should I read it out loud?”

I felt sick. My heart was pounding so hard I thought I might pass out.

Amy didn’t wait. She looked down at the open page, then glared at me. She spoke, so loud everyone stopped to listen. “You like your foster brother, don’t you?”