Lily was sitting up at her end of the royal bed, staring at the elaborate carvings on the ceiling.

Her husband, Alistair was already far gone in his sleep.

Her initial thoughts remained on Alistair's behavior movements ago.

“ Was he uninterested? Was this some sort of pity for her inexperience?

Or was it simply indifference?”

She sighed quietly, keeping her head to the ground.

No matter how hard she tried to focus, she couldn’t arrive at any satisfying answers.

And yet, her restless mind betrayed her.

A few blank minutes passed, then out of nowhere, an image Callum popped up in her mind….a flash of his confident smirk,

That magnetic gaze of his during their introduction.

She was remembering the nature of the energy his presence brought.

How his movements had exuded confidence, a confidence that could easily be mistaken for arrogance.

There was something dangerous about the man, dangerous and yet alluring.

It was this particular thought that eventually stirred her wolf.

“Thinking about him, are we?”

Dora’s voice teased slyly.

Lily stiffened, her cheeks suddenly burning red as she shook her head in self denial.

“No. Absolutely not,”

She whispered to herself, even though her voice had no hint of conviction.

“Liar,”

Dora purred, seeing through her deceitful mask.

“You can pretend all you like, but I’m in here too. I felt it…I felt how your heart skipped when he looked at you, how your breath almost stopped.”

“Don’t,”

Lily hissed, quickly glancing at her sleeping husband.

Alistair’s face was serene, peaceful in slumber, and for the first time, she was grateful for that.

Nevertheless, Dora persisted.

“You’re not wrong to feel curious about him. The man is intriguing, isn’t he? So…different from this weak one.”

Lily pressed her palms against her cheeks.

“He’s my stepson,”

she whispered, reminding Dora and also herself.

“And yet, here you are, helplessly thinking about him,”

her wolf countered, still not relenting.

The images of few hours ago returned again with a force, they looked so much clearer now in her mind.

Callum’s piercing gaze, his broad shoulders, his incredible height, he was a beautiful monster.

She started to feel the presence of a heat,

The source of it, was from her head and then it began to move down to her legs, gently she spread her legs apart on the bed.

Dora's voice started to drop.

“Why deny the obvious Lily? Why?....Look…Just once. Indulge, if only to quiet your mind.”

Lily hesitated, her hands trembling slightly as she guided her fingers towards the blankets.

She gasped letting out hot air from her lips.

Then very slowly she started to close her eyes, and for the first time in years,

she began to allow herself give in to the yearnings of the dirty desires she had always nursed in secret.

She cupped her palms around the form of her breasts gently feeling the pressure of each one.

A low hungry moan escaped her mouth making her quickly observe her husband again, but the coast was still clear.

Becoming more adventurous,

she took one hand off her breast and had started to insert one of it's fingers into her panties, picturing Callum's face and was about to stick it deeper when she realized herself.

Her eyes snapped open, her heart beating fast.

“No,”

she whispered, pulling her hand away as if something had burned her in there.

What was she doing?

She sat up abruptly,

Her gaze fell on Alistair, still asleep, blissfully unaware of all that was going on next to him.

A wave of shame fell on her. This wasn’t her. She wasn’t the kind of woman who…who.

She allowed the thought fade.

Then she ran a hand through her hair.

Later that night, her sleep was restless, her dream that night was both tangled and strange.

She found herself standing in a dimly lit forest, the trees tall and shadowy,

This weird figure emerged from the mist, moving with a predatory grace. And when she looked up to see his face,

It was Callum.

His trademark smirk both teasing and dangerous.

He was moving closer,

And before she could react, he reached for her,

his hand brushing against hers, and a surge of that earlier heat traveled through her, leaving her breathless.

Instantly, she sat up on the bed with a jerk, waking from sleep.

For a moment, she was left disoriented.

But as her vision started to clear, she realized she was still in the royal chamber.

Her husband, Alistair, was still lying beside her, his breathing, utterly undisturbed

The vivid remnants of her dream only made her feel more unsettled.

Especially because of the little dirty act she had engaged in before she became unconscious.

What was wrong with her?

How could she dream of something so...inappropriate? How could she have done something so inappropriate?

She closed her eyes,

it was in the process of willing this memory and all these thoughts to fade, that something else caught her attention.

She saw it through the heavy curtains, a pale glow was seeping into the room.

She turned her head and saw it the view of the full moon, luminous and commanding

Alistair’s warning came back to her in flash.

“Stay out of the forest during the full moon.”

A slow curiosity began to creep over her,

What was it about the moon that warranted such a stern warning? Surely, there couldn’t be any harm in simply looking, could there?

What if she just gave it a short look?

It wouldn’t hurt just to satisfy her curiosity and give her some distraction.

Thinking about it that way, she finally convinced herself enough to slip from the bed,

careful not to disturb Alistair, her bare feet padding softly across the cold marble floor.

The marble floor was cold against her bare feet as she stood.

She glanced over her shoulder, cautiously observing her husband

His breathing remained deep and steady.

She bent down slightly, lowering herself to his level.

Nothing changed.

He was completely asleep.

Biting her lip, she straightened herself and gave a firm nod to herself.

He won’t wake.

The pull of the moon was too strong now to ignore.

Her steps were measured as she tiptoed to the door, her heart pounding with every movement

She hesitated at the threshold, one last glance back confirming Alistair’s undisturbed slumber.

Then, with delicate fingers, she eased the door open, the soft creak making her wince.

Once outside, the cool air of the corridor greeted her.

The grand hallways were dim.

Her breathing quickened, each step amplifying the sound of her heartbeat in her ears.

She started to descend the stairs silently.

Outside the chamber building, the estate grounds stretched wide.

The air smelled of earth and dew.

Lily followed the cobblestone path leading to the gate,

The pack grounds felt eerily still.

But as she started to approach a corner near the estate’s high outer gate, the sound of multiple boots on gravel made her freeze into one spot.

Then without thinking, she crouched low peering through a narrow gap in the bushes, from there she saw two guards appear, their dark uniforms blending with the night.

They were speaking in very low tones,

“Don’t move. Don’t make a sound”

She murmured to herself

Finally, after several agonizing moments, the guards resumed their patrol, their footsteps fading into the distance

Lily exhaled sharply,

Peeking out once more, she saw the gates ahead, wide open, the path clear.

Her chest rose and fell quickly as she considered her next move.

“This is your chance, Lily.”

Steeling herself, she pressed a hand to her chest, feeling the frantic rhythm of her heart beneath her palm.

Then, with a quick glance in either direction, she made her move.

“Run…run!”