Chapter 13 - The truth and the pack

🌙 Episode 13: The Truth and the Pack

Lila sat on the old sofa in Ethan's penthouse, still wrapped in the blanket he'd thrown over her. The silence stretched like a knife between them. The events of the warehouse replayed in her mind—the claws, the snarls, the blood.

Finally, she broke.

"No more lies, Ethan. I want the truth. All of it. Right now."

He stood by the window, shirt discarded, bandaging the gash along his ribs. The city lights painted him in sharp lines, golden eyes shadowed.

"You think you can handle the truth?" he asked quietly.

Her throat tightened. "I saw you rip a man apart with your bare hands. I think I can handle anything at this point."

His jaw flexed. He turned slowly, and for once, there was no mask. No careful half-smile. Just raw, dangerous honesty.

"I'm not human, Lila. I never was. I'm a werewolf. And you…" He stepped closer, gaze burning into hers. "…you're my mate."

Her breath caught. "Mate," she repeated, the word foreign on her tongue.

"It's a bond," he said, voice low. "Deeper than love. Stronger than reason. When I first saw you, I tried to fight it. I didn't want this life for you. But the bond doesn't care what we want."

Her pulse hammered. "So what—you're saying I don't have a choice? That I'm just… tied to you forever?"

He flinched, the pain in her voice cutting deeper than any blade.

"No. You always have a choice. But the bond…" His hand hovered near hers, trembling. "The bond means I will never stop protecting you. Even if you walk away."

She stared at him, torn between anger and the aching warmth in her chest. "You should have told me sooner."

"I was afraid," he admitted. "Afraid you'd run. Afraid you'd look at me the way you did last night."

Her lips parted, but before she could respond, the door burst open.

Marcus stormed in, his expression thunderous. "Ethan. What the hell have you done?"

Lila jerked, startled, as two more men followed—tall, broad-shouldered, their eyes glinting with the same unnatural glow as Ethan's.

The tension in the room crackled.

"She knows," Marcus said flatly, glaring at Ethan. "The whole damn truth."

Ethan's body shifted subtly, protective. He placed himself between Lila and the others. "She had a right to know."

"A human?" one of the men spat. "You brought a human into our world?"

"She's not just a human," Ethan growled. "She's my mate."

The room fell silent. The word carried weight, heavy and unyielding. The wolves exchanged wary looks.

Marcus stepped closer, voice hard. "Do you realize what this means? The rogues already targeted her. If they know she's your mate—"

"They do," Ethan cut in grimly.

Lila's heart plummeted. "They said it," she whispered. "They knew…"

Marcus swore under his breath. "Then she's not just a liability—she's a target. They'll never stop until they break you through her."

The other wolf snarled. "We can't protect her. She doesn't belong here."

Ethan's eyes flashed gold. "She belongs with me."

Lila's chest tightened. He said it like a vow, a command, as if daring anyone to challenge him.

The wolf sneered. "You'd risk the entire pack for a human girl?"

Ethan moved in a blur, pinning the man against the wall, his teeth bared. "Call her that again," he growled, "and see what happens."

Marcus stepped in quickly, hands raised. "Enough! Fighting each other won't solve this. Ethan—if she stays, we'll need to double patrols. Hide her. Train her. You know what you're asking."

Ethan didn't let go of the man until his growls subsided. Finally, he turned to Lila, his expression softening. "It's not safe for you out there. Stay here, with me. Please."

Lila's pulse raced. She should say no. She should run, put as much distance as possible between herself and this madness.

But the memory of the rogues' claws on her, the knife at her throat, silenced her protests. And the way Ethan had looked at her—as if she was his entire world—kept her rooted in place.

She nodded slowly. "Okay. But only if you promise… no more secrets."

Ethan's chest rose and fell, relief flickering across his face. He cupped her cheek gently, careful not to scare her. "No more secrets."

Marcus cleared his throat, breaking the moment. "Then we'd better move fast. Because if the rogues know she's his mate…"

He didn't finish. He didn't need to.

Lila already knew.

The trap had only just begun.

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✨ End of Episode 13