Alpha's Hidden Precious Luna-Chapter 119

Lily POV

The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the sidewalks as I trudged home from college.

It’s been several days since I and Kai decided to take a break from our relationship and it’s been nothing but pure hell for me. In the beginning, I was keeping track of the time, hoping he would get tired and try to reach out, but days turned into a week and a week, three weeks.

A part of me still didn’t know if he had ever truly loved me or if I had just been some fleeting attachment. After all, he had been so quick to let me go.

So, these days, I just live my life on a clean slate and take whatever life throws at me.

Walking was my new therapy nowadays. Instead of covering the five minute car drive every day, I decided walking was soothing. My feet ached, but I loved and welcomed the pain – it was better than the numbness that has lodged in my chest since I got discharged from the hospital.

I hadn’t gone back to the packhouse – not even once. Not even to take my things. Just the thought of stepping foot there, of feeling Kai’s presence even in his absence, was too much. So, I begged Celeste to go instead. She didn’t argue, just gave me a look filled with too much understanding before agreeing. She brought back my things a few hours later—what little I owned, stuffed into a duffel bag.

Jake and Celeste had tried—again and again—to get me to hang out, but I refused every time. I used schoolwork as an excuse, saying I needed to catch up on the days I had missed while in the hospital. They didn’t push too hard, but I knew they saw through my lies. The truth was, I didn’t want to do anything. I had no desire to eat, no real need to sleep, and the thought of making conversation with anyone exhausted me. The only reason I even dragged myself to school was to avoid being trapped inside my own mind for too long.

School was my only anchor to normalcy, the structured hours forcing me to maintain at least a semblance of routine. Without it, I feared I’d dissolve completely into the hollow shell I was becoming.

Today, as I was almost close to the college gate, my throat burned with thirst. It was something I had noticed earlier, but was hoping I could endure it until I get home. But suddenly, it was unbearable. My throat was completely parched.

Tracing my way back to the school cafeteria, I hesitated at the entrance – I’d been avoiding public spaces, dreading the pitiful looks from pack members who’d heard about my "training accident." But thirst won out over anxiety, and I stepped inside. I quickly ordered something cold, something I could focus on while I sat for a while.

Thankfully, the cafeteria was mostly empty at this hour. A few students lingered in small groups over laptops and the staff were beginning to clean up for the day. I took my bottle of water to a quiet corner table, away from curious eyes.

I had barely settled into my seat, when someone tapped my shoulder. “Harriet?”

The name was unfamiliar, but there was something in the man’s voice that made my skin prickle with unease.

Slowly, I turned around arching my brow at the newcomer with confusion.

The man that stood there was a stranger to him. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with dark eyes that flickered with recognition as he stared at me. But I didn’t know him.

“I’m sorry,” I said shaking my head. My voice was a bit rough from disuse. “I’m not Harriet. I think you have the wrong person.”

He blinked; his eyes widened in genuine surprise. “Are you sure? You look exactly like—he stopped, studying my face more carefully. "My God, the resemblance is uncanny. I could have sworn..."

I swallowed hard, shifting uncomfortably. “Like who?”

His lips were pressed together as if he was debating whether or not to answer. Then, he exhaled deeply as his eyes sought mine again. “Harriet. Someone I used to know.”

Within me, Hazel stirred, suddenly more alert than she’d been in days. I was already gathering my things. The last thing I needed was more complications in my life.

There was something about the way he stared at me that sent a shiver down my spine. Like he wasn’t just talking about an old friend—like there was something more.

But before I could leave, he stepped forward, blocking my path.

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “That was rude of me. I didn’t mean to startle you. It’s just... the resemblance is uncanny.”

I hesitated, gripping my bag tightly. “Okay.”

He didn’t move. “What’s your name?”

I blinked. “Why?”

He seemed to consider his answer before giving a slight, almost sad smile. “Curiosity.”

Something about him unsettled me. There was no immediate danger. I would have sensed it—but there was something off. Something I couldn’t quite place.

“...Lily.” 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

His smile widened slightly. “Lily.” He tested the name, as if rolling it over in his mind. Then, he nodded to himself. “That suits you. would you mind... could I buy you a cup of coffee Just to talk for a few minutes?”

“I’m really not in the mood for coffee right now and I’m heading home to go take care of something important so, I can’t stay either.”

I didn’t respond. Instead, I moved past him and walked toward the door, my heart pounding for reasons I couldn’t explain.

As I stepped outside, the cool air hit my skin, but the strange encounter clung to me like a shadow.

Who was Harriet?

Why had that man looked at me as if he knew me from somewhere? Worst still, why did I feel such an eerie connection to this stranger? It was a strange pull and then Hazel had been so restless, which was surprising.

She has been by herself since Kai stopped communicating to us but to feel her prancing about, and wagging her tail both from excitement and anxiety with the stranger, shocked me the most.

And why did I have the feeling that this wasn’t the last time I would see that man?