Lilith stormed into her quarters, the door slamming shut behind her with a crack that echoed through the stone walls. Her chest heaved, lungs burning—not from the exertion, but from the humiliation. The taste of defeat was bitter on her tongue.
She had lost. In front of everyone.
She yanked off her gloves with sharp, furious motions, then threw her cloak across the room. It hit the chair and slid to the floor, forgotten. Her skin still prickled with sweat and shame.
Luke was already there.
He stood by the hearth, arms crossed, his expression tight. The firelight caught the tension in his jaw, the flicker of something stormy in his eyes.
“What has Celine ever done to you?” His voice was low, tightly restrained. “Why do you have to make her life miserable?”
“Oh, spare me,” Lilith snapped, spinning toward him. “You think she’s the first pup to throw a decent punch?”
He didn’t flinch. “You humiliated her.”
“She humiliated me!”
“She earned that win, Lilith.”
“She’s nothing.” Lilith’s voice rose, bitter and sharp. “She’s a stray. A charity case. She wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for your bleeding heart.”
Luke’s expression didn’t shift, but his silence was cutting.
“What?” she scoffed. “Now you’re angry at me?”
“I’m asking why you keep going after her.”
“I don’t keep—” She cut herself off, teeth clenched. “She’s always there. Smiling like she belongs. Like she matters.”
Luke’s voice dropped. “She does.”
Lilith blinked. “Wow. So that’s where we are now?”
He didn’t answer.
She stepped closer, her voice low, accusing. “You’re taking her side.”
“I’m asking why you hate her so much.”
“She exists,” Lilith snapped. “That’s what she did. She walked in and suddenly everything was about her—you were about her.”
Luke’s jaw tightened. “This isn’t about Celine.”
“The hell it isn’t.” She pointed at him. “You don’t even look at me the way you used to. I walk into a room and you barely notice. She walks in and suddenly you’re Mr. Noble Protector.”
He took a breath but said nothing.
She tried again, softer. “You’re my mate.”
Luke’s eyes met hers, steady and cool. “That’s not a license to treat people like dirt.” He let out a long breath, his gaze drifting past her like he couldn’t bear to hold it anymore. “I married you. I chose you. What more do you want from me?”
She stepped in, closing the space between them. Her voice dropped, barely above a whisper. “I just want you to be on my side.”
Her hand brushed against his chest, fingers curling lightly into the fabric of his shirt. She leaned in, not quite a kiss—just close enough to feel his breath.
But Luke turned his face away.
The rejection hit sharper than a slap.
He stepped back, his jaw tightening. “You’re going to be the Midnight Crest’s Luna soon. You should grow the hell up.”