Chapter 72 CHAPTER 72
By the time Lisa reached her bedroom, her pulse was still racing. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it, releasing a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Her cheeks burned with heat, her palms were slightly damp, and her heartbeat thudded so loudly she could feel it echoing in her throat.
She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to calm herself.
What was that?
Her body had reacted as if she’d run all the way from the forest, yet the warmth swirling inside her had nothing to do with physical exertion. It wasn’t the adrenaline of training, and it wasn’t the panic she had known countless times in Silverpine. This time it was softer, Warmer. She had felt alive in a way that made her feel breathless.
Her face went warm again the moment her mind replayed what had happened.
Her falling and landing on top of Liam. The way her hands had felt on his hard chest.
The warmth of his breath hitting her cheek.
Their eyes locking, too close, too intense, for far too long.
And the look in his eyes - steady, surprised, but undeniably warm - made her stomach swoop.
She touched the tip of her ear self-consciously. “Moon Goddess,” she whispered. “What is happening to me?”
It wasn’t like what she felt with Sebastian back then. She had felt something when around him even before she found out he was her fated mate. But it was nothing like what she had felt this morning. There had never been warmth in the bond with Sebastian - only pain, only fear. When he rejected her, she felt broken, physically. It had always been the bond that reacted, never her heart.
But this morning, in that quiet training yard, Liam had looked at her… and she had felt something entirely her own.
Her heart fluttered strangely, and she pressed both hands to her flushed cheeks.
Is this… what Celine was talking about?
Celine said love makes your heart reach for someone, not just your body. That it feels like warmth that doesn’t burn, like wanting to breathe near someone…
She had never believed she would feel anything like that.
A quiet laugh echoed inside her mind, soft and mischievous.
Child, what on earth are you thinking about?
Lisa jumped a little, eyes widening. “Celia...!”
Her wolf’s amusement only deepened. Your thoughts are awfully loud today. And very pink.
Lisa groaned, covering her face with her hands. “Celia, no. You weren’t supposed to hear any of that.”
We share a body, sweetheart, Celia teased. I hear everything. And after what I saw at the training ground - trust me, I didn’t need to listen hard.
Lisa’s heart thumped even harder. “Nothing happened,” she blurted out. “It was an accident. Just…. just a fall. And maybe a spark. But that doesn’t mean anything.”
Celia hummed knowingly. Your face is saying otherwise.
“It’s foolish,” Lisa insisted. “Liam probably didn’t even think about it the way I did. And I shouldn’t be thinking like that anyway. I don’t understand what it was. Maybe I’m imagining everything. Maybe… maybe it meant nothing.”
Or maybe, Celia said softly, it meant something.
Lisa froze.
Celia’s tone changed - still gentle, still teasing, but shaded now with something deeper.
Liam isn’t our mate, she said carefully. Sebastian and Kael are. The goddess chose them for us.
Lisa’s heart sank. “I know.”
But I also know you, Celia continued. And I know what it would cost you if I forced you into a connection that hurts you every time you breathe. Being with my mate means being with Sebastian. Being tied to a pack that treated you less than dirt. Becoming Luna of a place that broke your soul.
Lisa’s throat tightened painfully.
Celia continued quietly. If Kael becomes healthy again - if he survives the witchcraft - and if I end up loving him… then maybe, I would be happy. But what about you?”
Lisa shook her head. “Celia…”
Would you be happy with Sebastian? Celia asked gently. Would you be happy living your whole life where people spit on you? Where you were starved and beaten and mocked? Would that be fair to you?
A lump formed in Lisa’s chest. “No,” she whispered.
Celia’s warmth wrapped around her like a soft embrace. So if you ever feel something real - something gentle - for someone else, someone who doesn’t hurt you… I will never stand in your way. I want you happy, Lisa. Even if it means my own bond becomes complicated.
Tears pricked at Lisa’s eyes. “I wouldn’t want to deny you happiness either.”
And I wouldn’t want to deny you yours.
Lisa wiped her eyes quickly. Her heart felt heavier and lighter at the same time, tangled in both gratitude and fear.
Before she could respond, the door creaked open and Isabel walked in with two folded towels in her arms. “Oh good, you’re here,” she announced - then stopped and squinted at Lisa’s face. “What happened to you?”
Lisa blinked and turned away a little too quickly. “What do you mean?”
“You look…” Isabel made a circling motion with her finger. “Different.”
“I just went for training. I needed to clear mind after everything that happened last night.”
“Uh-huh,” Isabel said slowly. “And what happened during training? Seems like you cleared more than the mind.”
Lisa crossed her arms defensively. “What do you mean? Nothing happened. And why would you say something like that? What are you insinuating?”
“Because,” Isabel said, placing the towels down and stepping closer, “when you walked past the breakfast table earlier, you looked like someone who got caught doing something they shouldn’t be doing.”
Celia burst into laughter in Lisa’s mind.
Even the human kid sees it. You’re an open book Lisa.
Lisa fought the urge to glare at her wolf. “Nothing happened.”
“Then telling me will be easy,” Isabel said sweetly, folding her arms. “So go on - tell me what ‘nothing’ caused your cheeks to be that red.”
Lisa rubbed the back of her neck. “It was… an accident between Liam and me.”
Isabel leaned in. “An accident?”
Lisa swallowed. “As we were training…. We fell…. And I fell on him. And maybe there was… a spark.”
Isabel squealed so loudly Celia flinched inside Lisa’s mind. She grabbed Lisa’s hands, jumping in place. “Finally! Finally, something good is happening to my friend Lisa!”
Lisa tried to hush her. “Isabel!”
“No, no, you don’t understand,” Isabel said, eyes gleaming. “This is the first good thing the goddess has done for you. The first! I take back every insult I said about her this morning. She is amazing. She’s perfect. She’s beautiful. Thank you, goddess!”
Lisa groaned. “It wasn’t like that.”
“It was exactly like that,” Isabel insisted proudly. “I could see it all over your face. You had that look. That look of someone who just discovered a man smells nice.”
Lisa pressed her palms to her face while Celia howled with laughter inside her mind.
“I hate both of you,” Lisa muttered into her hands.
“No, you don’t,” Isabel said smugly. “You are glowing. Literally glowing.” She pointed dramatically at her cheeks. “And it’s not sweat. It’s happiness.”
Lisa peeked at her through her fingers. “I don’t know what it is.”
Isabel softened then, stepping forward to hug her tightly. “Whatever it is… I’m glad it made you feel something good.”
Celia added from within, warm as sunlight:
“And whatever it becomes… we will face it together.”
For the first time in days, Lisa felt a blush, a laugh, a flustered heartbeat… and hope.
Hope for something she didn’t have to fear.
Hope for someone who didn’t hurt her.
Hope for a feeling that wasn’t tied to destiny or the bond or the weight of the past.
Just… a spark.
This was the beginning of something – small, fragile – but hers.