Chapter 170 CHAPTER 170

Chapter 170 CHAPTER 170
Lydia’s POV

I slept over at Alpha Kaleb's mansion in a room that had been prepared for me after the party. When I woke up the following morning, I went in search of Alpha Kaleb, expecting to find him somewhere in his study or perhaps already attending to pack business.

Instead, I was amused when one of the servants told me he was in the kitchen fixing breakfast.

Kaleb had never cooked before.

Curiosity tugged at me as I made my way downstairs. The sound of utensils clinking against a pan reached me before I stepped into the kitchen, followed by the warm, savory smell of eggs and toasted bread.

I found him standing by the stove, sleeves pushed up to his elbows as he worked over the pan. There was something strangely domestic about the sight of the Alpha, a man who could command an entire pack with a single look, standing in a kitchen trying to make breakfast.

I smiled and walked up behind him, slipping my arms around his waist.

“Morning,” I murmured, resting my cheek briefly against his back before kissing him.

“That smells really good.”

“Did you sleep well?” he asked.

He twisted around just enough to look at me, then leaned down and kissed my forehead.

“I did.”

I moved closer to the stove and peered into the pan. He was making toasted bread with eggs.

“Breakfast?”

“I’m making this for our guest,” he said casually. “I hope she likes it.”

“Our guest?” I repeated. “Who?”

“Lucy,” he replied.

I stared at him. Lucy was here? I hadn't known she had come back again.

“Lucy is here?” I asked, unable to keep the surprise from my voice.

“Yes. She came in this morning to check on Marcus, and I decided to fix her breakfast.”

I swallowed. Something about the way he said it bothered me more than I wanted to admit. Kaleb had never fixed breakfast for me. Not once.

Every time I visited the mansion, his chef was the one who prepared my meals. Yet here he was, standing over a hot stove first thing in the morning, carefully preparing breakfast for Lucy.

I forced myself to look away, pretending to study the counter. Maybe it meant nothing. But an uncomfortable feeling settled in my chest anyway.

“I've never seen her before, have you?” he asked suddenly as he flipped the egg in the pan.

“You mean Lucy?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“I met her only a few days ago at Seraphine's house,” I replied.

He nodded slowly.

“I see.”

I'd also never heard or seen Lucy aside from that day.

As the morning went on, questions began to arise in my mind. What if Kaleb didn't choose me? What if, when the time came, he decided to choose Lucy instead?

I couldn't bear to think about it. Every time the thought crossed my mind, it gnawed at me until I could barely concentrate on anything else.

Worse still, I began noticing how Kaleb was becoming more and more attentive to her.

He spoke to her often, asking questions about her life, where she had been, and even a few things that seemed surprisingly personal. Nothing about their conversations was openly inappropriate, yet every little interaction felt like another thread pulling him away from me.

I found myself watching them from across the room, my chest tightening whenever she smiled at something he said. It felt as though I were standing there helplessly, watching Kaleb slip through my fingers.

Insecurity settled deep inside me, and instead of fading, it grew stronger with every passing hour. And it wasn't just Kaleb.

As I walked through the mansion later, I began hearing whispers from some of the ladies gathered nearby. They spoke in hushed voices, but their excitement made it impossible not to listen.

“She’s absolutely stunning,” one of them said.

“And did you hear that she healed Marcus?” another asked.

I slowed my steps without turning around, pretending to adjust my sleeve as I listened.

“It would be foolish for Alpha Kaleb not to pick her as his mate during the upcoming mating ball,” one of the ladies said.

“Yes,” another replied. “She's the perfect Luna, and just what our pack needs.”

My fingers curled slightly at my sides. The words followed me even after I walked away. The upcoming mating ball.

I had known it was coming, of course. Every unmated wolf in the pack knew. But until that moment, I hadn't truly considered what it meant for me.

Kaleb was the Alpha. Soon, he would be expected to choose a mate. And now there was Lucy. A beautiful woman with mysterious abilities, a growing reputation within the pack, and apparently enough admiration to make everyone believe she belonged at Kaleb's side.

I tried to dismiss the whispers as nothing more than pack gossip, but my instincts refused to let me. Somewhere deep inside me, an uneasy warning stirred. I didn't know whether it was jealousy, fear, or something more primal.

But now, the approaching mating ball didn't feel like a celebration. It felt like a threat. The feeling became even worse when Lucy approached me later on in the day.

“I don't know what to wear, Lydia,” she said.

I turned toward her. She had an almost innocent expression on her face, and somehow that made my irritation worse.

“I was thinking maybe you could advise me on the best outfits I could wear to the ball.”

“What ball?” I asked, even though I already suspected the answer.

“The mating ball,” she replied.

My heart sank.

“Alpha Kaleb gave me an invitation,” she explained.

“He did?” The words escaped my mouth before I could stop them. “When?”

“This morning,” she replied.

She smiled faintly, seemingly unaware of the storm her words had created inside me.

“I really want to attend the ball, but I don't have the right dress to wear. I've never really attended a ball before.”

I stared at her. Kaleb had invited her. The realization hit me hard like cold wind on a winter morning. Until that moment, I had been trying to convince myself that I was imagining things. I had told myself that he was simply being kind to a guest, that his interest in Lucy was nothing more than curiosity after everything she had done for Marcus.

But an invitation to the mating ball was different. That was not an ordinary gathering. That was the night when alliances could shift, bonds could be recognized, and an Alpha's choice could change the future of an entire pack.

My mind began constructing the worst possible picture.

I could see it so clearly. Kaleb standing before the entire pack. His eyes passing over me without stopping. Then turning toward Lucy, choosing her and rejecting me in front of everyone.

My breathing became shallow. No. I couldn't let that happen. I turned away from Lucy before she could notice the panic building in my eyes. My hands had begun to tremble, and I clenched them into fists, trying to steady myself.

I had to do something.

I couldn't simply stand by and wait for Kaleb to make a choice that would destroy me. Without another word, I hurried away. I needed someone who could help me think clearly. Someone I trusted. And the only person who came to mind was Seraphine.

So I ran to her.

Seraphine was in a low mood when I found her. She had spoken to me earlier about how being a Moon Priestess was never the life she had planned for herself. She wanted to go to college, build a life beyond the pack, and become something other than a woman bound to ancient duties and expected to remain within the pack forever.

I had never understood why she considered being a Moon Priestess such a terrible fate. She possessed abilities most wolves could only dream of having. Still, seeing her that afternoon, I realized that power didn't necessarily mean happiness.

I found her drunk, slouched in a chair with a bottle of alcohol sitting loosely in her hand. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and the usually composed Moon Priestess looked nothing like herself.

“Seraphine,” I called softly.

She lifted her head and looked at me through half-lidded eyes.

“I need your help,” I said.

She gave me a tired look.

“With what?”

“I need a love potion for Alpha Kaleb.”

Her eyebrows rose.

“I'm scared he's beginning to fall in love with Lucy, and I might lose him.”

She let out a short chuckle. “Losing him will not be the end of your life, Lydia.”

I frowned.

“Besides, you don't need to worry,” she continued. She dropped the bottle noisily onto the table. “Lucy is betrothed to the head of the council.”

That should have reassured me but it didn't. I knew what I'd seen.

“I don't care,” I said firmly. “I need something. A potent love potion.”

She sighed and waved her hand toward the shelves on her left.

“There,” she said. “Those racks. You can find a love potion there. Just a drop, lover girl.”

I hurried toward the rack and pulled it open.

Rows of small bottles greeted me, each carefully arranged and labeled. Some contained liquids in deep shades of red and purple, while others were so clear they looked like ordinary water. Symbols had been etched onto several of the glass containers, and the faint scent of herbs and something metallic lingered in the air.

My fingers moved along the labels until I found the one marked Love Potion.

I reached for it. Then I stopped. My hand hovered over the bottle as I stared at it. I didn't think a love potion was what I needed right now.

What good would it do if Kaleb's heart was already turning toward Lucy? Even if I could force his affection, I would always wonder whether he truly loved me or whether magic was keeping him by my side.

My thoughts shifted. Lucy was the problem. If Lucy disappeared from the picture, Kaleb would have no reason to choose her.

My breathing slowed as a darker idea took shape. I didn't need Kaleb to fall in love with me. I needed to get rid of Lucy. That was the most potent thing I could do.

I slowly withdrew my hand from the love potion and looked toward another section of the shelves.

The poison rack.

I knew I should walk away. I knew exactly how wrong the thought was. But the image of Kaleb standing before the entire pack and choosing Lucy flashed through my mind again.

My fingers tightened around the edge of the shelf. Then, with my heart pounding against my ribs, I changed direction and opened the poison rack.