Chapter 188

Lily’s POV We buried Brett on a quiet and sunny hillside at the edge of the Wolf pack’s territory, with a view of an oak forest. The funeral was simple yet solemn. Celena didn’t shed a single tear from beginning to end. She just stood there, her figure straight, her eyes vacant as she watched the soil gradually cover the humble coffin, like a beautiful statue that had lost its soul. The Celena who returned was a completely different person. The girl who used to be silent but occasionally showed curiosity and a hint of timidity in her eyes has vanished. Instead, there was a cold, efficient shadow. She spoke very little. Her communication was almost limited to nodding and shaking her head. Her eyes no longer met anyone’s, but always fixed on some illusory focus. At meals, she moved like an automaton, mechanically shoveling as much food as possible into her mouth. It seemed less like enjoyment and more like a task to be completed, a means to replenish energy. On the training grounds, her intensity was downright alarming. She sprinted, lunged, and tackled again and again until exhaustion forced her to the ground. Then she’d rise and continue. Twice, she collapsed from sheer exhaustion and had to be carried back to her quarters by someone else. Max was heartbroken and tried to talk to her, urging her to slow down. “Natalie, don’t push yourself like this. I’m here His words always fell on deaf ears. She would just glance at him with those hollow eyes and then resume her “training.” Her life seemed compressed into a single goal: to become stronger. Beyond that, everything else was void. The only glimmer of good news was Jacob’s condition stabilizing. Miranda had purged most of the Lycotine from his system, then he had regained consciousness. Though he was still weak and unable to stand, at least his mind was clear. I visited him several times. Lying in his hospital bed, his face was pale, and his brown hair had lost its usual luster. His most frequent question was, “How… is she? Lily? Is she okay?” When I told him that Celena was back but in what she is now, the light in his eyes completely died out. That was not merely guilt; it was a deeper, almost desperate pain. “Does she want to see me?” he asked hoarsely, a thread of humble hope in his voice. I shook my head, unable to bear the sight of his face fading instantly. “She… needs time, Jacob. She’s been through too much.” He closed his eyes, turned his head toward the wall, and said nothing more. But I knew he wasn’t sleeping. The air was filled with his silent sadness and self-reproach, so thick that it couldn’t be dissolved. Celena never came to see him, not even once. This silent punishment made him feel more uncomfortable than any scolding. The cabin remained shrouded in a heavy gloom, a constant reminder of the unbridgeable chasm between these two destined mates. Read full story at.net