Chapter 80: A Dangerous Proposal

Words : 1129 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 80: A Dangerous Proposal Luna POV I slammed my fist on the kitchen table so hard the coffee cups jumped. "Are you all insane?" I yelled at the pack members gathered around me. "You’re going to let him waste away pining for someone he doesn’t even remember?" Elder Iris shook her head sadly. "Luna, you don’t understand. Caleb and Lily’s love was—" "Was what? A fairy tale?" I interrupted, my voice getting higher. "Look at the facts! She’s taken by shadow wolves, he can’t remember loving her, and everyone’s acting like this is some romantic tragedy instead of facing reality!" My hands were shaking with anger. For three days, I’d watched Caleb walk around the pack house like a ghost. He ate barely anything, slept maybe two hours a night, and kept staring at Lily’s room like he was trying to solve a problem that hurt his head. "Someone needs to say what everyone’s thinking," I continued, standing up so fast my chair fell over. "Maybe it’s time for Caleb to find a new mate." The quiet that followed was so complete I could hear my own heartbeat. Twenty pack members stared at me like I’d just proposed burning down the Moon Pool. Aiden was the first to speak, his voice deadly quiet. "Luna, you need to stop talking. Right now." "No!" I shot back. "I won’t stop! You’re all so caught up in this beautiful love story that you can’t see what’s really happening. Caleb is hurting, and Lily is... well, she’s not even Lily anymore!" Brock stood up slowly, his massive form casting a shadow over me. "Choose your next words very carefully." But I was too angry to be scared. "The truth? Fine! The truth is that whatever Caleb and Lily had is gone. Completely gone. And while you’re all sitting around hoping for some miracle, Caleb is dying inside because he knows he should feel something for her but doesn’t!" "That’s enough!" Elder Iris snapped, but I kept going. "I’ve been watching him, okay? Really watching him. He visits her room every morning and just stands there, looking lost. He picks up things that belonged to her and waits for some kind of feeling that never comes. Do you know how painful that is for him?" My voice cracked on the last words because it was true. Watching Caleb hurt himself was breaking my heart in ways I didn’t expect. "He needs to move on," I said more quietly. "And maybe... maybe I could help him do that." The explosion of angry voices was instant. Everyone started screaming at once, but I caught the most important words: "How dare you!" and "After everything they’ve been through!" and "You haven’t changed at all!" That last one hit me like a slap. I spun around to face Marcus, who had spoken those words with such sadness in his voice. "I have changed!" I screamed. "I’m trying to help him! Can’t you see that?" "What I see," Marcus said calmly, "is you taking advantage of a tragedy to get what you’ve always wanted." "That’s not true!" But even as I said it, I wondered if it was. Did I want Caleb to notice me? Yes. Had I always thought we’d be good together? Yes. But was I really just using his pain as an opportunity? The kitchen door burst open, and Caleb walked in. He looked bad - dark circles under his eyes, his hair messy, his clothes wrinkled like he’d slept in them. "What’s all the shouting about?" he asked tiredly. Everyone went quiet again. I realized this was my chance to actually help him, to say what no one else had the guts to say. "Caleb," I said gently, "I think we need to talk about your future." He looked at me with confused eyes. "My future?" "Your romantic future," I explained, ignoring the gasps from around the room. "Everyone keeps telling you about this great love you had with Lily, but you can’t feel it anymore. Maybe it’s time to accept that and move forward." Caleb’s face went very still. "Move forward how?" "By finding someone new," I said, moving closer to him. "Someone who can help you heal from all this pain. Someone who cares about you for who you are right now, not who you used to be." "Luna, don’t," Aiden warned. But I was already reaching for Caleb’s hand. "I care about you, Caleb. I’ve always cared about you. And I think maybe we could—" Caleb jerked his hand away like I’d burned him. "No," he said firmly. "Just... no." "But why?" I asked, hurt rushing through me. "You don’t remember loving her. You don’t feel anything for her anymore. So why not give someone else a chance?" "Because," Caleb said, his voice getting louder, "even though I can’t remember loving Lily, I know I did. Everyone tells me stories about how happy we were, how perfect we were together. And maybe I can’t feel it anymore, but I’m not ready to just replace her." "She’s not even herself anymore!" I argued desperately. "She’s taken by shadow wolves! The Lily you loved is gone!" "Maybe," Caleb said quietly. "But I’m not." He turned to leave, but I grabbed his arm. "Caleb, please. Just think about it. You deserve to be happy, and I could make you happy. I know I could." He looked down at my hand on his arm, then back at my face. For a moment, I thought I saw something soft in his eyes, something that gave me hope. Then he gently removed my hand. "I can’t, Luna. I’m sorry, but I can’t." As he walked away, I felt tears beginning to fall. "You’re all fools!" I shouted after him. "You’re going to let him waste his life on a ghost!" That’s when I heard it - a sound that made everyone in the kitchen freeze. It was coming from upstairs, from Lily’s room. Laughter. Cold, cruel laughter that definitely wasn’t Lily’s. "Oh, this is perfect," said a voice that carried down the stairs. It sounded like Lily, but wrong somehow. "The little beta girl wants to steal my mate while I’m indisposed. How deliciously predictable." We all looked up at the ceiling as footsteps moved overhead. Slow, careful footsteps that were definitely coming toward the stairs. "She’s awake," Elder Iris whispered in horror. "And she heard everything," Marcus added sadly. The footsteps reached the top of the stairs and began coming down. Everyone in the kitchen pressed against the walls, suddenly understanding that whatever was wearing Lily’s body might not be very happy about my suggestion. "Luna," called that not-quite-Lily voice, sweet as poisoned honey. "Come here, dear. Let’s have a little chat about your idea."

Chapter 80: A Dangerous Proposal

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