(Azaria's Point of View)
Spa day had always been a special code of ours, for something much deeper—a veil for the exchange of secrets and information between us. My father, unknowingly, facilitated these meetings by ensuring the springs were closed to others when I wanted to go, only allowing one maid to attend with me, and naturally I always chose Lilly. He was trying to hide me from the world, giving us the privacy we desperately needed since not even Jennifer nor Margaret were allowed to attend with us. From a young age, the harsh truths of our world were evident, our meetings had been our clandestine method of navigating the undercurrents of our surroundings and personal survival. Whenever Lillian had crucial information that couldn't risk being overheard, she'd propose a spa day to my father or his Beta. This was our first meeting like this in over six years, a reunion under the most pressing of circumstances.
The hot springs had always felt like a sanctuary—a place where the weight of our world could momentarily lift. Yet today, the familiar warmth of the steam didn't entirely dispel the heaviness pressing down on me. This meeting wasn't about relaxation or indulgence; it was about survival.
"Lilly..." I began, but she cut me off with a knowing look, guiding me silently as our bare feet pressing into the soft, warm ground. As we glided into the pool, a feeling of weightlessness engulfed us, we slide through the mineral-rich water, the heat soothing sore muscles, relaxing as she sat behind me, starting to wash my hair. She always knew what I needed before I did, her instincts sharper than anyone else's. Lillian had spent years hiding in plain sight, pretending to be far weaker than she truly was, and I was the only one who knew the depths of her abilities. Her hands moved with the ease of familiarity, and as she helped me wash my hair, I felt a strange mix of nostalgia and sadness settle over me.
Lilly had always been more than she seemed. From the time she was a toddler, she was trained by her pack, a group renowned for intelligence gathering and assassination. At three years old, she had already learned how to mask her power, how to appear fragile when, in truth, she was anything but. It was a skill that had kept her alive, and one that had also allowed her to keep me safe. No one suspected the quiet, observant girl who kept to herself, but Lilly's mind worked like a blade, cutting through the lies and dangers of our world.
Once submerged in the soothing water, I closed my eyes and let the memories of our past clandestine meetings wash over me. I remembered how, back when she was still my maid, she would slip information to me under the guise of simple conversation. Every detail she shared had the potential to tip the scales in my favor, and I had relied on her more than I cared to admit.
"This reminds me of when we were younger," I said softly, the heat from the water loosening the tension in my body. "When you were stuck as my maid, basically forced into servitude, hell you were even beaten because of me multiple times."
There was a moment of silence as Lilly's hands stilled in my hair. I could sense her tensing at the mention of the more negative side to our childhood, though our past never far from her thoughts. After one of my more traumatic beatings, Marcellus, Lilly, Lolani, and I tried running away. We made it to the caves before it started pouring down rain. That night, we made a pack, slicing our hands and letting our blood mix as we vowed to be our own pack, to protect ourselves. That night, we didn't get punished, since we were all found passed out nearing death. After that, we've all been connected, even able to mindlink without having our wolves. For years, we had kept the secrets of our connection hidden. Lilly has been there with me through the worst of it, enduring the abuse and torment alongside me, not just out of loyalty, but to protect the secrets and knowledge that was passed down to her. My father would torture her every so often, trying to get her to reveal what she knew, yet she never broke. It wasn't just the physical pain she had endured—it was the weight of a life lived in shadows.
"We haven't talked about those days in years," she said, her tone even but layered with unspoken memories. "Not since you offered me the chance to follow you. Is that what this is about?"
"Kinda," I admitted, the weight of impending decisions pressing down on me like the heat of the steam. "I just want you to know… you don't have to follow me anymore. When I leave, I won't come back. You've worked so hard for your position here, and I don't want you to give it all up for me. You've earned your place, Lilly. You deserve to live your own life and your own dreams."
Silence stretched between us, broken only by the soft lapping of water against the stones. I wondered if she was weighing my words, considering the life she could lead without me, without the burden of our shared history. But then she laughed—low, soft, and filled with a kind of warmth that caught me off guard.
"You always do this," she said, her voice light but steady. "Every letter you wrote while we were apart, you told me I didn't have to come back, to go find peace. And yet here I am." She leaned over the edge of the bath, her dark eyes locking with mine. "You are my sister, Zari. Blood or no blood. My dream is for both of us to find happiness—together."
Her words filled me with a mix of gratitude and guilt. Gratitude that she remained by my side through everything, and guilt because I knew how much she had sacrificed for me. Lilly was the daughter of the Alpha Kairos and Luna Isolde Sorrel of the Moonveil Pack, known for their intelligence gathering and assassination skills. Her pack was the only pack to directly serve the Royal Pack during their reign and continuously serve the royal bloodline after the reform. By the age of three, she had already begun her training—learning how to hide her strength, how to blend into the background, and how to strike without being seen. For years, she pretended to be weaker than she was, enduring the same abuses I had suffered, just to protect her secrets. I knew her true strength, though. She was lethal, powerful, and brilliant. And for all those years, she had trained me in secret, teaching me how to mask my abilities, how to survive in a world designed to break me.
But now, as we sat here in the heat of the springs, I couldn't help but feel like the roles haven't shifted. Lilly is still stronger than ever, while I feel… diminished, weighed down by the decisions I had to make. She saw me as her little sister, someone who needed protecting, and maybe she wasn't entirely wrong.
I thought back to our childhood, the long days spent planning in secret. Lilly had always been the one to help me with my plans, the one who knew how to manipulate the chessboard without ever tipping her hand. She had taught me how to do the same, how to hide my strength and play the part that others expected of me. It was Lilly who had shown me how to survive.
She stood up from the steaming pool, grabbing a towel to drape over me as I stepped out of the water. "You're not getting rid of me that easily," she teased, though her voice was soft. "Now, finish drying off. We have work to do."
Once dressed, I followed her back into one of the private rooms where she had already made herself comfortable on the bed. There was something familiar in the way she lounged, as though we were just two friends sharing a normal night together. But we both knew this night was far from normal.
"So, what do you have for me?" I asked through our mind link. It was our silent communication, one that transcended words and let us exchange secrets without fear of being overheard. We rarely mindlink, wouldn't want to get caught while our eyes are glossed over since we aren't even supposed to be able to link each other.
"I left the package on the nightstand," she responded, her mental voice clear and sharp as ever. "Everything you need is in there."
I crossed the room and retrieved the file she had prepared for me. It was thicker than I had expected, filled with detailed notes, maps, and information I hadn't even realized she had access to. Lilly's intel was always precise, and I knew she had probably spent all night gathering everything we needed to plan my escape. She has always been brilliant, outthinking everyone around her while pretending to be nothing more than a dutiful pack member.
Sitting down on the bed beside her, I began flipping through the pages. The documents were a mixture of escape routes, coded messages, and details about the pack's movements. Lilly had thought of everything—every contingency, every possible outcome. As I read, I couldn't help but marvel at her thoroughness.
"You've outdone yourself," I said aloud, breaking the silence. "This is… perfect."
Lilly smiled but shrugged as if it were nothing. "It's what I do, Zari. You should know that by now."
"I do," I said quietly, my eyes meeting hers. "You've always been ahead of the game."
Lilly had always been two steps ahead of everyone, a skill that had served us both well. But now, as I studied the material she had laid out, I realized just how much I had come to rely on her strength and intellect while planning. She had shielded me for so long, hiding the depths of her abilities even as she taught me to protect myself. And now, in this moment, I felt a pang of inadequacy. I had always been strong and strategic, but not in the way she was. Lillian was a force of nature—brilliant, dangerous, and unwavering. And I? I was beginning to feel like I had been playing a part for so long that I no longer knew how to be myself.
"I swear we are better than the Elites," I remarked, trying to keep my tone light. "Your elders would be proud."
Her face flushed slightly at the compliment, but she quickly turned away, focusing on the burning papers before us. As the last of the documents turned to ash, the night's gravity settled over us again. The flames that had danced so brightly now smoldered, leaving nothing but blackened remnants of the plans that would shape my future.
The silence that followed was heavy, but not uncomfortable. We had said what needed to be said, and now we would move forward together, just as we always had.
"I've been thinking about this a lot," Lilly said after a long pause. Her voice was softer now, less the calculated tone of a strategist and more the concerned tone of a sister. "You're stronger than you give yourself credit for, Azaria. I see it every day."
I blinked, taken aback by her sudden shift in tone. "What do you mean?"
Lilly sighed, leaning back on the bed. "I mean that you've survived things that would have broken most people. You've endured pain, betrayal, and loss time and time again. And yet, here you are, still standing. Still fighting. That's strength, even if it doesn't look the way you think it should."
Her words hit me harder than I expected. I had always thought of myself as strong, but recently, that strength had felt like a mask—a facade I wore to hide the fear and uncertainty that had taken root in my heart. But Lilly's words reminded me that there was more to strength than just power. It was about resilience, about the ability to keep going even when everything around you was falling apart.
"I don't feel strong," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "Not lately."
"That's because you've been carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders," Lilly said, sitting up to face me. "But you're not alone, Zari. You never have been. I'm here. And together, we're going to get through this."
I looked at her, really looked at her, and for the first time in a long while, I felt a sense of relief. I wasn't alone. Lilly had been with me through everything, and she wasn't going anywhere.
"We need to plan our first move," I said, my voice more resolute now. "We can't afford to make any mistakes."
Lilly nodded, her face growing serious again. "I agree. We'll need to be careful, but I've already accounted for most of the variables. What we need to do now is execute."
The night air was cool against our skin as we went over the details, meticulously crafting each plan and honing them to perfection. We spoke in low voices, our words a shield against the dangers that awaited us. Lilly was as precise as ever, her mind calculating each possible outcome with the skill of a master strategist. Every time I thought I had found a flaw, she countered it with a solution, her brilliance shining through in every word.
As dawn approached, we finally allowed ourselves to rest. The future was uncertain, but with Lilly by my side, I felt a strength I hadn't felt in a long time. We were ready for whatever came next. And in the quiet moments before sleep claimed me, I found comfort in the unbreakable bond we shared.