The Shattered Dawn — Harvey Price novel Chapter 18

18 I didn’t hate Kael.

Lilith pov

“So you’re telling me that Kael, that bastard who always reassured you that the connection you shared was stronger than any mate bond, found his mate, cheated on you for a month without saying a word, and now his mate is pregnant? And that bitch made him choose between paying for your mother’s hospital bills or rejecting her and losing his unborn child?” (1)

Theodore, my boss, asked in one breath, his cup of coffee frozen mid-way to his lips.

I had barely arrived at the restaurant for work, and before I could even step through the doorway, I was yanked into the kitchen and bombarded with questions about Kael. Now, standing before Theodore, explaining everything, I couldn’t help but relive that day all over again!

How I had stood in front of the man I loved as he told me he had betrayed me, as I found out that all the promises and words he’d whispered over the years were fake-nothing but empty lies. But then again, like I said, I couldn’t

hate him.

I disliked him, yes, but I didn’t hate him.

Because he had been there for me all these years. And even though I knew I could never experience what a true mate bond was, I understood its power. It was strong enough to make even strangers fall hopelessly in love the very instant they met. It was sacred-a divine connection, a gift from the goddess herself.

As it was written in the sacred laws:

‘A werewolf is destined to find and mark their true mate, the one chosen by the goddess, and with them alone shall they walk the path of life.’

Yet it was the betrayal that cut the deepest. The fact that he went behind my back, that he never told me he had found his mate and wanted her. Maybe… if he had been honest from the beginning then I wouldn’t have felt so betrayed.

I slowly nodded twice at Theodore’s question, and the next moment, he cursed under his breath and slammed his cup down on the table, spilling coffee everywhere.

“That fucking cruel bastard! How dare he? That is so heartless!” Theodore spat, scoffing in disbelief. “You see, I’ve always known there was something off about that guy. He’s not even that attractive, and honestly, I never understood what you saw in him. But since he treated you well, I kept my mouth shut. But this…” He slammed his hand on the table again, sending more coffee splattering across the surface. “This is too cruel, what a complete asshole!”

I blinked, stunned by how furious he was on my behalf and how casually he insulted the Beta of the pack, calling him a bastard and an asshole like it was nothing.

Sure, I wholeheartedly agreed Kael was a bastard, but he was still the Alphas beta, a man with a high position. If anyone overheard Theodore yelling insults like that, he could be punished. And it didn’t help that he was practically shouting while there were plenty of people having breakfast just outside the kitchen.

“B-boss, please lower your voice-“I tried to say, but The dore cut me off with a sharp, angry growl.

“Do you know what the first red flag was? The fact that he’s a mama’s boy… and he let his mother insult you, over and over, without once stepping in? That alone says everything,” he said, not as a question but as an obvious statement, his brown eyes fixed on me as he flipped his hai dramatically.

I frowned at his words, realizing that he was right. Ever singe the problems with my family began, Kael’s parents’ attitude toward me had completely changed.

1/4

188 didn’t hate Koel

+25 Bonus

Theodore and Jason exchanged a quick glance before turning their gazes back to me.

“Hm, how did you manage to get the money for the surgery I hope you didn’t…” His words trailed off as his eyes narrowed suspiciously. For a brief moment, my heart pounded in panic at the thought that he might have somehow found out about the ritual.

He raised a brow, pointing a finger at me as he tilted his head.

“You didn’t borrow money from any loan sharks, did you?”

The moment he asked that, a breath of relief I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding slipped out, and I quickly shook my head, waving my hands frantically.

“N-no, I didn’t. It’s not like those loan sharks would lend me anything.”

I knew this because, at one point, I had actually gone to them, desperate enough to ask for a loan. But they were biased against me because of what my mother had done, and because I was wolfless. Instead of helping me, they offered me money in exchange for spending a night with them.

I remembered how disgusted I’d felt at the suggestion, swearing to myself that I would never stoop so low as to sell my body for money.

And yet… I had broken that promise. I had done exactly that only it had been with the Alphas of the pack.

But that was something I could never, ever tell Theodore and Jason.

“Oh, I see,” Theodore muttered, and before I could react, he dug into his pocket. My eyes followed as he pulled out a thick envelope and held it out to me.

“This isn’t much, but this idiot and I managed to put something together for you. We know how hard your mother’s hospital bills must be… so, take this for now, Lilith,” he said softly.

My eyes widened as I stared at the envelope, then looked up at both Theodore and Jason, who were watching me with warm, sad smiles.

“We wanted to give this to you the day before your mother’s surgery,” Jason explained, “but you took the day off, so we couldn’t.”

As I looked at the two men in front of me, my chest tightened, and a comforting warmth spread through my chest.

Theodore and Jason weren’t well off. The restaurant was something Theodore had built through years of hard work and sacrifice, while Jason lived paycheck to paycheck. And with their wedding just around the corner, I knew they were saving every penny to make it special.

I couldn’t accept it.

“I can’t-”

But before I could complete my sentence, the kitchen door wung open, and one of the waitresses I worked with stepped inside, calling out,

“Lilith, there’s a customer asking for you specifically. She says she wants you to serve her personally.”

I raised a brow at her words but gave a small nod, then turned to Theodore and Jason, lowering my head slightly in a polite bow.

“I have to go now. I’ll be back,” I said softly before turning way, adjusting my apron neatly as I stepped out of

the kitchen.

The girl pointed discreetly toward a table by the window and added,

3/4

didn’t hate koni

+25 Bonus

“Woman in a pink dress, she was adamant about you serving her.”

My gaze shifted to the woman’s side profile in confusion. I couldn’t quite see her face, but I thanked the waitress. and made my way to the table.

Pulling out my notebook and pen, I put on my best professional smile.

“Good morning, madam… What would you like to have-”

My words cut off abruptly, my smile faltering faster than lightning as I froze.

Because sitting before me, wearing a taunting smile, was Seraphina. (1)

Nyssa Kim Author

Quick note to my lovely readers:

The reason the Alphas can’t sense Lilith isn’t because she’s wolfless, but because of the curse. The curse prevents them from sensing their mate so the only way to know for sure is to mate and mark her-if the mark doesn’t fade, then she’s truly their mate. (Which Lucien could ha

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