Lily Writes

When alpha males just get it wrong.

Getting inside the male brain is always an adventure. You can observe, listen, even read volumes written by men themselves—and still, it’s a mystery. Their ideas of what it means to be a man, a protector, a lover, a partner, a father… It’s endlessly fascinating. And when that vision collides with reality, sparks fly—especially in relationships, and sometimes even inside the men themselves.

That’s why I love writing in first person. It means slipping right into their thoughts, their impulses, their frustrations, and their blind spots. And trust me—men have blind spots. The big, emotional, sometimes irrational ones that can make them sabotage their own relationships with ridiculous ultimatums. The ones that force the women they love to put up boundaries and say: “I love you, but I can’t do this.”

The best example? Writing Xander and Siren’s story. Siren’s Song

Siren has loved Xander for years. She’s everything he admires—independent, fearless, brilliant, a protector in her own right. She’s convinced he’ll see her as an equal. The chemistry is undeniable, the entire Beaumont family is already betting on when they’ll finally admit it, and when Xander proposes, Siren is over the moon.

But then he opens his mouth.

What starts as a declaration of love quickly unravels into something else: a clash of wills. Xander, carrying his trauma and fear of losing her, lays down an ultimatum. Siren, who has bled and fought and earned her place as a protector, pushes back hard.

It’s one of my favorite kinds of moments to write—when the man thinks he’s laying down the law, and instead, he detonates the very foundation of the relationship. Xander believes he’s protecting her. Siren hears only control.

And she walks.

The heartbreaking part? He never meant to drive her away. He’s still haunted by the memory of rescuing her when she was eighteen, covered in blood after a kidnapping attempt. He nearly died giving her his blood to save her life. That fear—of losing her again—has warped his love into demands. But Siren won’t compromise who she is, not even for him.

So Siren’s Song begins with Xander staring down the wreckage of his own making. He knows he’s f’d it up. Bad. And he has no idea if he can fix it. But he has to try, because Siren isn’t just the one—she’s it.

Of course, his journey back to her isn’t smooth. He gets uninvited advice from Alexei Volkov, the Bratva boss (always entertaining). He gets so-called “help” from his new brothers-in-law (who are mostly just angling for their betting pool). And he has to do the thing that terrifies him most: risk real vulnerability.

That’s what I love about their story. Siren and Xander are fiery, stubborn, passionate, and wildly fun to write. Every time they clash, every time they come together—it’s explosive. And it all comes down to this: love isn’t about control. It’s about choosing each other, no matter how messy, complicated, or terrifying that choice feels.

Siren’s Song 🔥🔥🔥