Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Jared

"You." Lily's voice is flat and furious.

"Me!" Azalea replies in a bright yet somehow threatening tone, her purple-coated lips curving into a devious smile like that damned cat from Alice in Wonderland. She even looks the part today, her hair electric purple with dark streaks. She leans against the doorway lazily. "Why are you so surprised to see me here, princess? This is my grannie's house, after all."

Adrenaline coursing through my system, I smash the send button on the text I'd already drafted to the security team and step directly between Lily and the witch.

"Get her out of here, now!" My command is directed at Landon and Milo, even though my eyes never leave Azalea's face. I may not be the tallest of the three of us, but I can provide our mate the most cover while she makes her escape.

Plus, I have a sneaking suspicion there isn't a spell for dodging a right hook.

"Azalea! No hurting people on my property, you agreed!" Shuya's voice calls out from somewhere in the house. "You know what happens if you break the rules." The verbal threat is surprisingly strong, and the witch visibly cringes in response, her smirk faltering slightly.

"I know, Grannie, don't worry. I haven't forgotten." Her eyes roll and she calls over her shoulder in an annoyed tone. Heaving a dramatic sigh, she refocuses on me. "Grannie made me promise not to attack anyone on her property, so you have nothing to fear from me. Witch's honor," she adds sarcastically, drawing the shape of a star in the air with one purple-tipped finger.

The others were a few steps away already, but they paused when they heard Shuya's ancient voice.

I, however, am not convinced. My feet remain planted, arms crossed, and my body physically blocking Azalea from sneaking past. "Awful nice of you, to keep promises to your granny," I reply sarcastically. "I'm sure you've never lied in your life, either."

"Ugh, wolves are so fucking dense. I promised her, dimwit. Magically . If I break that promise, there would be consequences. Dire ones. Are you following? Let me dumb it down for you: Promise, good. Break promise, bad. Got it?"

Everything about this witch sets my teeth on edge, and that's before her infuriating condescension makes my blood boil. "Got it, witch. Your granny has you on a leash. That is the best way to train dogs, but I've always believed feral cats belong in a cage."

"Ooh, so clever. You really hurt my feelings, mutt."

"I don't give a fuck about your feelings, witch. We're not here to talk to you, we're here to see Shuya, so if you wouldn't mind…" I gesture to the doorway she's blocking.

Just then, the security team comes tearing down the drive, gravel spraying as they hit the brakes and hop out of the SUV. In a matter of moments, they've pounded up the steps and surrounded Lily, weapons drawn.

Azalea's eyes light up with delight, and she delicately presses her fingertips to her chest. "Aww, you're not afraid of little ol' me, are you? You have an entire team of dogs to protect your little princess, that's so cute. Useless, but cute. Just so you know," she leans around me to address Lily, who pushes through the group and steps up to my side, glaring, "if I wanted to kill you, no number of trained animals will stop me."

"Good for you," Lily responds cooly. "But we're kind of on a schedule here, and as my mate said, we're not here to see you. Shuya!" She calls through the doorway.

But despite having spoken earlier, the elderly witch doesn't appear at the door and she doesn't respond.

The infuriatingly superior grin has returned to Azalea's narrow face. "Ah, well, you see, that's going to be a problem. Because Grannie also made a promise to me, and she has to keep her bargain, too."

A growl of annoyance rumbles in my chest. "What did she promise you, exactly? And what has it got to do with us?"

"Weeeelll…" she draws out the word, examining her nails lazily. "Grannie promised that she'd allow me to protect her as I see fit. There's a lot of crime around these parts, you know. Can't be too careful. So I'm afraid I can't let you inside. Family is precious, you understand."

"We're not here to hurt your grandma, and you know it," Lily snarls. "We're here to ask for her help."

"That's the thing, princess. I'm firmly of the belief that helping you will be detrimental to Grannie's well-being, so it's gonna be a no from me, dog. You're welcome to try, of course, but I wouldn't recommend it if you want to keep breathing. I'm not allowed to attack anyone on her property, but I am allowed to defend her if I think she's in danger." She crosses her arms and smirks at us, the challenge we can't accept hanging in the air.

"You're despicable, you know that?" The double-timbre of the alpha voice is rumbling in Lily's chest. "All I want is to free your cousin and reunite the packs. To put an end to the curse and all the hatred between us. Can't you see how that would help you and your family? There's far more of the Smoky Falls Pack than Montrose, and we don't have a pack witch. You could be so much more, but you cling to these scraps."

If Lily thought that speech was going to change Azalea's mind, she's definitely disappointed at the witch's reaction.

Azalea tips her head back and releases a deep, throaty belly-laugh that rumbles her entire body. Lily stiffens beside me, infuriated.

"Now I know you're crazy, if you think that's so hilarious."

The witch takes her time, ending her chuckles, wiping at her black-lined eyes like she was crying from laughing so hard. "You know what? I like your spirit, princess. I haven't had a laugh like that in a long time. Really, thank you."

Lily throws her hands up in frustration. "This is impossible! I don't know why I'm wasting my time. You obviously don't get it."

"No, you don't get it, princess," Azalea's reply is sharp as the crack of a whip. "These… boys …" she gestures dismissively in our direction, "are your mates, right? Your fated mates?"

I bristle at the word boys , and Landon and Milo shift their weight behind me.

"So?"

"And you want to reunite the packs?"

Lily just glares at her.

Abruptly Azalea's voice turns gooey sweet, like dripping honey. "Well, I'm guessing you don't know how to do that, do you?"

"We're working on figuring it out," Lily says through clenched teeth. "There has to be a way. I don't buy the whole ‘it's impossible' schtick. Nothing is impossible."

"Oh no, you're absolutely right. There is a way."

My eyes dart to Lily, who glances my way briefly before refocusing on Azalea.

"And I'm guessing you know what it is?"

"You're right, I do." Azalea goes back to examining her talons. "But I don't think you're going to like it."

"We're over your little games, witch," Landon growls behind me. "Either tell us what you know or don't."

"It hurts my feelings that you think so little of me," she pouts. "I'm happy to share. I just wanted to prepare you. The solution is actually pretty simple, but I know you're not gonna want to do it."

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes." Lily's voice is firm and determined.

Azalea looks up again, and a delighted grin spreads across her face. "You are? Well, that's excellent news. Because it really is simple, you know. If you want to reunite the packs, all you have to do is truly unite them. The Smoky Falls and the Montrose alphas just have to take each other as mates. I dunno how that would affect the curse, but it would solve your little pack problem."

Lily sucks in an audible gasp.

"And you're in luck," Azalea continues. "Nielsen's single. His fated mate died years ago, and he's never taken another. So all you have to do is add him to your little collection and poof, problem solved!"

My heart drops like a rock in my stomach, and I glance aside at Lily again. Surely she wouldn't? Nielsen is like fifty years old, and we didn't didn't spend a lot of time in his presence, but from what I've heard, he doesn't exactly sound like a man we'd welcome to family dinner.

To my complete surprise, Lily doesn't fire back at Azalea with any of the number of expletives I wanted to launch at her. Instead, her tone is calm and polite. "Thank you, Azalea. That was actually quite helpful. Give Shuya my best, will you? Tell her I'll be in touch."

Turning on her heel, Lily commands softly, "Let's go."

LANDON

The car is silent for the ride back to Smoky Falls.

Lily doesn't say a word, and the rest of us can't find something to break the silence when she seems to be concentrating so fiercely. Sasha has the radio on, and this time Lily sat in a bucket seat where she can stare out the window. Jared took the navigator spot to keep his sister company, and sensing that Lily needs space, Milo and I share the back.

When we pull up in front of Harridan House and pile out, I realize a thick blob of apprehension has been expanding in my gut. I'm not sure why, but after wishing she'd say something for the entire ride, I suddenly dread what comes out of her mouth next.

Lily thanks Sasha and we wave her off before trudging into the house. There's a heaviness to the atmosphere I can't quite explain as we follow our mate up the long, curving stairs. Ordinarily we'd pile into the elevator, but it feels good to stretch our legs after the car ride.

Plus, it drags out the time until I find out what Lily's been silently mulling over.

When we finally reach the suite and shut the door behind us, I catch a long, pointed look between Milo and Lily. At that moment I realize he knows something, something he hasn't shared with me, and probably not Jared, either, since he's terrible at keeping secrets from us.

Nervous energy zips up my body and I can't bring myself to sit down, preferring to pace slowly around the room. Milo sits and stretches out, always the picture of ease despite the tense atmosphere in the room. Jared sits as well, but his knee bounces and he doesn't lean back into the cushions. Clearly he feels it too.

Lily sits in one chair, her back ramrod straight, and clears her throat.

Here we go.

"Landon, would you sit, please? We need to talk about something."

Nerves coil and clench in my stomach. I pass the second chair in favor of the middle seat on the couch. The second I sit, the memory of being in this very spot with her all over me flashes into my mind, making my cheeks hot, and I mentally shove it down again.

We've got something more important to deal with. I can feel it.

Lily locks her hands around her crossed knee. "So…" her voice trails off as if she doesn't know where to start. "That didn't go like we expected."

The three of us grunt in agreement.

"It wasn't what we hoped," she continued, "but it wasn't what we feared, either. And we did actually get some useful information."

"I'm not sure I'd agree with that," Jared growls. "What that witch told us was useless."

I nod; totally useless.

Lily shakes her curly head. "That's not exactly true. We found out Azalea can't attack us on Shuya's land. And that Azalea's protecting her. Which presents a problem for us, but I also took it to mean she's protecting her from Montrose, too."

I hadn't considered that. It could be useful.

Jared asks the question on my mind. "But isn't Azalea working with Montrose?"

"Sort of, but Billy, the guy who works directly for Nielsen, mentioned that his alpha kicked Azalea out of his house after she put the collar on Derrek. Said she was pretty pissed. So maybe she's not as cozy with them as we thought."

"Could be useful, but I don't see how right now," I reply, and Jared nods beside me.

Lily draws in a deep breath and releases it slowly. "That's not the part that I want to talk about. I have something to tell you, and I know I should have done this sooner, but I didn't exactly know how to. I don't want to give you guys the wrong impression or hurt you, and I definitely don't want you to think any of you are not incredibly important to me." She pauses, and as she meets the gaze of first Jared, then me, I see the gleam of tears pooling in her eyes.

My heart lurches; whatever she's about to tell us is so bad she's practically crying over it. The lead in about not wanting to hurt us makes me incredibly uneasy, combined with the obvious emotion it's creating in her.

When her gaze lands on Milo, he nods solemnly. "Just tell them, Lily. It'll be okay."

This time, the slow breath she releases shudders as it escapes her lips. "The fact that mating the Montrose alpha is the way to unify the packs… may not be a problem."

Jared immediately stiffens beside me. "Are you saying you'd mate that monster? Bring him here , just to unify the packs?"

"There's no way," I add swiftly to reassure him. "He's not her fated. Besides, she wouldn't do that, especially not after we found out what he's doing to Derrek."

The second his name leaves my lips, a heavy realization sinks like a cinderblock in my gut. My face goes slack, and I stare at Lily, willing her to correct me. "You're not talking about Nielsen, are you?" My voice is almost a whisper. "Because he's not the only option. He has an heir."

"No." Jared's voice is as deep and threatening as I've ever heard it. Fury rolls off of him, so much heat rising from his skin that I can feel it through my sweater. "Not that guy. I haven't liked him since the day I met him. I'm trying to accept him as your friend, since he's important to you. But he's not one of us! He's a witch who they sent to kill you, and then groomed and lied to you, Lily. Repeatedly. How could you even consider it?"

The tears spill over onto her cheeks, and I swallow down a thick lump that suddenly formed in my throat. Jared's too angry. He hasn't even realized the truth yet.

I break the news to him. "It's too late, Jared. She's already decided. Haven't you?"

She nods. "I'm sorry guys, I know this is a lot. I'd choose differently if I could, but it's not a choice. Derrek is my fated mate, the same as you are. I feel it-"

"Bullshit!" Jared stands, furious. "He weaseled his way into your life, took care of you when you were just a kid, and the whole time he knew who you were. He was planning this all along. Don't you see it? Then he shows up here and draws on all of those memories, how you feel you owe him, and manipulates you-"

"Jared! That's enough ." Milo shouts to be heard over Jared's angry rant. He's on his feet now, standing chest to chest and glaring down at him. "Look at what you're doing to her!" He points an angry finger at Lily, who's hunched over in her chair, face buried in her hands.

"How could you possibly think for one second this is something she chose? For what reason? I can't believe you, man. She is our mate , our alpha ." An angry red flush has crept up his neck; I've never seen Milo lose his shit so hard before.

His voice is laced with disgust as he continues ripping into Jared. "Who the fuck are you to shout at her like that, or question her decisions? If she wanted to, she could have you on the floor, tail between your legs with one word . And yet there she is, silently taking it, because she feels so shitty over something she can't control. Fuck you for doing that to her."

Jared had leaned back, as surprised by Milo's attack as I was. But as the dressing down continues, Jared plants his feet, puffing his chest and crossing his arms while staring Milo down from beneath the brim of his hat. He waits until Milo pauses, then launches the venom right back, poking his finger into Milo's chest.

"Don't get me started on you, brother . You obviously already knew about this and left Landon and me in the dark. How are we supposed to be a team, a family , keeping secrets from each other like that?"

They stand directly in front of me, and framed between them, all I can see is Lily, alone, watching them fight with tears streaming down her face.

I was too stunned to speak at first, but now anger floods my body and spurs me to action. Springing to my feet, I force them apart, a hand on each of their chests. "You two need to cut this shit out right now." I turn to look at Jared first, who's glaring up at me with dark, angry eyes. "Milo's right; you've always had it in for Derrek, and it's probably because you sensed a connection from them before you even knew better. We don't own her, do you realize that? Just because we're her fated doesn't mean she doesn't have any others, and making her feel like shit because of it is a real dick move."

Turning the other way, I stare down at Milo, who's wearing a self-satisfied smirk. "And you, don't be too proud of yourself. You're right, but that doesn't mean you're the only one who's right. Jared has a point that keeping secrets will only drive a wedge between us, just like it's doing right now ."

He opens his mouth to protest, but I cut him off. "I know you were keeping the secret until Lily was ready to tell us, but I'm willing to bet you didn't exactly encourage her to fill us in, either. You don't get to play Switzerland here, Milo. We're a family, just like Jared said. We have to work together or we're going to tear ourselves apart."

Drawing in a deep sigh, I remove my hands from my brothers. They're no longer pressing against me, and their expressions are more ashamed than angry. "I'm going to get Lily out of here while you two sort your shit out. When we get back, we're going to have a conversation about how we can best achieve the goals she has for our pack."

Without another glance at the two of them, I cross the sitting area to offer Lily my hand, and she stands, shakily, rubbing at her red-rimmed eyes.

Even a blind man could see she's so drained she can barely keep her feet under her.

"Come on, baby," I murmur, crouching to scoop her gently into my arms.

"I'm taking you home."