Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Lilliana

I fell asleep in the comfort of Milo's arms, and when I wake up, it's a little disorienting. His room has no windows so it's impossible to guess what time it is, and he's still asleep judging by the even breaths tickling my ear.

As warm and relaxed as I feel, something is bothering me. Something drew me from sleep, insisting I get moving again.

It takes a moment for me to realize that I no longer feel that humming across my skin that signified I was touching one of my fated. A quick assessment of my body confirms it; our naked skin is touching in more places than I've ever had contact with another human, and I don't feel a single ripple.

Milo's arms tighten, and he radiates contentment that washes over me like a soothing fog. His lower body presses against mine and I feel him harden, drawing a flush to my cheeks at the memory of what we did earlier. It also immediately stokes the embers of my desire again.

Milo's lips press lightly along the back of my neck. "I have to say," he murmurs in a silky voice, "that this is definitely the best way I've ever woken up in my life. Hands down, no contest." His hips roll, pressing his erection into the convenient space between my cheeks.

The offer is tempting; it'd be easy to roll over and wrap my legs around him, getting lost in the physical and emotional connection that pushes anything else from my mind.

But I remembered what was bothering me, and even though it's not as painful as it has been, it's not going away.

I also realize I can't keep it a secret any longer.

As soon as I start moving Milo's arms loosen, allowing me to turn and face him. His dark hair is adorably mussed, flat on one side from sleeping on it. When I don't pull away completely, he gives me a sleepy version of his one-sided smile and my heart stutters.

"Do you know what time it is?"

I think he's going to ignore my question in favor of running a lazy finger along my shoulder, but he turns and asks for the time from his phone's AI.

I should have thought of that.

She answers that it's only a few hours since we left Harridan House, still evening. Milo moves on to tracing patterns across my chest and down to my breasts, and while it'd be very easy to let him continue, I know I need to cut this off.

"Milo," I start as he moves in to kiss my jaw.

"Mmm?" His tongue flicks out and taps my earlobe.

"Milo, I need to tell you something."

"Mmm-hmm?" His kisses have moved to my neck.

"Milo!" I can't help a giggle; it's like he's drunk on me. To regain control of the situation, I press both hands on his chest and he reluctantly moves a few inches back, his blue eyes promising mischief.

"I need to tell you something," I repeat, trying to get him to take me seriously. "And I don't think you're going to like it."

That did it. His playful expression changes to cautious curiosity. "Okay, I'm listening."

Now I'm nervous. What if it really upsets him? I don't know what kind of bomb I'm about to set off.

"Well… you know how we're fated mates…" I begin.

His sexy smile returns. "Yes?"

"And how Landon and Jared are also my mates?"

"Of course."

"And how none of us had a choice in the matter, it just… is?"

His smile drops. "Are you having second thoughts?"

The emotional hitch in his voice could break my heart. "Of course not! Of course not. I love you." I lean forward and kiss him tenderly, and he accepts the reassurance. Sighing, I pull back. "There's just… something else we have to discuss about this whole mate thing."

His fingers are back to skimming across my skin. "What's that?"

I force the words out in a rush. "I think Derrek is my other mate. My fourth mate."

Milo's hand stills immediately, the lovey-dovey expression freezing on his face and turning into a neutral mask. "He can't be." His voice is clear, certain.

"Why not?" Despite my own feelings on the matter, I'd love for him to have an irrefutable reason Derrek can't be my mate. It would make things so much easier.

I can see the wheels turning behind his suddenly stormy blue eyes. "Because… he's not from our pack."

"Montrose split with us, so originally we were all one pack. They have the same family lines we do, so it's not impossible."

"The seer said we were your mates."

"The seer told each of your families that you'd mate the Harridan heir. I didn't have a seer present when I was born. So there was no one saying that only you three would be my mates."

Emotion floods his voice, and his expression turns concerned. "But why would this change now? It doesn't make any sense."

"Just… think about it for a minute with me. Before the split, the alpha took as many mates from the other seven families as she connected to. It wasn't unheard of for her to mate the others, but they defected because she most often mated the three. What if… what if there were other alphas after the split that would have mated wolves from Montrose, if only they'd had the chance? But the curse kept them apart?"

"It's impossible," he whispers, but the certainty he had a moment ago is gone.

I cup his cheeks with my hands, kissing him again. "Milo, it changes nothing between us. I love you, and Jared, and Landon. I'm claiming all of you at the ceremony. But I know in my gut, in my heart , that Derrek is also meant to be my mate."

"How do you know?" His sorrowful eyes search my face for answers.

"I feel… the same way about him that I felt about you three. As soon as he came to Smoky Falls, I realized there was something more to our connection than just our history. It kept calling me to him, and I think it was driving us both crazy because we couldn't figure it out."

"But you kicked him off of pack lands. You wouldn't do that to one of your fated."

"Wouldn't I? I thought he had betrayed me, and he wasn't even a wolf. Then he came back and saved me from Azalea, and I felt it again, like a… like a cord between us. And then we found out he's the Montrose alpha's heir. And that's when it all clicked into place. I was so hung up on knowing that you three were my mates, I didn't recognize the feeling for what it was. I didn't even consider it." Emotion wells in my throat and creeps into my voice. "But now my heart aches for him. It's killing me he's not here with us, safe, where he belongs. The way I feel… it's more than just concern for a friend. It's been ripping me apart since they took him away," I admit, my voice breaking. The emotion I've held back spills from my eyes in a trickle of hot tears that run across my nose and soak into the pillow.

Milo pulls me against his chest and tightens his arms around me. "It's okay, I'm sorry, Lily. It'll be okay." His murmured reassurances are peppered with kisses to my forehead. "If he's your fourth mate, that makes him part of our family. We'll get him back. You know better than any of us. I'm sorry I questioned you."

He waits until my sobs quiet, then gently pulls me away from the safety of his chest. His eyes lock on mine. "I'm sorry I reacted so poorly. For some reason, it felt like him being your mate meant that we weren't good enough… that I wasn't good enough. I know that's not how it works. But I'm over it, I promise. Okay?" He ducks his face to gaze up at me from beneath his lashes.

"Of course it doesn't mean you're not good enough, silly. All of you are probably far more than I deserve. I-"

"Well, now you're just being ridiculous," Milo growls, pushing his fingers under my arm and tickling my side. His other hand joins in and elicits peals of laughter from me as I try to fight him off and regain my dignity.

Once he's certain my mood is lifted, he stops tickling, and leaves me breathless with a goofy smile on my face.

"Come on, princess." He sits up and tugs at my hand. We'd better get you back to Harridan House and figure out how we're going to rescue my new brother."

MILO

After the epic highs and spectacular lows of the last few hours, I'm not sure I can take another confrontation between Lily and Dom. Connected as we are now, I could easily lose my shit the second he so much as looks at her wrong. I'm half in a rage just imagining it before I realize what's going on. Focusing on the calm I feel from her touch, I bring myself back down to earth.

We dress quickly and get back in the car. The scent of her clings to me, my senses filled with it, and I realize I don't need to hold her hand to feel connected anymore. The sky is darkening, the sun already behind the mountains, but I can't help stealing glances at my gorgeous mate while I drive. Lily's dark hair is absolutely wild, her lips swollen and glossy from so much kissing.

As if she feels me watching, her gaze drifts from the road ahead to my face. A smile curls her lips, adoration clear in her emerald eyes. I return the grin and refocus on the road, filled to the brim with satisfaction.

"So, do you think Dom will still be there, or do you think he'll be gone?"

She's quiet for a moment, thinking. "I hope he's still there. I don't think he'll leave; he obviously cares about the pack. If what he said was true, he only left in the first place to search for a way to break the curse, and he came back."

"What if he only came back for Roxanne?" I suggest gently.

"Then… they have to do what's best for them."

"You could order her to stay."

"I couldn't do that to her. I know how much she cares about him, and I think it'd be pretty shitty of me to force her to choose. Besides, they haven't even worked through all of their issues yet."

"That's certainly true."

"So, I think he'll be there. I hope the ultimatum knocked some sense into him, or if not, that Roxanne knocked some sense into him."

A chuckle rumbles in my chest. "That's my alpha. Not concerned about him being right anymore?"

Her tone turns flirtatious. "Well, I seem to remember someone telling me he deserved to be put in his place."

A smile curls the corner of my lips. "Sounds like a wise person."

"I agree. I think I'll keep him around."

"I think that's an excellent idea."

Abruptly, the playful tone drops. "Regardless, I can't be constantly worrying I'm making the wrong decision at every turn. I have to consider my options, listen to input from the people around me, and choose. If I choose wrong, I have to deal with the consequences."

"When did my adorable mate become so wise?"

"Maybe I just needed a nap."

"Maybe you did."

We ride in silence for a while. It's comfortable, not tense. I presume Lily is considering what to do in both scenarios, with Dom either there when we arrive or gone. Despite her casual response, I know she'll be upset if he left instead of staying and following her. It will feel like a strong rebuke on her ability to lead the pack. An incredibly unfair and selfish rebuke, for which I may have to hunt him down and use my fists to explain the error of his ways.

I suddenly realize my jaw is clenched so hard my teeth feel as if they could shatter, and my knuckles are white from gripping the steering wheel so hard. I force myself to draw in slow breaths and relax.

What the hell is going on? I feel as if I've been on an emotional rollercoaster in the last couple of hours. The only thing that's changed is…

"Hey, question: after… everything tonight, does anything feel different to you?"

I have no idea why I can't say what I mean, but hopefully she can read between the lines.

"Different how?"

"I dunno, just different."

"Well, I realized I don't feel the same when I touch you anymore."

That's not what I expected. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"I don't know. I don't think it's bad. When I first met you all, it was like… electric tingles on my skin when you touched me. Then when we got closer, it was kind of like a vibration. And now," she reaches over and claims my hand, "nothing. It feels the same whether or not I touch you."

"That's a bummer," I tease. "So I don't do it for you anymore. Is that what you're saying?"

"No," she laughs. "I'm saying that the comforting feeling I got from touching you is just… all the time now. Like you're always with me. Is that what you mean?"

I allow myself to preen internally while I consider what she said. "Not exactly, but now that you mention it, something does feel… different between us. I mean, aside from the obvious."

"Were you asking for a reason?"

"No, just curious."

"Hmm." Something tells me she doesn't believe me, but she won't push the issue.

Which is good, because I don't even know what the issue is yet.

"Lily?"

"Yes?"

"I… I'm really happy. Is that weird to say, with everything going on?"

"I don't think it's weird. Despite everything, I'm happy we made love, too."

My heart rate picks up. "No, not that. I mean, yes, that makes me happy, too. But I mean just… in general. I'm happy we're together, and I'm happy you figured out that Derrek is one of your mates and it makes you happy. I mean, I assume it makes you happy. You were kind of sad about it, but that's because he's at Montrose…" I trail off when I realize I sound like a lunatic.

What the hell is going on with me? I've never suffered from this kind of verbal diarrhea before. It's like I have absolutely zero control over myself right now. Like I'm freaking Landon.

Fortunately, Lily laughs it off. "That's a lot of happy. But I think I know what you're trying to say, and I feel the same." She gives my hand a squeeze and my heart slows again.

Deciding it's safer to stop talking, I focus on the road until we arrive safely at Harridan House. When we climb out of the car, I walk around to Lily and claim her hand. Whatever we're about to face, we're going to face it together.