Chapter 9

Lily

It was so good to see everyone. Once upon a time, I would have said it was so good to be home, but this wasn't home to me anymore. It was comfortable and familiar, but not home.

I could feel Thomas's nerves and discomfort as we rode into town. It had put my own wolf on edge a bit. It wasn't that I hadn't been able to read his emotions for a long time. The man was practically an open book to me. But this was different. I wasn't just sensing how he felt; I was feeling them, too. It was like he was projecting them right into me.

It was a sign that we were growing even closer.

I'd thought I'd known everything about my mate, but I'd never fully realized just how hard it was on him to be here in my brother's territory before. He'd never said a word about it before. I'd never even sensed it before. But it was there now, and I somehow knew that it had always been this way for him.

As I watched Kyle mark Willow, whether intentional or not, I braced for the anger to course through Thomas, but it never came. I watched him closely, wondering if I'd been imagining it all. He felt happy. It was odd. I thought I'd be furious at such a move, yet it did not bother him in the least. The man was a complete conundrum at times.

The back door opened, and Shelby and Jenna walked in. I squealed and ran to hug them, forgetting all about the new discovery of feeling my mate's emotions and what I was certain was a new stage to our bond.

Shelby and Ben had recently visited us along with their triplets, but it felt like I hadn't seen Jenna in ages.

"I'm so excited you're here," Jenna said just before the commotion of all six of their kids running in.

Shelby had triplets: Nathan, Zachary, and Mary Alice. While Jenna and my youngest brother Chase had an older son, Matty, and twin girls, Victoria and Charlotte. Jenna also had an identical twin, and her daughters were the spitting image of them, with sleek long black hair and violet eyes.

Jenna wasn't a wolf shifter. My baby brother's true mate was actually a panther. It had shocked us all at the time, but now it was hard to imagine Jenna not being a part of our family.

We sat down to catch up while the kids ran around playing. There would be even more to add to the chaos when the rest of the family arrived, and I was here for it. I loved every second of our time together. I couldn't seem to stifle a yawn, though.

"Mary, which room do you want us in? Lily really needs to lie down. It was an early morning and a long flight. She's pretty exhausted," Thomas said.

"I already took your bags up to her old room," my dad told him.

"I'm fine," I protested, not wanting to miss even a second of my time here.

"Liar. You'll feel better if you rest for a few minutes," Jenna said.

"It's okay. I have to run home for a bit anyway. And I'm about to take the munchkins back outside to run off some of this energy," Shelby added.

"Go take a nap, Lily," Kelsey ordered.

I knew she didn't mean to, but just a bit of Alpha power washed over me. Kelsey was a true Alpha she-wolf.

Begrudgingly, I agreed. I really was tired.

"Come on, Slugger."

Thomas followed me up to the bedroom.

"I'm okay. I don't need a nap," I whined like a belligerent child.

He chuckled. "You may not realize it, but I can actually feel when you're tired. Not sense it, but feel it, Lil. I don't know when that started, but I swear I can."

"I know," I said with a sigh.

"You do?"

"Yeah. I can feel you too."

"It's different from before. I'm not going crazy, right?"

"Well, I'm not sure one has to do with the other," I teased.

"Smartass. I'm being serious."

"I'm not sure when it started, but yeah, I've noticed as well. It's very different from before. More intense. You project your emotions onto me whether you realize it or not. Like I know you're struggling to be here. Has it always been like this?"

He sighed. "Yeah, it has. It's not easy being in someone else's territory. Not even your brother's. But I'm handling it."

"I know. I just wish I'd known before. I wouldn't push you to visit so often."

"Don't say that. I love your family, and we always have a good time when we're here. I can handle my wolf being a bit uneasy. I'm not going to do anything stupid."

"I never even considered that. It's kind of weird though, right? Like, I really thought we were always in tune with each other, but this is just different."

"Overwhelming at times."

"Definitely."

"But it's also a sign that we're growing closer, babe."

"I know. Are you ready for that?"

"You mean am I ready for our souls to join? Of course not."

"What? Why?"

"Well, for one, you are way more emotional than I am and that's a proven fact now."

"I'm also pregnant," I reminded him.

"Maybe. Then there's the fact that you're a bit accident prone."

"I am not."

"Reckless then?"

"Protective of those I love," I corrected.

"True. But I also know that you'd run into a burning building to save one of our girls and probably a small animal like a squirrel or something. And eventually, I'm going to have to feel that pain too."

I knew he was just teasing me.

"But what if that squirrel was one of Chase's friends like Chad or Ember? He'd never forgive me if I didn't at least try to get them out of the burning building."

"Agreed. I'm just saying, now I'm going to have to feel it too."

"Well, you could just run in after me."

"And risk Collier Pack losing their Alpha?"

He feigned shock.

"Ah, but you're forgetting, if we're that far along, chances are you'd die along with me in that fire anyway."

"Touché. But then that would mean you're already inside my head and that's going to be a whole new adventure."

"Hey now. What's that supposed to mean?"

He laughed. "I know my crazy girl and can't even imagine what goes on inside that beautiful head of yours."

"Do you think that if our bond were to seal today that you would have to endure labor with me?"

"What? No way."

"Why not?"

"Because God wouldn't be that cruel."

"If I have to face it, why shouldn't you? You know there's these belt things that men can wear to allow them to truly experience the pain of birth. We could get one of those."

"No, we can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I am not a masochist, but you are quite sadistic."

I just laughed.

"Try to take a little nap, please."

"Only if you lay down with me."

"For a few minutes."

I was far more tired than I was willing to admit.

He laid down on the bed and then pulled me against him, spooning me from behind. I loved when he did that. I felt so cherished and safe inside the little cocoon he created. His hand rubbed my stomach, feeling our child kick within me.

"Settle down in there and let Mommy rest."

A smile lit my face as I quickly drifted off to sleep.

*****

When I awoke, Thomas was gone, but I knew he hadn't gone far. I could almost pinpoint his location with scary accuracy. That had been going on for a bit now, but it was still another powerful sign that we were moving towards sealing our bond forever.

It should terrify me. If that happened and something happened to Thomas, it would happen to me, too. God forbid if one of us died. It would leave our children as orphans in this world as we'd follow each other into the afterlife. But as scary as that sounded, there was also a sense of peace in it. I knew without a doubt that our families would surround our girls with the love and support they needed in life. And the truth was, I couldn't imagine a life without my mate in it. I was ready for the bond to seal, though I wasn't certain I was ready for him to be privy to all my inner thoughts. We'd cross that bridge when we came to it.

I got up and walked back downstairs, feeling more refreshed than I wanted to admit.

The kitchen was buzzing with excitement and filled with the delicious aroma of home-baked goodies. I stood there and watched all the action as my mother directed a chorus of grandkids while my siblings and their mates sat around chatting.

"Lily!"

I turned just in time to see Elise tackle me in a hug.

"I'm so happy you're here."

When she stepped back, I saw tears in her eyes.

"Don't you dare," I warned her. But it was too late.

She started to cry, so I started to cry.

Patrick walked over and froze. He looked back and forth between us as we stood there hugging each other and bawling.

"Bloody hell. What the feck is going on here?"

Thomas walked over and put an arm around him, leading him away.

"Times like this, you just walk away."

This made E and I laugh and then cry some more.

Maddie's oldest son, Oscar, peeked his head out of the kitchen and frowned as he shook his head at us.

I started laughing. "When you were little and someone would wake your sister from a nap, you'd make that exact same disgruntled looked."

"You're right," Elise said.

"Are you guys okay? I'm starting to worry about you," he said.

"We're fine. We're just pregnant," I blurted out.

"Mom never acted this weird when she was pregnant."

"That's because your mother is a saint," I assured him.

"She really is."

"Who's a saint?" Maddie asked.

"You are."

I hugged her, my best friend, and my twin's mate. I hated that we lived so far apart. Times like this made me miss them like crazy. Even if Westin didn't quite feel like home anymore, these people did.

"I can't even believe how tall Cammie's gotten."

"I know. Mom was commenting on it, too. My little girl is growing up quickly. But then again, look at this guy. I almost didn't recognize you, Oscar. You aren't even a boy anymore. When did you grow up and become a man?"

"Maybe that's a sign you should visit more," he teased.

"You know that plane flies in both directions. You're always welcome to come visit us in Collier."

"I know. And who knows, maybe I'll take you up on that for like Fall break or something this year."

"And not come home to see your mother?" Maddie asked.

He shrugged. "Maybe."

"So how does it feel to be all graduated and heading off to college soon?"

"It feels great. I can't wait to get settled in."

"Are you planning to rush Delta Omega Gamma this year?"

He scrunched up his nose and then shrugged.

"Undecided."

"Does your dad and Uncle Chase know about this?"

"Not exactly, so I'd prefer to keep it out of conversation this week. I don't want to ruin the reunion or anything."

Oscar had always been a sweet and considerate kid. When he said that, I knew he wasn't just trying to avoid the subject. He genuinely meant he didn't want to upset anyone this weekend.

"Speaking of my twin, where the heck is he?"

"Working," Maddie said.

"He's had a big audit that he's still working to clean up," Oscar explained.

"Like a tax or government audit?"

"Yup."

"Shit. How's that going?"

"Oh, it's fine. He's got everything under control. He's just dotting all his I's and crossing all his T's ensuring everything's in order."

"They found absolutely nothing wrong, but he still worries. No one around here likes the government poking their nose in our business," Maddie explained.

"I can imagine. I'm glad it's all working out, though."

"He'll be by tomorrow and at the picnic the next day."

"Speaking of which, I think we're going to be swimming in sweet treats by the way Mom and these kids are going."

"Isn't that the best part?" Elise asked.

"Definitely."