Chapter 20

Tilly

It was nice here. Lachlan's family was great, but I was losing my mind with worry. He'd been gone for days without a word.

I wasn't sure what I'd expected, but it certainly wasn't being dropped off here with no communication.

"Tilly, will you braid my hair for school?" Hannah asked.

All four of the kids had been on break and were heading back to classes today. Aaron told us all that it was extremely important for us to keep up human appearances right now. It made my skin itch to shift just thinking about it.

"Sure. Do you have a brush and bows?"

"Yeah." She proudly held them up and climbed up onto my bed. It was the one I'd shared with Lachlan. The whole room carried his scent. It was faint and clear he didn't spend time here often, but it was there.

Hannah chatted about her class and her friends as I carefully plaited her hair into two braids.

"All done."

She turned around and then hugged me. "Thanks, Tilly. I like having a sister."

Before I could correct her, she jumped up and ran from the room.

"Have a good day," I yelled after her.

Before leaving my home, Lachlan had told me to turn off my phone and not to use it except for an absolute emergency because it was traceable. So I had been unable to call anyone, including Kayla. That was probably the hardest part. Well, second hardest.

The absolute hardest part was that Lachlan had abandoned me here and not once had he checked in on me.

I understood he was busy and that he was trying hard to find my sister, at least that's what he'd told me. When I really stopped to think about it, how much did I really know about Lachlan?

Sure, he was my mate, but was that enough?

What little I knew about him came from his family's stories. It was clear his siblings all worshiped him and his parents couldn't be prouder, but I also learned they missed him tremendously. He hadn't been home for years. He basically left seven or eight years ago for college and never came home.

Right after college he got an offer to work with Westin Force and moved to San Marco, California for that. He'd been there ever since.

Still, unless he was away on a mission like now, he never missed a weekly family video call. That helped keep him close to his family even when he was away.

I just wished he'd check in.

It seemed mental to me that I cared this much. It was driving me crazy. How had he gotten under my skin so quickly?

At night I dreamed of him. They were erotic dreams I've never had before. Even during the day, I find myself daydreaming of him walking in the door and surprising me. It usually got steamy from there, causing some uncomfortable encounters with his family.

I couldn't seem to stop thinking about him and his face was always present in my mind like an overlay to real life.

Tom poked his head into my room.

"Footie this arve?"

"You playing?"

"Yeah."

"Is your mom going?"

"Of course."

"I'll be there," I assured him.

"Great."

It was crazy how his family had all welcomed me with open arms. Though it made me sad that I wouldn't be able to keep them.

Yes, Lachlan was my mate, but I was promised to Aiden now. I didn't know what to do. I knew what I wanted to do. I didn't care about Aiden. We had no attachment whatsoever. But I knew without a doubt that I could fall in love with Lachlan. Hell, maybe I already was. How messed up was that?

I knew I couldn't stay in bed wallowing and asking myself questions I didn't have the answers to. Maxine would just come and find me and drag me out. She was great like that even when I wanted to just be left alone.

Maxine had also taught me some basics of life and keeping a house that I had to confess I'd never done. She didn't seem to think differently of me for it. She just filled in the blanks of my education, or at least that's what she kept telling me she was doing. And I had to admit, I could make a hell of a good toastie now and do my own laundry.

My life had never been so normal before. It felt right and real, not pretentious.

"Tilly. Can you come down here please?" Aaron yelled up the stairs.

"Coming," I yelled back, then smiled to myself.

I would never in a million years do that with my own father. It was those sort of little things that stood out the most living here with Lachlan's family.

I ran down the stairs. "Yes, sir?"

"You have a phone call in my office. It's a secure line. I'll give you some privacy."

"Okay."

I tried not to show my enthusiasm too much, but it was hard not to run the rest of the way.

Who else would be calling me here and on a secure line if not Lachlan?

I closed the door to the office for a bit of privacy.

"Hello?" I said into the receiver.

"Tilly?"

"Chelle? Is that really you?"

"It's me."

"Are you okay?"

"I think so. It's so good to hear your voice."

"I can't believe it's really you."

Tears flowed freely. Chelle was alive. She was okay.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"I don't know. It was awful, Till. I never want to go through something like that again."

"But you're okay now?"

"I am, thanks to Lachlan."

"Huh?" I had to fight back the urge to growl at her.

"I was in this awful prison of sorts. They were selling people and he bought me."

"He bought you?"

"Yes, but he's been nothing but great. I really like him."

"To be clear, who are we talking about?"

"Lachlan."

My heart skipped a beat. He's found her and I knew he was protecting her now too.

In the blink of an eye, I went from overwhelming gratitude to insane jealousy.

Was this his thing? Did he just go around protecting damsels in distress? I knew I wasn't thinking logically, but the idea of him alone with my sister angered me while making me want to puke at the same time.

"Tilly, are you still there?"

"Yeah. I'm here."

She continued to gush over my mate until I couldn't think straight.

"Can you please stop talking about him?" I snapped.

"Are you okay?"

"Tilly? Tilly, is everything okay?" Lachlan asked.

"Ow. You didn't have to rip the phone from my hand."

"Sorry," he muttered. "Matilda, are you okay? You have to speak to me sweetheart. I can't see your beautiful face right now. I need to hear that you're okay."

"Tell him you're okay, Tilly. He's about to lose it over here."

"I'm fine," I whispered.

"You don't sound fine. I'll be on the next plane out of here and be home as fast I can."

"Lachlan? Are you okay?" another woman asked.

"How many women do you have over there?" I blurted out.

The new voice chuckled.

"I think the distance is getting to them both."

"Dude, you really need to go to her. Once you're in this state, your dingo isn't going to settle until you can physically touch her and see for yourself that she's okay."

This time it was a male voice which very slightly calmed me down some. But only a little.

"Go away and let me talk to her," Lachlan said.

Chelle laughed like they were old friends.

"Calm your mate down, baby sister. He definitely seems to be one of the good guys," Chelle yelled in the background.

"We'll be in the next room if you need us," the other woman said.

"Hey, there's a dampener in my bedroom and it's already on, so you can take that room if you'd like some privacy."

"Thanks."

After a few minutes of background noise and rustling sounds and hearing a door close, everything on his end went quiet.

"Lachlan?"

"I'm here. Sorry for all the crazy."

"Are you having a party or something?"

He scoffed. "No. Nothing like that. Chelle's here after I found her today. She's okay. I thought you'd want to know. Or maybe that was just an excuse to call you. I miss you so much it's crazy."

My heart did a little flip in my chest.

"I miss you too," I whispered.

We just sat on the phone for a while, listening to each other breathe. It was strange how much it calmed me, especially with how on edge I'd been lately.

"So," I said, needing to break the silence.

"So?" he replied.

"What happens now?"

Finding my sister may have drastically changed everything. But I wasn't sure. I wasn't certain about anything anymore.

"Chelle is coming home with me. In fact, Taylor and Grant, the couple you probably heard in the background, thinks it would be best if we go sooner rather than later. My dingo has been on edge."

"You're coming here or taking her back to King Tribe?"

"I said home. Home for me is wherever you are now, Tilly."

I sighed. "I can't wait to see you."

"Same. Being away from you was so much harder than I imagined. Please tell me you're mine. Let your sister deal with Aiden. You are mine."

"I'm yours," I said.

"I'll be on the next flight home and I'm going to remind you of those words. You are mine, Tilly. No one else's. No more compromising. No saving your Tribe. All mine."

The aggressive growl in his voice filled me with desire for him.

"I need you, Lachlan. Get back here as soon as possible. I dream about you every night. I can't stop thinking about you."

"They say it's the bond, but in truth, I think it's just you."

"Oh," I said, confused. Was that weird that I thought of him like that. I knew we didn't know each other well, but it felt like I'd known him my whole life.

"I think you've possessed me or something. This can't be normal to want someone as badly as I want you."

I started to relax at his words.

"We do have to make sure the Aiden Campbell thing is all settled first. I almost feel bad for pushing him back on Chelle. . . almost."

"I don't know if I can wait that long. Can't it just be Chelle's problem?"

I laughed easily. "We'll see."

"I know this sounds insane because we barely know each other, but I think I've already fallen in love with you."

His words filled me with warmth.

I knew right then that he was all I'd ever want, all I'd ever need. The rest would work itself out in the end. And I wasn't doing this for my father, my Pack, or my Tribe. I wasn't doing this for his family, or mine. I wasn't even doing this for him. For once in my life, I was going to do this for me, what I wanted, and I knew without a doubt that what I wanted was Lachlan.

I started to tell him as much, but there was a scream down the hall followed by utter chaos. I looked at the clock on the wall and knew all the kids should have already left for school.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

"I'm not sure."

I walked over and opened the door.

Maxine screamed again and I saw her fall into the hallway.

I gasped. There was a dazed look in her eyes as she withered in pain.

My hand flew to my mouth.

She shook her but it was barely noticeable and I wasn't sure if I'd imagined it or not.

I could hear people talking.

"Check the house."

"Looks like kids. They're probably at school."

"They may not have their dingoes yet, but we can't risk them growing up. Dumbass working the dingoes at the auction undersold the first bitch. I've ensured that will not happen again. With all the Tribes eradicated we can make millions of the last few of them."

"How can you be sure these are dingo shifters? I mean look at them. Look around. They're as human as you and me."

"That's what they want you to believe."

"This doesn't feel right. We should get out of here. The bush Tribes are one thing, but here in the city? No way these filthy animals can live here."

"I have it on good authority."

"What if you're being played? Look around this place. Do you see anything at all that suggests they aren't human?"

"We have orders. Just take them and let's go."

"What about the children?"

"We'll come back for them later."

I closed the door and then backed away from it slowly.

"Tilly? What's going on? Who was talking?"

"They're here."

"Who?"

"I don't know. The people trying to eliminate the Tribes."

"That's not possible."

"They know what we are. They have your parents and said they're coming back for the kids."

"Do they know you're in the house?"

"No. They never came in here."

"Still, I need you to get down and hide."

I did what he asked and hid under his father's desk. There was no other place to go.

Heavy footsteps sounded in the hall.

"They're coming," I whispered.

I held my breath as the door to the office swung open.

"Nobody's here."

"Okay, let's take these two and go."

"Yeah, let's get out of here."

"Wait."

I held my breath once more.

"Where's the phone?"

"Who knows. No one actually uses those things anymore."

"The light's green. Doesn't that mean it's in use?"

"How the hell do I know? I'm not sure I've ever had one before. You're just being paranoid. Let's go."

I heard one of them walk into the room and over to the desk.

His shoes were right there.

He was so close.

My heart pounded in my chest, so loud I was sure these guys could hear it.

He walked around the desk leaning over the chair to look at something. It left very little space for me, but I wasn't about to make a peep.

"Come on already."

"Yeah, I'm coming."

My heart stopped when he dropped something on the floor. And time stood still as he bent down to pick it up.

Our eyes met.

"Now what do we have here?" he grinned.

I screamed as he dragged me out from under the desk.

"No!"

"Someone help me! Lachlan!"

My dingo pressed forward to take control. It made me feel powerful and ready to fight. Then I heard the pop followed by the sting of a dart as slowly the world began to fade. I started to panic when I couldn't shift, but I screamed, kicked, and fought until I couldn't move anymore.

(To be continued. . .)