Page 48 of Dawn of the Pack

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.

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