Page 47 of Can't Be Love

“You don’t,” Liam said. “Plane’s gassed and waiting.”

“No shower?” she whined.

“You’ll survive. They do have showers in Alaska, and it’s a pretty short flight. Depending on which plane you’re on, you might even have one on the flight,” Maddie said, trying to be encouraging.

Lily pouted, but she quickly packed and we were soon on our way. We said goodbye to my sister and her family and walked across the tarmac to the small plane awaiting our arrival. I checked in with the captain when we boarded, and escorted Lily to the back to take our seats.

“I can’t believe how hard you slept,” I teased.

She shrugged. “I get that a lot.”

“So, I’m going to have to get an air horn or something just to wake you each morning?”

“Honestly, that probably won’t help. It’s been tried before.”

I rubbed my hand up her thigh. “Perhaps you just need to be persuaded in other ways then.”

I watched her gulp and smelled her arousal spike.

“It could be worth a try,” she said slyly.

Much to my disappointment, we did not join the mile high club on our flight there, but the time passed quickly with heated innuendos and playful small talk until we were told to buckle up and take our seats for landing.

Tulok met us personally at the airport when we landed. He hugged me, then Lily, kissing her on the cheek.

“Welcome. Welcome,” he said. “Amka cannot wait to see you and welcome your beautiful mate.”

“How is she?” Lily asked. “It’s been quite some time since I was last here.”

Tulok stopped and stared at her for a moment. “Lily Westin?” She beamed up at him. He looked back and forth between the two of us. “Zach only said you would be bringing your new mate along. My apologies, Lily. I am caught off guard. Amka will certainly be thrilled. It has been too long since you last visited us, child.”

“That it has,” she said affectionately. “How is Amka?” Lily asked, taking the old man’s arm as he escorted her to a waiting vehicle. Tulok caught her up as they chatted about the Alaskan Pack.

If it had been anyone else along for the trip, and the old Alpha had paid that much attention to them over me, my wolf would have been furious, demanding respect, but he was surprisingly calm. Lily was a Westin. Until then, I never really stopped to consider what that alliance would mean for Collier Pack, or what other connections she would strengthen just because of who she was.

Before that moment, I was too caught up in what she could do for me and how she made me feel. I hadn’t given any thought whatsoever to my Pack and her benefit to them.

“What’s that look for?” Lily asked me as we settled into the vehicle.

“You’re pretty amazing, you know that?”

She leaned over and kissed me. “You’re just figuring that out?”

I shook my head. “Nah, just reaffirming.”

The ride from the airport to Tulok’s home was a short one, but the scenery was amazing. I had always loved visiting the Alaskan Pack, and I didn’t mind the snow. My wolf kept me warm in the cold. There were a variety of animals in the area, and they lived peacefully amongst other shifters, too, like the puffins and the polar bears. I had made friends with many of them, tagging along on visits as a pup with my dad, and never turned down an opportunity to return.

Arriving at our destination, I took Lily’s hand as she exited the vehicle. Her shoes hit the ice and had I not been holding her, she would have surely fallen. Instead she laughed and grabbed hold of me for dear life. My wolf surged with happiness, and I could have sworn I felt her wolf, too.

Amka came out to greet us as we were still tangled around each other, trying not to fall over.

Lily laughed. “I meant to change to boots on the drive over.”

“Those things will never work here, child,” Amka scolded over her heels.

“Sweetheart, you will never believe who Thomas has taken as a mate,” Tulok told her.

The old woman took a much closer look at the two of us, and gasped. Her hands flew to her mouth and she started talking quickly in a language I didn’t know. The Pack lived deep in the Alaskan tundra and had maintained many of their native traditions and language, virtually untouched by the growing world around them. It was a good place to get back to the basics, find your foundation, and connect with your animal spirit on a much deeper level. Dad had sent me to this place on the first anniversary of Maddie’s disappearance, and again the summer after my wolf surfaced.

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