Page 74 of Can't Be Love

“Now don’t get all worked up. Yes, we work with some Verndari. Not all of them are bad, Thomas. We have our inside guys and they are great at sharing much needed information with us, like the coordinates to Lily’s location. They’ve helped save Elise in the past, and the couple that your sister lived with all those years are also Verndari. They love her like a daughter and would never do anything to hurt her or Oscar. Somehow, they never knew about Maddie. The trauma of the rape meant her wolf never surfaced, but they knew her rapists were likely tiger shifters and they’ve protected Oscar his entire life. It’s brought us a unique connection to the Verndari.”

I growled, hating to hear him speak so candidly about Maddie’s attack and her time away from us. I still hadn’t fully resolved my feelings about it all.

“Calm down. I understand. It took a lot of restraint not to rip their throats out last year when we crossed paths with those tigers.”

“You crossed paths with the tigers that raped my sister? And they’re still alive?” I growled between gritted teeth.

“Maddie’s doing. I get how you feel, but it was her choice. All but one is locked away for good in a Verndari stronghold that they will not escape from. I hate sending any shifter there, but for them, I’d make that exception a hundred times over.”

“What do you mean all but one? You let one get away?”

“No, MC did. He was the youngest and, well, you’ll have to ask her the reasons, but she asked us to give him his freedom. I still have extra eyes on him, though. She doesn’t know that, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention it to her.”

I took a deep breath. Talking about Madelyn’s rape was enough to send my wolf into stress, putting me on edge.

“Do you have any questions, or was this enough for now?” Kyle asked.

“I’m good. It would be best if we head back.”

“Yeah, I was sensing your wolf’s discomfort with this topic. Your mate will calm him quickly.”

I nodded, smiling in spite of the situation just at the mention of Lily.

Kyle laughed. “You’ve got it bad.”

I shrugged, not bothering to deny it.

“We’ll be keeping a closer eye on the Verndari from now on. I don’t want you worrying about them coming after your Pack or anything. Ninety-five percent of them are truly harmless. Their mission is to observe and protect, not interact. Westin Force will keep the remaining rogues in line. With the take down of the Alaskan site, we’ve got the last of the information we needed on them. If that changes, or any threat to Collier comes up on the radar, you’ll be the first to know.”

“Thanks, Kyle. I really appreciate that. If there’s ever anything you need or any way I can help, just ask.”

On the drive back to the house we spoke amicably about family, and he shared funny stories about Lily as a kid. He warned me about how difficult she was to wake in the morning and how I better have coffee ready. I just nodded and tried to hide my grin. I had no problems waking my girl each morning.

When we got back to the house I found Lily and Maddie talking in the living room. Maddie was pacing the room and Lily was sitting on the couch, hugging a pillow to her chest. They both shut up when Kyle and I walked in.

“I don’t want to know,” Kyle said. “I’ll be in my office.” He left.

“Where is everyone?” I asked.

“Out,” Maddie said a little too quickly, glancing at Lily with a look that begged her to be quiet.

“So? What’s going on?” I asked, unable to help myself.

“Nothing,” Mad said, a little too quickly once again.

“You know I can’t exactly lie to him, MC. Don’t put me in that situation, because you know he’s going to ask,” Lily said, talking like I wasn’t even there.

“It’s nothing,” she said, a little too forcefully while staring at Lily. “Besides, it’s not his problem or concern.”

“Hey,” I said. “I’m right here. If you don’t want to tell me, Madelyn, fine. Just tell me you’re okay and I’ll walk away and leave you two alone.”

“I’m fine,” she said with a straight face.

“Liar,” Lily chimed in, under her breath as Maddie glared at her.

“You’re going to tell him everything anyway the second I leave, aren’t you?” my sister challenged my mate. My instincts were to jump in and help Lily, but I knew they were closer than sisters even, so I held back.

Lily sighed and gave me an apologetic look. “Thomas, can you please leave us alone and don’t question or ask me about all this later? It’s personal and it’s her business, but it’s not bad, and she really is okay.”

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