Page 18 of Can't Be Love

I wanted to laugh at his assumption that Lily had done something wrong, like he was used to her getting in trouble. I considered that for a moment. Was he used to Lily getting herself in trouble?

“Thomas, you there? Just give it to me straight. How bad is it? I know she was only there a short time. She won’t even talk to MC about it.” I smiled at the affection he used. Only the Westins had ever called Maddie that. “I know she got pretty drunk while there. Tell me she didn’t do something stupid. Is that why she ran home with her tail between her legs? She’s been avoiding me and nearly everyone else since she got home. Best of my knowledge, she’s only really talked to Cole Anderson about it, and he advised I wait until she was ready to tell me herself. So how bad are we talking here?”

I bit back a growl at the thought of her discussing our bond with another man. I knew who Cole Anderson was, and that made it even worse. The possessiveness that gripped me was all consuming. I had to get through this call and get to my mate soon or I was going to lose it.

“It’s really not what you think, Kyle,” I assured him, still stalling. How do you tell an Alpha as strong as Kyle Westin that you were mated to his sister?

He blew out another breath. “Is this about her crawling into bed with you? Yeah, Liam told me. He wasn’t happy and I assume he spoke to her about it already. I’m really sorry about that. She gets, well, flirty and touchy-feely when she’s drinking. Shit,” he said, more to himself than to me. “Of all the people, she had to pick an Alpha heir. I’m so sorry, man.”

I growled at the insinuation that my mate would crawl into bed with just anyone because she was drunk. Despite all her bravado, and Kyle’s assumptions, I knew for a fact Lily was as pure as the day she was born. It wasn’t exactly like there was some special smell to a virgin, though our wolves could often sense it, heightened by the bond, and I knew with certainty that Lily wasn’t as wild as she might act.

“Uh, Thomas?” Kyle asked with a hint of aggression in his voice. Shit, I had to tone it down.

“It wasn’t like that, Kyle. I don’t even know how to say this, but she freaked out and took off, because—because I’m her mate.” I held my breath and waited. Just like with telling Sydney, there was a weight lifted off my shoulders just speaking it aloud.

Nothing but silence on the end of the phone.

“Come again?” he finally said.

“Lily’s my true mate, Kyle. It wasn’t like I was her favorite person to begin with, but I had been in the process of settling down with a compatible mate, who, as my luck would have it, she befriended. I know she knows about it, but she left before I could talk to her about it. I’ve tried to put her out of my mind, but I can’t. I just can’t. And now she’s back in your territory, so I can’t just pack up and go after her, unless you give me permission to enter your territory.”

“And that’s why you’re calling?”

“Yes.”

“Because you mated my baby sister?”

I cringed. “Yes.”

I expected him to be angry. I was prepared for him to tell me no. What I wasn’t expecting was the loud, full belly laugh coming through the phone.

“I’m sorry, you’re gonna have to give me a minute to catch my breath,” he finally said.

“Kyle, what’s wrong?” I heard a female ask through the phone, and guessed it was his mate, Kelsey.

“Lily has found her mate. That’s what she’s running from,” he told the woman.

“What? Who?” she asked.

“Thomas Collier.”

“Thomas? Maddie’s brother?”

“Yup,” Kyle said, as I sat there listening to their conversation.

“The douchebag?” she sort of whispered.

“That’s the one, Kels. The one and only,” Kyle confessed. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

“Oh, this is rich! Is he coming for her?” Kelsey asked.

“Yes, he is,” Kyle confirmed. “Hey, Thomas?”

“Yeah,” I said, my heart lifting just a little.

“Let me know if you need a lift from the airport. I’ll happily pick you up myself. You’re more than welcome on Westin land.”

Lily

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