Page 6 of Breathe Again

I knew she didn’t believe me and must have gone in and saw the blanket and pillow still on the floor, but Zach checked his watch, announced they were late, and shooed her out of the house before the interrogation could begin.

Grateful, I collapsed down on the living room couch and just sat for a moment. I wanted badly to feel the relief of quiet, but I was consumed by the haunting memories of Elizabeth. Everywhere I turned there were reminders of her. My wolf was far too worked up, and I was desperate for a run. As I got up to leave, I heard someone enter the house and decided it was the perfect time for my exit.

“There’s that sexy man I heard was up in my territory,” Lily said as she walked in and immediately hugged me before I could escape.

“Hey, gorgeous. How’ve you been?” I asked, thankful for a break from the memories driving me insane.

A low growl came from the doorway. Lily froze in mid-hug and slowly let me go and backed away, rolling her eyes in the process.

“Thomas, would you relax?” Lily said as she turned, expecting to find her mate.

My eyes locked with Elizabeth’s and Lily all but faded away. Her hands were balled into fists at her side, and I could feel her wolf close to the surface and ready to attack. The sight of her knocked the breath out of me. She was no longer the girl I had loved, but was replaced by the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on.

A single tear ran down her cheek as she turned and ran from the room. I heard the front door slam as she fled from me once again.

“What the hell?” Lily squealed, breaking the trance Elizabeth had put me in. “Are you okay?” she asked, suddenly going from shocked to concerned.

I bent over and grabbed my knees, feeling light headed and dealing with the physical pain in my chest once again. “Just give me a minute.”

I wanted to tell her to go, but I knew it would be a waste of breath. Fifteen years I’d kept my feelings for Elizabeth a secret, and it took Lily less than a minute to figure it all out. I didn’t even need to look up to know the gears were turning in her head as all the pieces began to click in place.

When the worst of the impact subsided, I stood and walked over to the couch, slumping down and waiting for the interrogation I was certain was coming.

Lily followed me, leaving space between us, like she knew that’s what I needed.

“Are you okay?” she asked again. This time I nodded slowly. “If you want to talk, just let me know. When was the last time you saw her? You looked like you were staring at a ghost.”

“Thirteen years,” I confessed.

She sucked in a quick breath. “Wow, I can’t even imagine.”

“Sorry you had to see that. I assumed she’d be home for the celebration. I’ve been bracing for it, I just thought I’d have a little forewarning.”

“You don’t have anything to apologize for, Cole. Maybe you should go talk to her.”

“That’s not going to happen, gorgeous. She made her choice a long time ago. I’ve learned to live with it,” I told her, but I knew Lily wasn’t buying it.

“I see that,” she said, her voice filled with sarcasm. “And what did you mean you assumed she’d be home for the celebration. Why wouldn’t she be here? She lives in town.”

“What?” I asked, my head whipping up a little too quickly. “She mated an Alpha in Venezuela. Why would they live here?”

“I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. Lizzy is a lawyer, she has her practice here in town, and she’s never mated. You seriously haven’t kept up with her, have you?”

My entire world closed in around me and I didn’t know how to process the information. Elizabeth never mated Santos Mendoza? Why would she have pushed me away and told me she was? And if things fell through, why didn’t she call? Why didn’t she tell me? A million questions were going through my head and I knew only one person in this world had the answers.

“You really should talk to her,” Lily advised.

“Elizabeth made her choice, Lily. The details don’t really matter at this point,” I told her a little too aggressively. My wolf was battling for dominance. He had heard enough, and had a solitary focus on our mate.

“So, it’s true then? Lizzy’s your true mate—the one you told me about when I tried to leave Thomas?”

I stared at her, unable to confess the deepest secret I’d carried for nearly half my life, but I couldn’t form the words to deny it.

“I could really use a new tattoo. Do you have a parlor in town?”

“Yeah, but it’s nowhere near as good as yours. I should warn you, it’s right next door to Lizzy’s place on Zachary Street.”

“Of course it is,” I said. “Think I’ll just go for a walk instead. You won’t say anything about this to anyone, right?”

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