Page 20 of In Plain Sight

Since Thomas and Lily are true mates, Sydney had bailed out gracefully and seemed truly happy for them. She had friended Lily and at times the two were inseparable—like now.

“Hey, guys. Sorry for the intrusion. I tried to tell her it was a bad idea to come over, but after Lizzy called, she insisted,” Syd said.

“Shelby didn’t want to come and Peyton’s working,” Lily announced as she plopped down on the couch. I chose the chair on the far side of the room. Nothing good ever came from Lily getting drunk. In fact, the last time she truly got this wasted, I believe she puked in Thomas’s closet.

“I should go. Is she okay here or should I take her home?” Syd asked.

“Stay,” I said, surprising everyone, but I knew if she stayed the heat would come off me some, because the second she left they were going to start questioning me about Bran.

The room got uncomfortably quiet for a minute as the girls settled into seats. Sydney chose to sit next to Lily, still looking like she was ready to bolt.

“Bran was teaching me and Thomas a drinking game before they took off for dinner. Apparently I sucked at the game, but it was so fun,” Lily announced.

“Who’s Bran?’ Lizzy asked.

I shot her a look like she had two heads.

“Ruby’s mate,” Clara said, obviously filling her in.

“What?” she shrieked. “Ruby, you found your true mate?”

I nodded, still confused.

“Why am I just now hearing about this?”

I shrugged. “How the hell should I know? I assumed you’d already heard the rumors.”

“I just got back into town today,” she pointed out.

“Well, you were hanging out with Clara, so I figured she’d already told you,” I said logically.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. You could have called or something,” Lizzy whined, looking genuinely upset.

“Psst, she was too busy with Bran. They hadn’t even left her apartment before today,” Lily informed her, causing my cheeks to heat.

“It’s all anyone’s talking about in town,” Sydney added before shooting me an apologetic look.

“Well, where did you meet him? Where’s he from? Tell me everything,” Lizzy demanded.

“He was squatting on our land, and he’s from that Indiana Pack we thought the Bulgarians wiped out,” Lily filled her in.

I rolled my eyes. “That’s not how we met, and I don’t care what Pack he’s from. I’m certainly glad the Bulgarians didn’t kill him,” I said with a snort.

“So how did you meet?” Clara asked.

“Cochise ran off, so I took Cinnamon out to look for him. I stumbled across Bran out there in the fields. He was holed up in one of the small groves. He said he got into an altercation with a couple Larkens and was pushed onto Collier land. Before that, some shifters in Boise had told him he could find work here,” I told them.

“And you just knew? Like instantly, the way they say it happens?” Sydney asked in amazement.

All four of us nodded at her.

“There’s never really any doubt,” Clara said. “When you meet your true mate, Syd, you’ll just know.”

She sighed and looked a little starry-eyed. “Someday,” she whispered.

“So what did you do? I mean, yeah, he was your mate, so your emotions were probably charged, but he was also a foreigner squatting on our land,” Lizzy reminded me.

I shrugged. “He was my mate, Lizzy. What more is there to tell?”

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