Page 17 of Holiday Surprise

“And you’re not happy about me? That sounds more like what I was expecting.”

“What? Why?” she asked. I was clearly throwing her off her game, though I supposed I already had Nettie to thank for that. Cousins? I had no idea and apparently Sydney hadn’t either.

“Lily explained you weren’t exactly happy that my pack and I were there for the run last night. She warned me that of all the people present, you were likely the one to cause a problem.”

Sydney laughed, and the sound warmed me. It was something I instantly wanted to hear every day for the rest of my life.

“I don’t usually drink like that,” she explained.

“She mentioned that, too.”

“I feel at a disadvantage here. She didn’t mention anything about you.”

I loved how direct she was. It was a refreshing change from what I normally dealt with.

“Guessing you haven’t seen her today then,” I warned.

“She knows? Already?”

“I heard you return my howl the other day. I had mentioned it to Thomas and Lily happened to be listening in.”

Sydney laughed again. “Did she turn off his dampener again?”

I grinned. It was clear she knew Lily well. “No, the door was cracked open. She didn’t mean to eavesdrop for once.”

“Yeah, but she loves playing matchmaker,” she confirmed.

“I suspected as much. Thomas had always expressed interest on merging the packs for a run before the kids started integrating over there, but she definitely gave him the push to see that through.”

“And you wanted to find your mate,” she said breathlessly.

I shrugged. “Of course I did. I honestly had given up hope of ever having one. Just the idea that she was out there,” I sucked in a deep breath and stared her directly in the eyes. “That you were out there. Of course I wanted the chance to know for sure.”

It wasn’t easy for a wolf shifter to look an Alpha in the eyes. Most averted in submission unless they were looking for a fight, but Sydney didn’t back down, not once. I wondered if it was a mating thing. I made a note to ask Thomas about that later.

“Well, I’m here. Now what the hell are we going to do about it?” she asked.

It was my turn to laugh. “You really don’t look happy about this.”

“I’ll admit I wasn’t. I was prepared to come over and tell you it’s never going to happen. The bond has barely sparked, and I was ready to relocate to Westin for the next few years to let it pass.”

“I see. You’ve given it quite a bit of thought already.” There was something about the way she had said it that still gave me hope, even while I wanted to throw up at the thought of losing her.

“Not really. See I own a store in Collier, and I have to make arrangements for it, and so much else. My head is literally spinning thinking through it all. And being here,” she sighed. “Hearing Nettie talk about you, it was different than I expected.”

I invited her to join me on the small couch in my living room and I was surprised when she didn’t even hesitate.

“It was so surreal. I’ve hated this place for so long.”

“Why?” I asked, interrupting her. I really wanted to know because I suspected it was more personal than just a dislike of Larkens.

“I told you Nettie is my cousin. I didn’t even know I had a cousin. My Uncle Sid abdicated from Collier to follow Jedidiah. He tried to talk my family into joining him, but my dad had refused. It nearly killed him when Uncle Sid left, and he still battles severe depression because of it. They were very close. Jedidiah literally ripped my family apart.”

“But I’m not Jedidiah,” I pointed out.

She looked so sad that I wanted to pull her into my arms and let her know she was safe and cherished.

“I’m learning that quickly, which is only confusing me all the more at the moment,” she confessed.

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