Page 61 of The Last Ultimatum: Part 1

“You knew?”

“Alpha called a meeting last night and put us all on high alert,” Aaron admitted.

“That's good. So you understand the importance of this and how important she is to me. I can't go out there halfcocked to do my job while worrying about her safety.”

I couldn't stop myself from reaching for him and squeezing his hand.

“We've got her,” Aaron assured him.

Lachlan turned back to me and waited for my response.

Slowly, I nodded.

I could do this. I had to. There was far too much riding on it. If this is what it took to calm him down enough to find Chelle and save my Tribe, then I could do this. The rest would have to be sorted out later. For now, this was all that mattered.

“I'll be fine.”

“Okay then. I'll get her sorted and stay through the night. First thing tomorrow morning I have to report to the airport and meet back up with my unit.”

His mother hugged him.

“We'll take all the time we can get with you. We can watch footie and have dinner in. A family night,” she said, reaching out to squeeze our conjoined hands as if she was welcoming me to the family.

I didn't pull away or deny her the moment, but after we ate lunch, Lachlan and I excused ourselves and headed upstairs where I realized he was taking me to his bedroom.

“They still keep my room, sorta like a guest room, I guess. I think it's in hope I'll visit more often,” he admitted.

“You don't make it home often?”

He shook his head. “I live half a world away. I haven't been back here in years and I don't know when I'll get back again.”

“What if you do find Chelle and she mates Aiden instead? Where would that leave us then?”

I didn't want to ask, but I had to. I needed to know. I understood the life Aiden would provide for me even if it would be a loveless mating of arrangement. But I had no idea how mating Lachlan would change me.

“I live in San Marco, California, in a wolf pack run by Kyle Westin. I have a house and friends that until yesterday I thought were as close as family. Now, I don't know anything. If we were to mate, I suppose we would need to have a lot of heavy conversations and decide what is best for us, including where we would live.”

“You would include me in that discussion?”

No one else had ever asked what I wanted. My life seemed to be chosen for me, right down to who I should mate.

“Of course. It's your life too. I never really considered moving back to Australia, but maybe it's time. I don't know. I'm very angry with the guys right now so I'm not of sound mind to be making these sort of decisions. So how about we take it just one day at a time.”

“I can do that,” I told him.

The thought of moving halfway around the world terrified me, but not as much as being forced to mate Aiden and lose Lachlan.

Lachlan

Chapter 17

I loved spending time with my family and watching Tilly relax and integrate with them. It was so easy to have her there and it felt so right. I wanted this to be my life more than I was willing to admit.

That night she slept in my bed, in my arms. We didn't do anything. No matter how much I wanted to, it didn't feel right in my childhood home with my little siblings and my parents just down the hall. It wasn't like I had a dampener or anything to shield the others from hearing us.

Still, we'd laid awake late into the night, talking and just being together. My dingo was more at peace than I imagined possible. Though I was sure to say our goodbyes before we drifted off to sleep.

Tilly was still fast asleep when my alarm went off much too early the next morning.

---