“Alright then Keon you know what to do and James I want you over for lunch tomorrow. Keon if you have time, I’m sure my mother would find room for you too.” Tony finished and with that the meeting was over.
The Next day James arrived at the large white house, feeling a nervousness and maybe excitement. He still didn’t know if he was happy she came back or dreaded it. After their last argument that ended their mateship, he’d hardly spoken to her. He’d been so angry and felt so betrayed that he couldn’t talk to her. By the time he’d been ready to approach her and talk about things, she was on a plane out of there without a looking back. It felt like a betrayal all over again.
James parked his pickup and walked into the house, but he didn’t get a chance to knock before the door opened. To his surprise, it was Chris Lyon leaving the house. “Hey, James!” Chris greeted, looking surprised but happy to see him. “Good to see ya man,” the other werewolf said, giving him a fist bump.
“Same to you Chris. When did you get back?” James asked, glad to see the other looking so good since the last time James had seen Chris he was a broken man.
“Today, I came with Lily,” Chris told him and to his surprise, James was hit with a hard, sudden wave of possessiveness. He nearly slammed Chris against the wall demanding to know what he was doing with his mate, but she wasn’t his mate and this was just Chris after all. There was no way he and Lily would be together like that. Yes, they were close but not that close…
“Really,” James started, trying to keep his voice normal. “What were you doing with Lily,” he demanded, a cold, harsh tone slipping into his voice. Chris looked a little taken aback but gave him a nervous smile.
“Well we ran into each other in Montana,” he replied, fidgeting a little under James’s unintentional scrutiny and looking slightly… guilty? There was something Chris wasn’t telling him, he could practically smell it. “Well I gotta get something for A-er Lily out of the car,” he said, sounding even more nervous and practically flew down the porch steps.
I’ll kill him, James thought heatedly as he walked towards the front door and unable to stop his feelings of jealousy. The beast and a part of him, deep down inside, still saw Lily as his. James shook his head as if to scatter his thoughts and focus on the task at hand. She wasn’t his and he needed to keep his head if he was going to find out what they were hiding.
As soon as he opened the door Lily’s scent hit him, wrapping around him and seemingly seeping into his very soul. A shiver ran down his spine and his tension vanished only to be replaced by a sudden carnal hunger. He had to see her! James followed her scent when Tony stepped out of the kitchen, blocking him. “James,” Tony said, sounding slightly nervous. “About that assignment I gave you… forget about it. I’ll find someone else.”
James froze and blinked at his alpha and best friend a couple of minutes. “What?” He managed to reply. Where did that come from and why did the alpha look nervous. What was going on?
“Just… I um think it’s better if someone else does it,” Tony said, not exactly meeting his eye, not out of submission but more like evasiveness.
“What is it, Tony? Is she with someone else? Is it Chris? You’d think I’d attack them? That I’d risk the assignment?” He asked a little bitterly, honestly a little afraid of that himself. Seeing as how he was reacting now, James wasn’t so sure he would be able to restrain himself if he saw her with another man.
“What? Chris? God no,” Tony exclaimed. “He’s like family and would never screw you like that. He’s not suicidal,” Tony jumped in then looked sheepish. “She’s not with someone else. Well at least not like you think. I really can’t say more. I promised,” Tony explained, sounding cryptic. “You’ll see soon enough man and when you do try to keep your cool and remember you’re free to leave at any time,” Tony finished before darting off into the house.
What the hell was going on? James thought as he walked down the hall and into the living room. It was empty, but he froze as he saw Lily through the patio door. Emotions rage through him as he looked at her for a moment. Her back was facing him, but he could tell it was Lily.
With a deep breath, he opened the patio door and joined her on the large wooden porch. She turned as she heard the door and gave him a small smile that shot right through him. “James Lacrosse,” she greeted him.
“Lily Nawassa,” he greeted back and to his surprise her smile grew just a little as her gaze ran up and down him. “You look good James. How you’ve been?” She asked, leaning on the porch railing. Despite the fall chill she wore only a long sleeve shirt that didn’t look very thick and a pair of jeans that showed off the curves of her legs that he loved so much. Her dark hair was loose around her face and it beckoned him to just run his hand through it. Her posture seemed relaxed but he could see her muscles taut with what he assumed was tension.
Her scent told him that she was still a hybrid so he guessed she hadn’t yet found that cure she had so desperately wanted. “I’ve been… alright,” he said after a moment of debate on how to answer. “How about you? How’s the life of a guardian treating you?” He asked and an emotion he couldn’t read quickly flashed over her face before she hide it.
“I’m not a guardian. I never made it past their basic training,” she replied with a nonchalant tone but he could detect a hint that something about that bothered her.
“Really? Taking orders was the deal breaker?” He joked and she let out a small bark of laughter, but it sounded a little forced.
“Something like that,” Lily replied, brushing some of her hair out of her face. He had the strongest urge to walk over to her and hold her against him, to make sure all of it was real. She really was back. He actually took a step forward when a loud bang came from the glass door. James turned and saw a little boy he’d never seen before hitting against the glass. He was just about to ask who the boy was when Lily cocked her head to the side and clicked her tongue.
“Stop that A. J.,” She scolded and opened the door. Wait, she knew the boy, how? “Why aren’t you playing with Matty?” She asked picking him up.
“I want mommy,” the little boy demanded and wrapped his arms around her neck. James froze in shock. No, it couldn’t be, James told himself with a mental shake of his head. She couldn’t possibly have kids, she was like him. Their genetics was too messed up for kids.
“Well here I am but I’m talking at the moment and you’re going to get cold out here,” Lily said in a soft sweet tone that James didn’t even know she could make. He watched as she caressed the boy’s hair and gave him a kiss.
“No,” the little boy insisted and Lily sighed with a smile. James felt a jolt when the little boy looked at him with curiosity. “Who that?” He asked and Lily looked panicked for a moment quickly looking away from James.
“Look, there’s Chris and he’s got cookies,” Lily stated, her voice shaking a little. The boy cheered and Lily opened the porch door once more. She set the toddler on the ground and he ran over to an awaiting Chris. “Can you keep him busy please,” Lily pleaded and Chris glanced to James with a nod. James concentrated on taking deep breaths to control himself. He had to get the whole story before flipping out.