Pulling up at the Pack house, Damien’s car is in the driveway. Before I even open the car door, he is beside the car. I grab the ultrasounds and the small picture of the 3d scan. Damien opens the door and I step out of the car before locking it.
“Aria rang me,” I nodded.
“You didn’t have to go, I wouldn’t have been angry”
“It’s fine, here. Congrats you’re having a little girl” I tell him, passing him the small image. He looks down at it and I can feel his excitement before he masks it.
I walk off, not because he is excited he is having a girl but because it hurt to see him excited over having a baby with someone that’s not me.
“Lily, wait. Can we talk about this”
“Nothing to talk about Damien” I tell him walking toward the door. I hear him swear to himself. Opening the front door, Aria is waiting for me.
“You threw me under the bus, you knew I didn’t want to go” I tell her walking toward the kitchen. Amber appears on the stairs and I hear Damien come in the front door.
“Let her cool off,” I hear Aria tell him. Amber follows me to the kitchen.
“Hey Natalia” I say walking toward the fridge. She nods and goes about making lunch.
Opening the fridge, I grab a beer out and pop the cap. Argh just what I needed, I think to myself, chugging the bottle and grabbing another. I offer one to Amber, but she shakes her head and I shrug before opening the next bottle.
“Little early, don’t you think?” She asks.
“You didn’t have to sit through your mate’s mistress’ ultrasound. I did, so cheers,” I say sipping the bottle before sitting on the stool on the bench.
Damien and Aria walk out, followed by my father. Damien groans before walking over and taking the bottle from me.
“You aren’t drinking,” I glared at him.
“Fine, come on Amber” I tell her and she looks to Aria who nods her head before following me.
“I know you’re upset, but maybe chat with him” Amber suggests making me scoff.
Going to my bedroom I lay on the bed, Amber lays next to me. We lay talking for a few hours when Aria appears in the doorway.
“Lily, can I talk to you please?” She asks.
“Do I have a choice?” I ask.
“Yes, you always have choice but I would like it if we could talk while no one but us girls are here”
“Where’s Dad?” I ask, sitting up on my elbows looking at her.
“Went with the Alpha to discuss a few things”
“Okay” I pat the bed beside me, when her phone rings downstairs.
“I will get that and be back up” She says quickly leaving.
“I wonder how long Damien and your Dad will be,” asks Amber.
I shrug my shoulders, not really caring if Damien doesn’t return tonight.
“After the chat with ya sis, what do you want to do, we can’t just hide out up here” She says.
I smile when an Idea hits me. “Wanna sneak out?” her eyes light up and she nods her head. A few seconds later Aria walks in on the phone and sits next to me on the bed.
Lily POV
We wait patiently for Aria to get off the phone and serve the lecture I know I am about to receive. She places her phone down on the bedside table before turning to me.
“Just Reid wanting to make sure we got here alright” She tells me. I nod before laying back down on the bed. Aria kicks off her shoes before lying beside me.
“No, lecture?” I ask.
“No, I mainly wanted to find out how you are doing with this whole stepchild thing?” She states.
I think for a few minutes and we lay in silence, Amber pulls out her phone and starts playing on it, pretending to ignore us but I know she is listening.
“Everything is fine, it is what it is. I can’t change it, so why dwell on it?” I tell her.
“I know it hurts, I also know you saved yourself for your mate Lily, I know you said you didn’t want one but if you didn’t why did you save yourself?” She asks and I look at her.
I didn’t want a mate, yet every chance I had to lose my virginity I turned it down and not just because Layla would refuse but because I didn’t feel anyone was deserving of taking it, so maybe I really was waiting for my mate. I didn’t say anything. I had no decent argument because deep down I knew she was right.
“So why haven’t you mated yet, why don’t you bear his mark?” She asked curiously.
“Because once we do there is no turning back Aria. I never wanted this, any of it. Then I found out he got another wolf pregnant which just solidifies we aren’t compatible like the goddess thought,” I tell her.
“So it has nothing to do with fearing actually having a mate. You convinced yourself you were undeserving of one for so many years and now you have one you still don’t feel good enough. Mates are equals. Each half to a whole”
“I’m not whole Aria, you know that”
“Yes, you are, you just need to believe it and trust Damien when he tells you he accepts you. You do not know, but he didn’t care if you were broken Lily, he said he would declare war if we didn’t let him take you even though I could have killed him where he stood and he didn’t fear the outcome of his words, he just knew he wanted his mate. To him you’re not broken, to me you’re not. The only person who thinks you have a broken wolf is you”
“We have been good? Haven’t we, Lily?” Says Layla, eavesdropping in my head.
“Please just give in, let him mark us” She pleads. Layla wants this more than anything.
“After the baby is born” I tell her, wanting to make sure I wasn’t going to be pushed to the side afterwards. Layla nods her head.
“Just think about it Lily, I love you and so does he. Don’t ruin your chances at happiness because you don’t feel good enough for him” Aria says sitting up before kissing my head.