More coming later today. And no, this does not count as one of the final show-downs. Just a warmup.
(James POV) Deciding that I was done with Brady’s bullsh&t, I lunged for him. It was not the fact that he accused me of sleeping with Stephanie that bothered me. It was the fact that Brady was continuing to mock our relationship, coupled with the fact that he continued to want to remind Lily about our painful past. Whether his claims were true did not matter; it was his intent that bothered me. “STOP IT! BOTH OF YOU!” Lily yelled just before I reached Brady. I do not know if Lily meant to do so, but she used her alpha command —the same one that she had used in Hawaii. I felt the weight of it even though it no longer worked on me. The command caught my attention and brought me back to reality. Instead of giving Brady the punch he deserved, I reached out and wrapped my arms around my mate. “I am sorry, my love. He just went a step too far.” Lily hugged me back. To my relief, she was not angry with me. She was, however, glaring angrily at Brady. “What is with you, Brady?
(Lily POV) It has been five days since we returned to Black Moon. James and I are now preparing to head back to West Mountain Pack so that we can hopefully put an end to the pain and suffering that has been allowed to exist there for way too long. As we make the final preparations, I cannot help but think back on everything that has happened since we returned to Black Moon. As you might expect, our return was just as eventful as the flight here, if not more so… especially for Brady and Charlotte. My heart originally broke for Brady when he realized that Evelyn —the she-wolf that he had loved and worshipped— had cheated on him. However, I found myself slowly and increasingly coming to the conclusion that Brady’s discovery about Evelyn was a strangely positive development. Brady had spent many years of his life living in a never-ending cycle of regret and longing. Realizing that Evelyn was not the she-wolf that he thought she was could be an important step towards him finally m
(Lily POV) After letting Brady stew for another minute or so under Charlotte’s questioning glare, Dr. Hyder invited us to all sit down. He then filled us in on what happened to Sammy, and about everything that he had discovered about Evelyn. James, in turn, filled Dr. Hyder in on the conversation that we had had on the airplane. Like Brady, Dr. Hyder was shocked to find out that Evelyn and Andrew were chosen mates as opposed to second chance mates. He was also shocked to hear that Evelyn had cheated on Brady for a year before the rejection. Watching Dr. Hyder, I could tell that the shock was doing a number on him. Dr. Hyder does not like to be surprised, and he does not like it when his opponent makes a move that he has not anticipated; those things make him feel out of control. And if there is one thing that Dr. Hyder hates, it is not being in control. Brady, for his part, mostly listened. Charlotte sat next to him, holding his hand. “I don’t get it,” I said after a while
(Lily POV) Brady stood up and Evelyn threw herself into his arms. Charlotte growled, but Evelyn did not seem to notice. “Brady, oh thank Goddess you are back,” Evelyn said through her tears. “I am so scared for Sammy. I have no idea who has him or what they are doing to him. We have to find him and get him back!!!!!!!!!!!” Brady gently pushed Evelyn away, but nevertheless looked at her sympathetically. He even wiped a few of her tears off her cheeks. “We will find him, Evelyn. I know that we will.” “Please tell me we are not watching what I think we are watching,” James linked me. I shook my head in disbelief. I wished I had something to clobber Brady over the head with. “It is like he forgot that it is her fault that Sammy was kidnapped,” I responded to James. “And that Sammy is safe.” Watching the scene, Charlotte growled for a second time. This time, Evelyn turned around. She acted as though she had not previously realized that there were other people in the room.
“I will warn you for the last time, Evelyn. Watch your words,” James said in a menacing voice. “You do know that Stephanie is alive, right? Your mom called Andrew and let him know. They are preparing a large welcome home slash engagement party for her and you. You do not have to settle for second-best anymore.” James let go of me and took several steps towards Evelyn. He looked like he was ready to attack her. However, Brady stepped in between them. Evelyn clung to Brady and started to cry once again. James ordered Brady to move, but Brady refused. “She is pregnant, James.” “I am not going to hurt her, Brady. But I am also not willing to let her sit here and disrespect Lily without consequences.” “Please calm down, James,” Brady pleaded. Suddenly, Charlotte came up and slapped Brady across the face. Hard. The slap caught Brady off guard, and he looked at Charlotte with hurt in his eyes. “What was that for?” he asked her. “Have you forgotten what Evelyn did to you?
(Lily POV) “I have already told you everything that I know,” Evelyn protested for what had to be the twentieth time in a row. James, Dr. Hyder, and I exchanged looks. Without saying anything, we all agreed that it was time to lay out our cards. “Evelyn, I know that were you were offered $200 million for Lily,” Dr. Hyder said matter-of-factly. “I also know that you helped the imposters break into the security positions guarding Lily; I know you helped with the attack on the pack; and I know that you hired a tracker to find Lily when she left Black Moon.” Evelyn paled. “No, I would never do such things,” she said adamantly. “My parents, brother, and nieces still live here. I would never do anything that might hurt them….” Dr. Hyder slammed his fist on the desk. “I want the truth, Evelyn,” he said coldly. Evelyn looked at Brady, tears welling up in her eyes. “Brady, please… you have to believe me,” she pleaded. “The truth, Evelyn,” Dr. Hyder repeated. “I AM TELLING YOU THE
“Then why did you stay with me? Why not break up with me and be with him?” Brady asked, the pain evident in his voice. “BECAUSE I STILL LOVED YOU! I NEVER LOVED ANDREW! I LOVED YOU!” Evelyn whisper-yelled. “Andrew begged me to spend my 20th birthday with him in Canada, because he wanted us to be together when I could first identify my mate. But I insisted on being at Black Moon because a small part of me hoped that you would be my mate and not him. And then you were. And I was so happy. But you were not. Instead, you panicked. I wanted you to have the same excitement about marking each other that Andrew would have had, but you did not. He made me feel special, but you made me feel like an obligation or a burden.” Brady frowned as Evelyn paused. “I moved to Andrew’s pack as soon as I could after the rejection. Andrew was relieved that I came back to him. He said it did not matter that we were not fated mates, because he knew that the Moon Goddess wanted us to be togethe
(James POV) “We need to talk to Andrew,” Lily told the group. “Now.” After she said that, Dr. Hyder and Brady stepped to the side and began mind-linking. They were presumably making arrangements to determine Andrew’s location and bring him to the office. It impressed me that they were willing t