“Milly?” The small figure of Lily appeared in the doorway, her presence a rarity these past few days.
“Hey, is everything okay?” I asked, watching as she shuffled into the room, her eyes darting around nervously.
“I need a ride into town. I have a doctor’s appointment,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Are you sure? We have plenty of healers here who can help. Should I call Alex?” I asked, rising quickly to give her a once-over.
“No, no, it’s not that. I had an appointment scheduled before I came here. If I don’t show up, they might start asking questions,” she explained, her hands fidgeting nervously.
A trip to the human town? That was a rarity for us.
I grabbed my jacket and bag, ready to accompany her. “But I’m calling Alex. He’d have my head if he found out I took you back to the humans without him,” I warned her.
She laughed nervously but nodded in agreement.
By the time everyone had gathered at the car, we were finally ready to embark on our journey.
Matt decided to tag along when he heard Alex was coming, and of course, Wyatt insisted on coming too, not wanting me to go anywhere without him.
We all piled into the car and set off, leaving the pack lands behind us as we headed toward the human town.
The car ride was quiet, with Lily directing me to the doctor’s office.
“Have fun, guys,” I said, smiling as Lily and Alex exited the car and headed into the building.
“Let’s find some coffee,” Matt mumbled, wandering off.
“What’s up with him?” I asked Wyatt, who simply shrugged.
“No idea. He’s been moody ever since everything about your uncles came out. I think he’s having trust issues.”
He took my hand, holding it tightly as we followed Matt.
A few buildings down from the doctor’s office, we found Matt at a quaint little café, sitting outside with his sunglasses on.
“So, are you going to tell us what’s going on?” I asked, sliding into the seat next to him.
He shot me a sour look from behind his sunglasses as a cheerful waitress approached our table.
“Hey, guys. What can I get you?” she asked, her pen poised over her notepad, her blonde hair pulled up into a messy bun.
“I’ll have a latte, thanks,” I said, smiling at her.
“Flat white,” Matt grumbled, his gaze fixed on something in the distance.
“Cappuccino, please,” Wyatt chimed in, flashing her a smile.
She jotted down our orders and promised to be right back.
I turned to Matt. “So, are you going to talk, or am I going to have to beat it out of you?”
His jaw tightened, but he remained silent.
The waitress returned with our coffees.
“Here you go, guys! Let me know if you need anything else,” she said, her eyes suddenly widening. “Lily?”
We followed her gaze to see Lily and Alex returning from the doctor’s office.
Lily sank into the seat next to me, mumbling a greeting. “Hey, Frankie.”
“Where’ve you been? We’ve all been worried about you,” Frankie said, her eyes darting nervously around the table.
“I’ve just been spending some time with Alex,” Lily replied, sitting up straighter.
“Right, the guy who knocked you up and then disappeared,” Frankie said, her eyes narrowing at Alex.
“I’m here now, aren’t I?” Alex retorted, his tone dark.
“Mmm,” Frankie muttered, smoothing her apron before retreating back inside the café.
“Well, she seems delightful,” I said, sipping my latte. “How did it go with the doctor? Everything okay?”
Lily perked up, pulling some photos out of her bag.
“Yeah, everything is perfect. The baby is measuring great. Want to see?”
She handed me the black-and-white photos of the tiny baby inside her.
“That’s good news,” I said, smiling at her.
Alex reached over and took my latte, starting to drink it. “So, what’s your problem?” he asked Matt, looking at him over the rim of the cup.
“Honestly, you’d be better off answering. You know they won’t leave you alone otherwise,” Wyatt said, sipping his coffee.
Matt sighed heavily, removing his sunglasses. “Nothing’s wrong with me. Maybe I just needed to get off the pack lands for a while. Happy?” he snapped, taking a gulp of his coffee.
I watched him closely before glancing at Alex. “I’m not buying it,” I said.
Alex nodded in agreement.
Frankie continued to wait on tables around us, shooting us concerned glances every now and then.
“It’s a girl, isn’t it?” Lily suddenly asked, causing Matt to look at her sharply.
She smirked at his reaction.
“Just a girl, or your mate?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
“Why is my love life suddenly so interesting?” Matt snapped, leaning back in his chair.
“Because until a second ago, you didn’t have one. So spill,” Lily said, flicking her long hair over her shoulder and placing her hands on her growing belly.
Matt shot her a dirty look before rolling his eyes. “Fine. Yes, I’ve found my mate,” he admitted.
“That’s great! Who is she?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“I don’t know,” he replied.
Wyatt stared at him in disbelief. “You don’t know?”
“She ran away from me,” Matt said, putting his sunglasses back on and glaring across the café.
I had to bite my cheek to keep from laughing.
“She ran away from you? What did you do?” Lily asked, her mouth falling open in shock.
“I didn’t do anything. We just looked at each other, I felt the bond click into place, and before I could say anything, she turned and ran,” Matt explained, his jaw tightening.
“Is she human?” I asked softly, trying not to glance at Lily.
Matt ripped off his sunglasses and snapped at me, “What part of ‘I don’t know’ do you not understand?”
Wyatt leaned back in his chair, eyeing me cautiously.
I glared at Matt. “I was just asking. What’s your problem?”
“I’m sorry, but not all of us are mated and set to take over not one, but two packs. Not all of us are about to have a pup. Some of us don’t know what the hell we’re doing with our lives right now,” he snapped, standing up and storming off.
Alex started to follow him, but Wyatt stopped him.
“I’ll go. Maybe talking to someone who’s not family will help,” he said, getting up and following Matt.
“I didn’t realize he was struggling so much,” Alex muttered, looking down at his lap.
Lily took his hand, squeezing it gently.
“We’ve had a lot going on. I didn’t notice either,” I admitted, feeling a pang of guilt.
“Let’s go,” I said, standing up.
A trip to the human town had ended in a huff, just as I should have expected.
