Page 34 of His Treasured Mate
It was a sign that we were growing even closer.
I’d thought I’d known everything about my mate, but I’d never fully realized just how hard it was on him to be here in my brother’s territory before. He’d never said a word about it before. I’d never even sensed it before. But it was there now, and I somehow knew that it had always been this way for him.
As I watched Kyle mark Willow, whether intentional or not, I braced for the anger to course through Thomas, but it never came. I watched him closely, wondering if I’d been imagining it all. He felt happy. It was odd. I thought I’d be furious at such a move, yet it did not bother him in the least. The man was a complete conundrum at times.
The back door opened, and Shelby and Jenna walked in. I squealed and ran to hug them, forgetting all about the new discovery of feeling my mate’s emotions and what I was certain was a new stage to our bond.
Shelby and Ben had recently visited us along with their triplets, but it felt like I hadn’t seen Jenna in ages.
“I’m so excited you’re here,” Jenna said just before the commotion of all six of their kids running in.
Shelby had triplets: Nathan, Zachary, and Mary Alice. While Jenna and my youngest brother Chase had an older son, Matty, and twin girls, Victoria and Charlotte. Jenna also had an identical twin, and her daughters were the spitting image of them, with sleek long black hair and violet eyes.
Jenna wasn’t a wolf shifter. My baby brother’s true mate was actually a panther. It had shocked us all at the time, but now it was hard to imagine Jenna not being a part of our family.
We sat down to catch up while the kids ran around playing. There would be even more to add to the chaos when the rest of the family arrived, and I was here for it. I loved every second of our time together. I couldn’t seem to stifle a yawn, though.
“Mary, which room do you want us in? Lily really needs to lie down. It was an early morning and a long flight. She’s pretty exhausted,” Thomas said.
“I already took your bags up to her old room,” my dad told him.
“I’m fine,” I protested, not wanting to miss even a second of my time here.
“Liar. You’ll feel better if you rest for a few minutes,” Jenna said.
“It’s okay. I have to run home for a bit anyway. And I’m about to take the munchkins back outside to run off some of this energy,” Shelby added.
“Go take a nap, Lily,” Kelsey ordered.
I knew she didn’t mean to, but just a bit of Alpha power washed over me. Kelsey was a true Alpha she-wolf.
Begrudgingly, I agreed. I really was tired.
“Come on, Slugger.”
Thomas followed me up to the bedroom.
“I’m okay. I don’t need a nap,” I whined like a belligerent child.
He chuckled. “You may not realize it, but I can actually feel when you’re tired. Not sense it, but feel it, Lil. I don’t know when that started, but I swear I can.”
“I know,” I said with a sigh.
“You do?”
“Yeah. I can feel you too.”
“It’s different from before. I’m not going crazy, right?”
“Well, I’m not sure one has to do with the other,” I teased.
“Smartass. I’m being serious.”
“I’m not sure when it started, but yeah, I’ve noticed as well. It’s very different from before. More intense. You project your emotions onto me whether you realize it or not. Like I know you’re struggling to be here. Has it always been like this?”
He sighed. “Yeah, it has. It’s not easy being in someone else’s territory. Not even your brother’s. But I’m handling it.”
“I know. I just wish I’d known before. I wouldn’t push you to visit so often.”