Page 67 of His Treasured Mate

I hugged Oscar.

“Just remember, they're angry that you waited so long to tell them, not because of what you are. Give them some time. But if you need anything at all, you call and let us know. Okay? We will always have room for you in Collier Pack.”

“Thanks, Uncle Thomas. I'll be okay. I take off to the ARC next week for orientation. And I'll be gone most of the year. Hopefully they'll come around eventually.”

He sighed.

Lily started to cry and hugged him.

“They're idiots. I love them, but not in this moment. I'm sorry I pushed you into this. I had no idea they would react so poorly.”

“I'm not. I knew they'd be hurt and disappointed. I needed the push to get it out in the open. Thank you.”

“We love you, kiddo,” I said.

Lily nodded.

Oscar reached out and included me in their hug as well.

“Love you both.”

I retrieved our luggage from the back of Liam's truck and left it in the driveway while I went to talk to Kyle and make other arrangements for a ride to the airport.

Lily

Chapter 17

Home sweet home. After our family drama over the weekend, I was grateful to be back home.

The storm repairs were nearly complete and life in Collier Pack was back to normal. I was still furious with MC and Liam, so a bit of normalcy was a good thing.

Channeling my frustrations, I set to work on all the projects I wanted done before the baby arrives. It didn't just include setting up the nursery either. Being fat and uncomfortable in my own skin made everything take longer too, so I recruited helpers.

“Is Thomas freaking out now that you're in your nesting phase?” Clara asked.

“This isn't nesting. I'm mad at Madelyn and Liam and need to stay busy before I say or do something we'll all regret.”

“Wow. She called her Madelyn, guys. Now we know it's serious,” Peyton teased.

“Why don't you just come out and tell us what happened?” Ruby said.

“No. I'm staying out of it.”

“I talked to Maddie earlier today and got the full rundown. Basically, Oscar's a tiger. They are fine with that,” Lizzy informed them.

I scoffed, but she ignored me and continued on.

“It's the fact that he shifted for the first time and knew for two years before telling them that has them so upset.”

“He made a mistake,” I insisted.

“They'll get over it, Lily, but they just need time,” Lizzy insisted.

“You weren't there. You didn't see the way they handled it. It took a lot for Oscar to share that with them.”

“Don't get mad, but there's a good chance that you're overly emotional about this because of all those pregnancy hormones,” Ruby said.

I growled. “It's not because I'm pregnant.”