chapter 96
Lily’s POV
Two days had passed since Damien and I mated. Layla felt calm within me, relaxed and over all so did I. Two days and I was finally putting the last touches on my wall when Damien walked in announcing that lunch had been made. Reid and Damien had been working tirelessly and had come up with a few ideas on where Kade was hiding out. We were just waiting for the confirmation to go ahead with their plans.
Aria and Reid were constantly at each other’s throat, which was driving us nuts. He wanted to protect her, yet it wasn’t in Aria’s nature to run because things got tough. She knew what she was capable of. And I could tell she needed to see it end, knew she couldn’t relax till she knew for sure it was over. I understood that need, understood exactly how she felt. This whole thing hung over our heads heavily. I would be glad to see it over, no matter how it ends.
Damien walks in the room and stops. He hadn’t been in here for the last two days and he stopped staring at what was once a blank wall. I feel his arms wrap around my waist as he nuzzles my neck, inhaling my scent.
“You finished it, It looks great. I didn’t know you could paint so well” He says, staring at the painting on the wall. It wasn’t quite finished yet. It was missing one thing. The painting was of both Damien and I with our wolves at our feet.
“Why did you leave the middle between them blank?” He asks, walking over to it and staring at the grass between both of our wolves.
“Because once we have a pup, that is where they will go” I tell him, making his eyes snap to mine. A grin on his face before his eyes twinkle under the light.
“You want pups?” He asks excitedly.
“Yes, as many as you will give me” I tell him. Layla purring in my head at my answer. She longs for our own family. One with Damien.
“When?” He asks before pulling me to him, his eyes not leaving the painting of his black wolf and my white and black one, the silver in Layla’s fur sparkling under the light, Damien’s black wolf with his blue undertones staring at her. But My favourite part of the painting was Layla’s eyes, my eyes. For years I hated them because they were the first thing people noticed me by, the first thing that told everyone something was wrong with me. I used to think they were a curse but now, having her so close I knew they were a blessing, we were different but that was okay.
Damien showed me that being different was okay, and he loved me regardless of what our pasts were like, the difficulties we faced. He accepted us even when we didn’t accept ourselves, so now those sapphire and Amber eyes no longer made me on edge, no they were much more than that. They showed we survived and found each other that no matter what, we were a part of each other. I always thought Layla was my weakness, only the last few months she showed me she was our strength, and I was hers.
“Layla says soon, she can feel the hormones from the implant leaving our system”
Damien growls softly at the thought of that damn birth control bar, but I can feel his excitement too. He wants pups; he wants this, and I have every intention of giving him what he wants because now I want the same future with him.
“Come, we should go eat,” Damien says before we both hear the doorbell ring. Hear people talking. Making my way down the stairs, I feel Damien become tense making me look at him, when I smell them, the familiar scent of my friends.
Looking down the stairs, I see Amber walk in with Callie. I knew they placed Amber with Callie for the stay and they seemed to be hitting it off well. Like they had been friends forever. But that’s not what Damien was tense for, and it took me a second to figure it out.
Brent walked in and I could tell he was a little tense about coming to the pack house. Damien never hid his dislike for Brent, so I knew that’s what had him on edge. His eyes light up when he spots me on the stairs with Damien.
“Brent” I squeal before racing down the stairs embracing him. I was excited to have my three best friends in one place. Under different circumstances it would be better, but I was excited, anyway. Brent hugged me, inhaling my scent. Damien growled before stalking down the stairs toward us, and I felt Brent tense before removing his arms from around me.
I placed my hand on Damien’s chest and he looked down at me, a frown on his face. “He is only a friend, Damien” Damien shook his head, yes in the past Brent and I hooked up, but it never went further than that and he wouldn’t dare cross that boundary now.
“You’re mated?” He says eyeing my neck, a smile splitting on his face at my mark. Brent was happy for me, he always was. He didn’t care as long as I was happy, and for the first time I truly was. I beamed back at him before noticing his neck.
“You found your mate?” I ask and he nods. Speaking of Mates, I wondered where Amber’s and Callie’s were. I knew not all the blood moon Pack would come, they couldn’t leave their borders completely defenceless.
“Where is Shaun?” I ask Amber and she looks a little sad.
“Dad didn’t want me left alone on another pack with him” She states pressing her lips together.
“Mine is on patrol, I think,” She says, looking at Damien who gives her a nod.
“So who is she, and where is your mystery mate?” I ask, looking at Brent. His eyes light up at the mention of his mate.
“You mean him?” Brent laughs, making my mouth drop.
“Yeah, don’t worry, I had the same expression when I found out my mate was male” Brent says mischievously. I chuckle, but he seems happy, and that’s all I care about. Damien seems to relax a little after hearing Brent has now switched sides.
“Are you staying for lunch?” They nod, and Damien waves them to come through the kitchen before leading us outside. Reid is cooking at the barbeque and Damien and Brent walk over to help him while I sit down at the table with the girls. Lana comes over, climbing on my lap, while Arial climbs on Amber’s. Aria walks out with her pickles making Callie screw up her face as she watches Aria then open some ice cream and dip the pickle in it.
“That is so gross,” Callie says, making us look at Aria.
“Hey don’t mock it till you try it, I can eat what I want and the babies want pickles and ice cream so that’s what they get” Aria says biting into the pickle. Ryker walks out before snagging her pickle and I watch horrified as he does the same and dips it in his mother’s ice cream. His face screws up before he gags, forcing the pickle down.
“That’s so wrong mum” He says, giving her a disgusted look. Reid chuckles behind us.
“Yeah, I was a little curious too and tried it. Yuck” He says, shaking his head at his mate. Aria frowns, looking down at what she thinks is a delicious meal.
Brent walks over sitting next to us and Lana puts her arms out for him and he picks her up placing her on his lap. We all catch up, eat and talk all afternoon. I can feel Layla getting a little bored, so I want to perk her up a bit.
“Want to go for a run?” I ask Callie, Amber and Brent. They all jump at the idea and Damien comes over to me placing his hands on my shoulders looking down at me. Only Callie has been for a run with Layla and Damien. My other two best friends never met her because with the old pack, I was too scared to let her out. I no longer held those fears. Layla and I were one now, our bond stronger than ever.
“Stay away from the borders and stay within town limits please” I nod and he bends down kissing my lips softly.
“You can come if you want?” I tell him. I wanted him to come. And it excited Layla at the idea of running with her mate. Damien shakes his head.
“I can’t but later tonight, maybe. I have things to do. Reid and I need to go see what the scouts found out today” I nod before feeling his lips on my neck making me shiver.
“Get a room,” Amber says, nudging me with her elbow.
“Gladly but that means you will have to wait to go on your run, might have to cancel till tomorrow” Damien says and she pouts, making me laugh. Damien chuckles and kisses my forehead before walking inside with Reid.
“Now I know how grossed out you were having to watch me with Shaun” She whines making us chuckle.
“What about Max, does he want to come?” Callie looks nervous suddenly before shaking her head.
“No, Alpha said he has to remain at his post” Callie says sadly.
“I will go visit him later.” She says. Getting up, I walk inside before finding some loose-fitting clothes. Damien walks into the room, his arms going around my waist, his hands running over my stomach under my shirt before one slips into my pants and the other goes to my breast.
I moan at his hands on my body, tingles spreading everywhere he touches and I feel his fingers rubbing between my legs and I turn around in his arms before kissing him. Damien groans before pushing me out of the walk-in and toward the bed. His tongue playing with mine before I feel the bed underneath. Damien grinds himself into me and I wrap my legs around his waist, he pushes my shirt up, his lips moving down my neck and devouring my skin. His palm running over my now hardened nipple before he tugs my shirt up enough before sucking it in his mouth. Moaning loudly, I grind my hips against him. Lost in the feel of his hands and lips on my skin.
Someone clears their throat and I look at the door. Amber leaning casually against the doorframe with her arms folded over her chest, a silly grin on her face. “I knew you were taking too long,” She says with a smirk on her face. Damien lets me up chuckling to himself as he tugs my shirt down hiding me from Amber.
“I already seen her naked, multiple times you don’t need to hide her from me Alpha we used to bathe together” Ambers says laughing. Damien shakes his head, a smile on his lips. But he liked Amber, and she was probably the only one that actually felt comfortable talking to him so freely, or maybe it was her Beta genes that made her comfortable. Damien walks into his cupboard before walking out with a pair of shorts and a singlet.
“You’re coming?” I ask excitedly and he shakes his head.
“No, but give these to Brent so he doesn’t have to wear jeans” Damien says, passing them to me. I nod and head downstairs. Brent quickly changes, Damien clothes swamp him, but they are more comfortable than trying to put jeans and a belt on and weighs less so are easy to carry if in wolf form.
We all head out, walking to the edge of town together before seeing the tree line. All of us stripping off and placing our clothes on a fallen tree before shifting.