Chapter 226
0226
(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
moving on and letting go.
And, perhaps that realization could also help him open himself up to other possibilities and other relationships. Instead of trying to fill the Evelyn-shaped hole his self-loathing and regret had stubbornly
created in his heart, perhaps he could learn to appreciate other things in his life and other types of
relationships.
Perhaps it could also open him up to Charlotte.
I do not know why I never thought about Brady and Charlotte being a match before. There is something
so incredibly perfect about the two of them. Just the little I have seen of the two of them since we got
back to Black Moon has been enough to prove how well they fit together. Charlotte challenges Brady and
keeps him on his toes. Meanwhile, Brady somehow manages to tone down Charlotte’s self-absorbed
nature, and he also seems to bring out the part of her that wants to love someone just as much as she
wants to be loved.
I really do hope that, when Charlotte’s wolf wakes back up, they will confirm that they are second chance. mates. James hopes for that too, not only because he sees the same things that I am seeing, but also because Brady continues to drive him crazy at almost every turn. Although Brady finally seems to be
growing up and moving past his feelings for me, it is not fast enough for James.
Speaking of Brady driving James crazy….
*** FLASHBACK: FIVE DAYS AGO ***
Dr. Hyder was waiting for us in the alpha office when we arrived back at Black Moon. Seeing him, I immediately ran up to him and gave him a hug. Dr. Hyder was not a hugger, but it felt right in the moment, and Dr. Hyder immediately hugged me back.
After a couple of minutes, Dr. Hyder let go of me so that he could look at the mark on my neck. He
smiled a big, toothy smile unlike anything I had ever seen on him, and unlike anything I thought he was
–
capable of doing- and then he reached out to shake James’ hand.
“Congratulations, Son.”
James returned the smile as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed my temple. “Thank
you, Dr. Hyder. For everything.”
“We have a lot to work on before you head back to West Mountain. Are you both ready?” Dr. Hyder asked.
“We are.” I said confidently.
Dr. Hyder then turned to Brady, who was standing at the entrance to the office.
“Glad to see you back as well, Son. Who is the lovely she-wolf next to you?”
Charlotte did not wait to be introduced. She happily walked up to Dr. Hyder and held out her hand.
“Dr. Hyder, I have heard a lot about you. I am Charlotte.”
I was not sure how Dr. Hyder would respond to Charlotte. Despite how he greeted James and I, he was
anything but a warm and fuzzy kind of guy. Thankfully, to my relief, he took Charlotte’s hand and smiled.
He then looked at the three of us with question marks in his eyes.
“Charlotte is a friend of mine from Ravenswood,” I explained.
“And she came back with you because?”
“Brady and I met at a bar last night. We had what we both thought was a one-night stand, but it turns out his wolf really likes me, so he insisted I come back with him to your pack.”
I covered my mouth in shock. James covered his too, but he did so in order to stifle a laugh. And Brady… Well, poor Brady’s face now matched the color of his hair. Who knew Alpha Brady Hyder was capable of blushing like that.
“Charlotte…” Brady said hesitantly.
Charlotte turned and looked at the three of us, who were now standing just behind her.
“What?” she asked defiantly. “There is no point in hiding it. From what you all told me about Dr. Hyder, he
I looked back at Dr. Hyder, who seemed… amused.
“Are you and Brady second chance mates?” he asked.
“We do not know. My wolf is in hibernation because I rejected my mate, Derek, yesterday. That is why I
went to the bar. Brady and I bonded over our heartache.”
“Derek?”
“Yes. Derek Ab bott. He was my mate.”
“DEREK AB BOTT WAS YOUR MATE?” Brady exclaimed.
thing
I guess that was another thing Charlotte and Brady did not talk about last night. Sigh.
“Derek Ab bott was your mate?” Dr. Hyder repeated, but with a much more academic tone than Brady’s.
Charlotte nodded. “Yes, but he was a complete jerk and he was obsessed with Lil
I rejected him after
he got mad at me for transposing a couple of digits on Lily’s address, which I only gave to him so that he could meet me there this weekend for a double date with James and Lily. He said I cost him millions of
dollars.”
“The Moon Goddess works in mysterious ways,” Dr. Hyder said in wonder, almost to himself. He went
over and closed the office door and then turned back to us.
“Derek Ab bott is the one that Evelyn has called several times,” he explained. “I think he is the tracker that
she hired.”
James and I looked at Dr. Hyder in surprise.
“Evelyn? As in, Brady’s Evelyn? Why would she hire a tracker to find me?” I asked.
“Brady did not tell you?”
“No.”
“Did he tell you that Sammy was kidnapped?”
Charlotte, James, and I all looked at Brady in angry horror.
Brady shrugged his shoulders and sat down in a guest chair. “Sorry. We got a little distracted on the plane.”
“Meaning instead of telling James and Lily that your ex is the one after them and that your son has been kidnapped, you thought it more important to measure di ck size with James?” Charlotte asked accusingly.
Brady shook his head. “Sammy is fine. My mother is with him now,” he said in a defeated tone.
“Not an answer, Brady,” Charlotte responded.
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