Filed To Story: In the Shadow of the Past Luna (Lily & James)
“No. But it will send a message.”
“And what message is that?”
“That I am mad at him.”
I sighed.
“Charlotte, I do not think ordering a beer is going to send that message. But even if it is, if
Brady after knowing him for less than a day, why are you going to his pack with him?”
“Because I still really like him. And my gut says that I should.”
are mad at
I reached up and checked her forehead for a fever. When I found none, I turned her around and lifted her hair, checking for any sign that she was wearing a mask. 1
“What are you doing?”
she asked.
“I am just wondering what happened to my friend. You are not running a fever and you do not appear to be wearing a mask. So my next question is whether you are under some sort of spell.
Charlotte gave me an annoyed look. “There is nothing wrong with me, Lily.”
I raised my eyebrows at her.
“What???”
“You are one of the most confident she-wolves that I have ever met. And yet it has been less than a week
I since you offered to get breast implants to make Derek happy, and now all of this with Brady. Where is my
“Oh, those were just doubt-snaps.”
“Doubt-snaps?”
“Yeah, you know. Doubt-snaps.”
“What is a ‘doubt-snap’?”
“Pretty sure it is in the medical dictionary, little miss l-want-to-be-a-doctor.”
“Pretty sure it is not, Charlotte. Now what are they?”
“Brief moments of temporary insanity characterized by extreme self-doubt and insecurities. Usually brought on by hormones or the mate bond. Doubt-snaps come on fast and go away just as fast, leading the sufferer to return to their normal sassy and confident self. Can happen to humans and she-wolves alike.”
“Spoken like a true doctor’s daughter,”
I laughed. “Now say it again in plain language.”
“Sometimes when I am around males-especially hot males, and apparently also around my mate- I get a little caught up in the moment. My insecurities come out and I am willing to do almost anything to keep the attention on me, But then, after I have a chance to think about things, I snap out of it. That is what happened with Derek. Offering to get breast implants was not my finest moment, nor was chasing him around, but I snapped out of it and rejected his a&& once I realized that he was crazy and obsessed with you.
Then I met Brady and we got drunk together. Somehow, despite the fact that we were drunk, I feel like we really bonded. I feel like we get each other. And so yeah, we slept together last night and then I agreed on a whim to go to his pack with him.
And then I was super hurt and insecure when I found out that you were the one that he told me he loved. Especially right on the heels of Derek.
But more than being hurt, I was legit pi ssed that he wanted to try to break up the mate bond between you and James. I may not have known you very long-and I apparently do not know the full complicated story of you and James- but it is pretty d&&n obvious that you two belong together.
So, bottom line: I had a few doubt-snaps with Brady too. But they passed really fast. I believe you when you say that Brady only thought he loved you. And I know that you love James.
So now I am just angry. Not enough to change my mind about going, but enough that if Brady wants to get back into my pants, he is going to have to find a way to prove himself to me. Until then, I am going to. have a little fun at his expense.”
I shook my head, not sure what to say. I did not know anyone who thought quite like Charlotte. Whoever she ended up with was going to have their hands full.
Come to think of it, perhaps Brady really was the right one for her. Somehow, knowing both of them, the thought of them together almost made sense.
Just then, Charlotte took a sip of her beer and immediately spit it out.
“Goddess, I hate beer. That was a bad idea. Come on, Lily. We need to find some pizza instead.”
(James POV)
We made it back to Black Moon without anyone dying.
You may be wondering how the flight went. I encourage you to re-read my last sentence: We made it back to Black Moon without anyone dying. That is about the best thing I can say about that experience.
Instead of applying for membership in the mile-high club with me, Lily spent most of the flight either asleep or sitting next to Charlotte at the front of the plane. That left me to sit in the middle of the plane with Brady.
We were adults, and so sitting within shouting distance of each other on the same plane should have been fine. Except, of course, it was not.
Instead of listening to music, watching a movie, reading a book, playing on his phone, or doing something -anything- to kill the time, Brady decided to make a show of things. He alternated between staring at
Lily and Charlotte, and glaring at me.
At one point, tired of dealing with the staring and the glaring, I decided to be the bigger male and try to break the ice. Specifically, I tried asking Brady a series of neutral questions about the weather, sports, traveling, and even his pack. Each and every question was met with a frosty, one-word answer. That is, until Brady exploded.
“Cut the cr ap, James.”
“Just trying to be friendly.”
“I am not your friend.”
“Clearly.”
“Can’t you just be satisfied that you won? Why do you have to sit here and gloat?”
“I did not win, Brady. Lily is my mate. Not some toy to be won or lost. And contrary to whatever screw is stare wistfully at Lily.”
“I have not been staring at Lily.”
“No? You think my eyes are broken?”
“Whatever. I am not talking about this with you.”
“Fine. Don’t. But you should probably talk about it with someone before that di ck of yours ruins your next relationship.”
Brady stood up and growled. That escalated quickly. “What are you suggesting, James?”
“That you have problems, Brady. And you need to deal with them.”
Brady looked like he was ready to throw a punch at me. I stayed seated, not feeling afraid in the slightest.
“You think I have problems? Me? Really?”
“Yes, A&&hole, I do. I assume you care about Charlotte. Otherwise, your wolf would not have insisted she go back to the pack with you. But you are going to mess things up with her if you do not calm yourself the f&&k down and get the stick out of your a&& that has been up there for the past eight years and especially the last few months. You have been so focused on what you do not have that you cannot even see what is right in front of you.”
Brady took a step closer to me. He was moments from launching himself at me.
“You get a f&&king mark on your neck and you think you know everything?”
he asked bitterly.
Before I could answer, Lily and Charlotte stood up and starting walking towards the back of the plane.
They had obviously heard our arguing.
“James, Brady, is everything okay?”
Lily asked.
“Yes,”
I replied.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?