Mated in the Shadow of My Sister novel Chapter 145

Chapter 0145 (Lily POV)

I had just fallen asleep when I heard my phone buzz a couple of times. There were very few people who had my phone number -basically, my bosses, my new co-workers, a couple of new friends, and James- so I knew I should probably get up and check the messages, just in case they were important. Groaning, I got out of bed and walked over to the desk where my phone was plugged in. (I was not used to having a phone, so I had not yet realized how useful it could be to plug the phone into an outlet near my nightstand.)

The incoming messages were from James. I smiled to myself as I opened the messages and quickly read them. Unfortunately, my smile soon faded. Two things immediately stood out to me. First, it was clear to me that James was in pain. That worried I felt myself begin to panic as I read and re-read the messages. "I love you, Lily Brogan."

Despite everything else that James said, those were the words that stood out to me the most, and I could not help but read the words over and over and over again. "I love you, Lily Brogan."

Wow. I had not expected that to be what James texted me. "Why do you seem like you are panicking, Lily?"

Rose asked me in our link. "Because I am panicking, Rose."

"But James is our mate. He is supposed to love us."

"It is too fast."

Surely he cannot go 26 years of his life thinking and feeling one way and be ready to jump in with both feet after just a couple of months?

Or can he?

Taking a deep breath, I tried to think through things logically and calmly. The past several years forced me to grow up really quickly. As a result, I have grown more mature than a lot of other 20-year-old she-wolves. At the same time, I am also a lot more immature. I know that those two sentiments seem to contradict each other, but it makes sense if you think about it. Instead of using my teenage years to learn how to deal with hormones, friendships, emotions, and relationships, I spent my pre-teen and teenage years largely in survival mode. I was more focused on figuring out where my next meal was going to come from and how to avoid abuse and bullying than I was anything else. At the end, I walked away from West Mountain with a ton of life skills, but also a lack of knowledge on how to be in a relationship and how to manage my hormone and emotions. Before I commit myself to my mate or anyone else, I want to figure some of those things out.