Mated in the Shadow of My Sister novel Chapter 175

Chapter 0175

(Lily POV)

After the phone call with James, I had another small panic attack. James was on his way here. Was I ready for that? For whatever that would mean?

I left Black Moon so that I could be on my own and independent for a while. I had quickly come to love it in Ravenswood, and even in the short time I have been here, I have found myself growing as a person and as a she-wolf. Coming here was absolutely the right decision for me.

With James on his way, what would happen to the life that I have started to build? What would James want and expect with respect to our relationship? Would he expect me to give up my independence now

that there is a new safety threat?

Truthfully, I have come to really enjoy the last couple of weeks of daily phone calls and text messages with James. Being able to develop a friendship with him, while physically separated by a long distance, has made me feel more comfortable than I probably would have been had we tried to do that while living

in the same town or same pack.

Was I ready to take things beyond friendship? Was I willing to work on repairing our bond? Was I ready to

trust him?

“You already trust him, Lily,” Rose pointed out. “I did not encourage you to tell him about your panic attacks, about Stephanie being alive, or about anything else you told him. You did those things on your own. Old Lily would never have dreamed of sharing information with Old James, much less important information. New Lily did not hesitate to share with New James.”

Okay, fair point.

But… hardly any time had passed. Time heals all wounds, right? Had enough time passed to heal all of our wounds? Or was James coming here going to make things complicated again? What about Brady? I

really did not want to be part of a love triangle again.

“Sometimes it is not the amount of time that passes, but what happens in the time we have. A lot has

changed for both you and James in a very short period of time. I do not see your heart being conflicted anymore. I still see fear, but even that is diminishing.” a

I sighed. Sometimes Rose is more of an older sister than a wolf. It can be annoying at times.

“But you love me.”

of his shirt unbuttoned. His hair was a little messy, and it appeared he had not gotten much rest on the

flight here. Despite his exhaustion, James looked s**y as hell.

“Old Lily never thought about Old James that way,” Rose linked me.

“GET OUT OF MY THOUGHTS, Rose!”

Rose laughed and then happily laid down in my head.

As soon as I closed the door behind him, James pushed me against it, grabbed my face with both hands, and kissed me. I immediately melted, relishing the feeling of his lips against mine.

“Hi,” he whispered breathlessly once we broke apart.

“Hi,” I responded back with a smile. “Are you tired? It looks like you have been up all night.” James nodded. “I am exhausted. But I am so glad to see you. I was scared to death.”