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Lucas

Staring at the phone in my hand, I wonder if calling Titus really is a good idea. He’s just finished getting his pack in order, creating a peaceful environment for the wolves who’d been under Jordan’s tyranny. If I call him, Growling Heart will be turned upside down again in a war meant for Kaylee and me.

“You haven’t called yet?”

I jump at the sudden noise, looking towards the open door Kaylee has just entered. Two omegas come behind her, carrying trays of food.

“No. At the time, I thought it was a good idea to involve him, but now—”

“You worry it will make his pack a target,” she finishes for me. I nod, not sure what else to say. Kaylee knows me too well now and knows what I’m thinking and feeling.

The omegas—June and Charles—quickly set the trays down on the coffee table to the left before bowing and leaving my office, closing the door behind them. My office. I had just received this room to work from as Uncle David’s beta, and now I will lose it because of our plan.

“Call him, Lucas. Titus will definitely join our battle.” Kaylee moves around the desk, taking the cell phone from my hand and climbing into my lap. My arms instinctively wrap around her waist, her cinnamon-sugar scent wrapping around me, calming me as usual.

“You’re right,” I agree with a smile.

“I’m always right,” Kaylee teases, kissing my cheek and making me chuckle. Goddess, I love this woman. She holds my phone out to me, her expectant gaze staring into my eyes. With a shake of my head, I take the phone back and unlock it, quickly pressing my contacts app and scrolling until I find the number I’m looking for.

With a deep breath, I press on my screen, and the number is dialed. Kaylee puts the call on speaker while we wait for Titus to pick up.

“Alpha Titus Booker of Growling Heart,” his deep voice comes through the speaker, sounding tired, weary, and distant.

“Is this a bad time to call?” I ask.

“Hey, Lucas,” Titus says, his voice now sounding clearer and cheerier.

“I’m here too,” Kaylee chimes in, making Titus and me laugh.

“Hey, Kaylee. What’s up, guys?”

“Lucas and I are mated, and we’re planning to kill Ramos and Marilyn.” Before I can answer, Kaylee has already gotten straight to the point. I groan, resting my head against her shoulder as she smirks at me. It seems my mate wastes no time in beating around the bush.

“Wha—what?”

“We’re planning to kill Ramos and Marilyn,” she repeats, making me chuckle.

“No, that part I get. It’s the first part I need you to repeat,” Titus retorts, Kaylee grinning like a mischievous pup.

“Oh, Lucas and I are mated. What’s up, brother-in-law?” Her answer has me bursting into laughter as silence follows the other end of the call.

“You guys finally mated!” Titus shouts through the phone, making me laugh harder. “When? How—I mean, I know the how—but I thought you hated him!”

I can just imagine his shocked expression as he tries to figure out how we ended up together. The last he saw of us, I was racing out of Jordan’s bedroom with Kaylee in my arms due to the forced heat.

“We’re also expecting a pup,” Kaylee adds nonchalantly.

“What! Lucas, stop laughing and explain!” Titus demands on the other side. I’m trying so hard to stop laughing, but Kaylee’s approach to this conversation, leaving Titus confused and trying to connect the dots to where we are today, is the funniest thing I have ever witnessed while on a call.

“I think Lucas is broken,” Kaylee deadpans.

“I think you broke me!” he exclaims, giggling.

“Good, I made this awkward conversation less awkward.”

With that, Kaylee frees herself from my grasp and bounds over to the sofa, picking up an apple from the trays of food and taking a large bite.

“Lucas, speak,” Titus playfully orders as my laughter dies. I can’t help but giggle some more, not realizing how much I needed this laughing fit.

“She doesn’t hate me anymore,” I manage to wheeze, closing my eyes and taking deep breaths.

“Clearly. You’re mated with a pup on the way!” Titus retorts, his own laughter dying down.

“Oh, the pup happened the day you two rescued me. That heat was brutal,” Kaylee calls out from her spot on the couch. “I still hated Lucas after that.”

Titus starts laughing again at this while a smile grows on my face. I’ve missed this side of Kaylee. The hilarious, no-nonsense side.

“Yeah, it took me a while to gain her trust, but here we are about six weeks later,” I chime in. I then detail how I won Kaylee over, rebuilt our friendship, and helped Ivory Fangs become stronger. Titus listens, interrupting with his own questions. Somewhere in the middle of explaining, I found myself beside Kaylee on the sofa, eating the lunch she’d brought up with June and Charles’ help.

“So, you saved her life by mating her during her heat. Proved you changed from the asshole your father tried to turn you into—”

“Don’t call Ramos my father. I have no father,” I cut Titus off.

“Got it. The asshole Ramos tried to turn you into, then you two fell in love all over again and marked each other last night. Did I miss anything?” Titus says with a chuckle, making Kaylee and I smile.

“Yeah. You missed the part that we want to take back Oak Fur and kill Ramos and Marilyn,” Kaylee chimes in.

“Oh honey, that’s a separate issue. And the answer is yes,” Titus says with a snort.

“We didn’t even ask you to help yet,” I say with a sigh of relief, happy to know my god-brother is willing to help.

“You don’t have to ask, Lucas. We’re family, and family helps each other. Besides, I have my own grudge against Marilyn and Ramos. Those two bastards need to die before their demon spawn is born.”

Kaylee chuckles at this, a smirk on her face as she looks at my cell phone.

“They really do. I have a few years of grievances to take out on that whore,” she agrees.

“As long as Daisy can rip her hair out, you can kill Marilyn yourself,” Titus offers.

“Deal.”

Listening to my mate interact with my god-brother, a sense of peace washes over me. I’m glad they met before Kaylee knew of my and Titus’ connection. It gave her an ally she could count on without the anger and hatred she had for me.

“We have twenty minutes before we need to talk with Aunt Amelia and the others. Would you be free to join a conference call then?” I decide to cut in, wanting to end the call to enjoy twenty minutes alone with Kaylee.

“Yeah, that gives me time to get some of my men together as well so we can get to planning,” Titus readily agrees.

With a plan to call him back in twenty minutes, I hang up and place my phone on the coffee table. Kaylee takes this as her cue to shuffle to my side, curling up beside me and yawning.

“That went well,” she muses, a soft smile on her face.

“It went better than expected,” I say, playing with her soft blond hair. We have our ally now—an ally only a few hours away. Now, all we need to do is plan and prepare for a battle.