Before she had realized Case was her mate, she’d thought that if he hated being stuck in Mountainview, he could leave, even if it would break her heart. But now ... now she knewthat nothing would ever make him break her heart like that. He would put up with any amount of unhappiness in order to stay with her.
Fate wouldn’t have matched us up if we couldn’t be part of each other’s lives without being miserable,she told herself.He wouldn’t be perfect for me if he wasn’t also perfect for Mountainview.
She hoped that was true. She could ignore her own unhappiness whenever it flared up, but it made her sick to her stomach to even think about ignoring his.
But he wasn’t unhappy right now, not as far as she could tell. She would cling to that.
She let them into the house and called back to Ruth and Andrea.
It was a relief to have Andrea answer at once—and even sound cheerful. “We’re back here in the bedroom!”
As wispy and crackly as Ruth’s voice had gotten over time, it was still impossible for a member of her pack to miss her retort: “I’m hardly ever anywhere else these days.”
It was sadly true, but since Ruth didn’t take well to pity, Lydia stayed brisk.
“Thanks, Andrea, you can take a break. And you were in the living room yesterday morning,” she added to Ruth as Andrea slipped out into the hall.
“Briefly,” Ruth said, “and only for a very good reason.” She scrutinized Case before turning back to Lydia. “I’m glad you got it done.”
Lydia held up her hand so Ruth could see the ring, but Ruth didn’t have any interest in it.
“Not just the marriage,” Ruth said dismissively. “The mate bond.”
Oh God. There’s nothing like your grandmother knowing that you’ve slept with someone.
Her cheeks burned, and she knew she couldn’t do anything about the way they were coloring up. Ruth didn’t mean to pry, exactly, but she was so blunt and practical that she saw no reason to not treat human relationships as exactly the same as animal ones. Especially when they were relevant to the overall condition of the pack. And since the physical act of lovewasneeded to establish the mate-bond that had made her and Case a “unit,” itwasrelevant. Lydia was thankful that it would never, ever be relevant again.
Case looked back and forth between them. “Wait, are you actually talking about—”
“Sex,” Ruth said. “Don’t be a prude, young man.”
“I’m not. There’s a difference between being a prude and thinking that something’s private.”
Ruth laughed. It was a raspy, pained sound that had Lydia reflexively reaching for the ever-present pitcher of water to pour her a drink. “All wolves can sense a mate bond, and nothing is private in a pack. You should learn that sooner rather than later.”
“I don’t know if that has to be true,” Case started to say, but Lydia met his eyes and gave him a little shake of her head. She’d only been embarrassed for a second or two; it wasn’t worth getting into an argument with Ruth about it. She did like that he wanted to defend her from even the most minor of mishaps, though. It was incredibly sweet.
They had something more important to focus on, however. She gave Ruth the glass of water and the news at the same time:
“Reeve just caught a plane to Florida.”
If she’d hoped to get some sign of surprise or pleasure, she would’ve been disappointed. Ruth was as stoic as ever. There wasn’t even a wet squeak to show if she’d suddenly gripped her glass a little more tightly.
Instead, she went straight to the point: “Will he stay gone?”
“We don’t know. We’re not even sure why he left. We’re hoping it’s because Case knocked him down. If he thinks he’s outmatched now, maybe he’s not interested in a fight, and he ran home—or near home—to lick his wounds.”
“That would be the best option, of course,” Ruth said.
“But you don’t think it’s the truth,” Case said, studying her.
“Life has taught me that the best option doesn’t come up very often.” She took a small, bird-like sip of her water. “Life is a hard slog, and the only satisfaction comes from getting through it and knowing that you’ve pulled everyone else along too.”
Lydia had heard this speech a hundred times. It had been the background noise and elevator music of her entire life.
Case was the only person who had ever really made her doubt it. He’d swept into her life, and all of a sudden, she’d had not only a mate but a helping hand and a compass to direct her to all the small pleasures she had spent years missing. Red velvet dresses that fit her like a glove. Linzer cookies with their pops of tart raspberry jam. Mind-blowing, life-changing sex.
Okay, that last one wasn’t really asmallpleasure.
