An Unexpected Mate

Chapter 20 - Confrontations

Life is never as easy as it should be. Although the last month had been great and Lily felt that her and Brax were really developing a strong relationship, there were still so many questions and uncertainties. One of the biggest was how her family fit into supernatural pack life? They had started going over to the pack lands on the weekends. Her kids loved being able to play outside and Braxton's house/headquarters had more than enough space for all of them. 

It was pretty idyllic for Lily since the pack had group meals and there were many people more than willing to help out with the kids. She felt like she was becoming part of the community. Lucas's youngest had taken Cameron on as his new best friend, while his wife had been helping Lily understand things around the place. Kristy was a very petite blonde, which contrasted a lot with Lucas, who could be Braxton's brother with their similar coloring and build.

Lily had also met the Gammas, Henry and Stephanie, who focused on helping Braxton with pack logistics. They were a mated pair in their 50s that loved to take the twins around the pack grounds. They did not have any grandchildren of their own yet, so they enjoyed playing grandparents to hers. The twins loved having such attention.

While her kids were getting to know the pack, Lily was also learning. She was learning about pack life, but also what it meant to be in a relationship all over again. The pack was like a really close-knit extended family that looked out for each other and worked as a unit in many ways, from helping raise the next generation, to working and developing various businesses on both sides of the mountain range. Lily had not realized how many businesses that she regularly went to were actually connected to a werewolf community in the mountains.

Along with pack life and organization, Lily was also trying to figure out how to be in a relationship, a new one that didn't have set roles and obligations. She could see a variety of differences between how Braxton and Steve approached things. Whereas Steve had expected her to be constantly on call to his needs and on show, Braxton took her as she was. Brax seemed more aware of her needs, whether she just wanted to be alone or could use a cuddle. As they continued to learn more about each other, Braxton had noted that she was prone to depression and anxiety, linking it into her early life without Lily having to really discuss it that much. Lily also felt more aware of Braxton than she had with Steve, although she wasn't sure if it was due to the newness of their relationship. She also remembered feeling alive when her and Steve had met in college. Maybe they had just grown apart. Would that also happen with her and Brax?

Lily had been sitting in Braxton's large kitchen, drinking coffee. There was a lovely breakfast nook where she could look out onto her kids playing in the snow with Stephanie and three of Kristy and Lucas's four kids. There had been a fresh dusting last night, so it required quickly getting outside to enjoy. Whereas her kids were wrapped in multiple layers of snow gear, the werewolves had on just jackets and gloves. Lily laughed a bit at the picture, continuing to smile as she saw the happy faces continuing to play outside. The past month had also done a lot for her children's emotional needs.

"What has you smiling this morning?"

Lily turned to see Braxton strolling into the room. He had been in his office 'dealing with some pack issues.' It was Saturday and he was wearing some dark navy blue jeans, a black sweater fitted to his broad shoulders, and some brown slippers since they hadn't made it out of the house yet. Brax was refilling his coffee mug, then moving towards the nook, as he waited for her to answer.

Lily realized she was staring. "How happy the kids are in the snow this morning. We never get this much down in the valley, so they love every minute of it. Plus, your pack has been so welcoming to us, especially my kids."

Braxton joined her on the bench where she was sitting, moving close enough to cuddle her into his side as he sipped at his coffee.

"They are easy to love. Such wonderful personalities and so open to everything. Rose saw a couple kids shifting last night after you arrived and didn't even question it. She actually asked if she could become a puppy too?" Braxton started laughing at the memory, but Lily became a bit worried. They had decided not to mention the whole werewolf thing to the kids, since Lily wasn't sure if they would know not to tell everyone back in town about what they might see.