Page 27 of Family: Posy 4

We watched as Oak cautiously crept up to her and let her cup his snout in her hands as she stared into his eyes. Tears coursed down her cheeks and Oak shivered, his fur sticking up like he'd been rubbed backwards with a balloon.

Yes,he confirmed what we all knew.

Congratulations, dude,I grinned.You found your true mate.

#

Standing on the sidewalk in front of the hibachi restaurant, I looked up North Broad Street and then down it.

No sign of Wyatt or our girl.

With a sigh, I glanced at my watch. One thirty-seven.

Where is he?Quartz snarled.

Calm down, I told him.Anger is clouding your mind. Something probably held him up.

He's deliberately late and you know it! He wouldn't dare do this if it were Mase or Cole standing here waiting, but he knowsyou'lllet him get away with it!

Leaning one shoulder against the wall, I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead with one hand. Ever since Posy put him in his place at the training center, Quartz had been in a rage. Not at our girl, of course, but at himself - and that made it twice as hard to calm him down and keep him calm.

Yes,Larkwas his mate, but Posy was to him what her wolf was to us: A pure and platonic love that had its own strong and vital bond. Doubly so since Posy had marked us as hers. None of us would survive losing Lark just as none of our wolves would survive losing Posy.

And knowing he'd hurt Posy cut Quartz as deeply as it did us to realize we'd been hurting Lark when we thought we were helping her.

Needless to say, I'd had a headache for the past two days.

Maybe he's teasing us,I told him with patience that was fraying fast.He'd tease Ash like this, too.

Yeah, but not for nearly forty minutes! He wouldn't push it more than ten or fifteen because he knows Ash would pound him into the ground. You, on the other hand, won't say a word. Don't you understand that only encourages him?

Quartz—

And why won't he link with you? Gran's been a riot of giggles all morning. I can't get a clear answer out of him for anything, but Wyatt should at least be answering you! What if there was an emergency? He's irresponsible—

Don't be mean. You're assuming a lot—

Jay!Wyatt linked me out of the blue.Sorry, man! I lost track of time. We're almost there, I swear. Wait for us, okay?

Okay, was all I linked back.

Minutes later, a familiar black Jag raced up the street and skidded into a parking stop, and Wyatt jumped out. Hustling around to Posy's side, he opened her door and scooped her up in his arms, then ran toward me with her clinging to him like a koala and giggling so hard that her cheeks were red.

"Dude, I amsosorry!" He thudded to a stop right in front of me and looked me in the eyes. "I took her to meet Dad, then she shifted to let me play with Lark for a bit. I didn't realize it was so late until we got in the car again."

"So you didn't eat yet?" I looked at Posy. She was the one who couldn't afford to miss meals, not Wyatt.

"Missed breakfast, too," Wyatt muttered as he put Posy down. "Damn, I screwed this up. Cutie, you must be starved. Jay, take her in and get her something to eat."

As soon as Wyatt set her on her feet, our girl wrapped her arms around my waist and squeezed me, and I hugged her back. Nuzzling my face in her neck, I took a huge inhale of her delicious scent and let it soothe both me and Quartz.

"Butyouwanted to experience the hibachi with her," I murmured to Wyatt.

"Naw, it's good, man. I'll take her another time." He patted my shoulder. "I've already taken too much from your date."

You heard him,Quartz rumbled instead of snarled, calmer now that our mate was here.Take her into the restaurant and send him home.

I looked in Wyatt's eyes and saw only happiness and peace in those silvery blue depths. He'd told us he was planning to tell Posy about going wolfy and when and why it first happened; he obviously did and it was like a burden had been lifted from his heart.

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