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"Lily’s fa with Clive?"

"Everyone except for Tess Before I ainst shifters It’s not that They’re just intolerant of everyone and everything outside of their little world" It was pathetic really

"After everything you told ed you as part of her family"

"She came to see me the day after I moved in with Tess We sort of just stared at each other in silence for a ine how horrified she was by on ht out if I worshipped Satan" And she’d been totally serious

His mouth curved "You said yes, didn’t you?"

"Of course Then she laughed I think she probably accepted me just to piss off Lily"

"Or maybe she respected that you couldn’t be intied by April and being approved of by her were two different things But the only approval I sought was that of Tess, and I told April that Still, when I started to do well at school and learned to play the violin, April forh Of course, I was treated as human and expected to behave as one"

"And you did," he said, without judgment

"Sort of ITess’s land But I didn’t share any shifter-related things with anyone other than Tess because I didn’t want their bullshit to touchthat It was yet another exa it They stopped at a red light, and he said, "Pro"

"No"

His mouth curved "Promise me you won’t ever do with me what you did with Tess; you won’t try to be falsely perfect out of an understandable fear of being rejected"

"I won’t It was tiring And I found being "

A few hours later, they were back at Mercury Pack territory Most of the pack was in the living area of theon the sofa "I don’t knohere they get all their energy fro," said Harley

Jesse held out the bear "Cassidy, this is--"

With a bea smile, Cassidy took the stuffed bear "I love it! Tell Tess I said thanks!"