AllFreeNovel
Share Us
1
ETHAN
The hollow ache grows inside my chest the further I drive from Grey Ridge, the only home I’ve known. Leaving behind the closest thing to family I’ve had since I lost my parents as a teenager feels wrong; so wrong that I feel sick.
My wolf is restless, the pack is everything to him, my position as Cooper’s beta meant everything to us. Without it, I’m not sure who I am; which in itself is a serious problem since it’s a role I can’t seem to do right.
The leather steering wheel creaks as I adjust my grip and grit my teeth, staring out at the dark night. I need to do this, I remind myself, strengthening my resolve.
Leaving is the only way to help the pack, no matter how hard it might be. Isn’t that what a good beta does? Put the pack first, above themselves? The Jones’ might not appreciate it now, but this is my way of protecting them.
My slip-up allowed Leah to be kidnapped.
Rex explicitly asked me to watch out for her while he was out of town, but seeing how in love Rex and Cooper were with their own mates, I was desperate for my own happily ever after. I left Leah under the protection of two inexperienced wolves so I could meet Lucia for a date. I thought Leah would be fine but I was wrong. She nearly lost her life because of me, and I will never forgive myself for it.
Someone took her right out from under our noses. How broken Rex was when she was dragged, lifeless, from the water, is an image that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Thumping the steering wheel with a clenched fist, I swallow around the lump forming in my throat. The guilt is overwhelming. Although I helped save Leah in the end, it’s not enough; and, now, doing something, anything, to make up for my mistake is all I can think about. Leah told me I don't need to, but I can't accept her generosity, it makes me feel worse.
Proving myself worthy of their faith in me is the only way I can imagine ever taking my place as beta again.
I need to find who they are and make them pay.
It all started when Hayley thwarted Toby’s attempt to defraud our pack, and since then, the female mates of our pack’s leadership have been targeted.
Toby may be dead, but those who supported him are still out there, causing trouble. Maybe it’s the hired guns he brought in to help him as he sought revenge; or maybe it’s rogue members of the Anderson pack who still support their wannabe Alpha. That’s what I intend to find out.
My ringing phone breaks my train of thought and I force a smile, trying to sound cheerful as Lucia’s gentle voice fills the truck.
“Hey,” she whispers softly. “How are you doing?”
Lucia knows how hard this has been for me. Hearing the compassion in her voice, I can picture her sitting in her room, curled-up elegantly in her armchair with her brow furrowed in concern.
“I’m fine,” I lie. Sighing, I correct myself, “I will be fine.”
“It’s going to be okay, Ethan. Just relax and get here. Your wolf will settle in quickly, and I know the rest of the pack will love you.”
She doesn’t go so far as to say they'll love me as she does, but that’s okay. We’re not there yet.
Lucia was Toby’s mate. Even though she severed her end of the bond before he died, Toby never accepted her rejection, so his passing was still painful for her. She suffered both emotionally and physically. We’re taking things slow and, because my head is a mess and I'm focused on my quest to flush out the culprits behind the attacks, slow suits me just fine.
“I know,” I agree, although I don’t really know that at all. Maybe my wolf will hate it. He is stubborn and fiercely loyal to the Joneses. Maybe the Anderson pack will hate me because I’m from Grey Ridge, and they’ll blame me for the loss of Toby - even though he was the architect of his own downfall.
“Will you get here tonight?” I can hear the eagerness in her voice. She’s lonely in a pack that isn’t sure if she has what’s needed to take over from her much-loved father.
I’m not far outside the pack territory, but something stops me from immediately answering her question. Passing a sign for log cabin holiday rentals, I stop the car as an idea pops into my head. I hadn’t planned to leave Grey Ridge as quickly as I did. Maybe a night or two on my own, to gather my thoughts, will improve my mood and help me make a better first impression. Some time on my own to recharge my batteries might be just what I need.
“No, sorry. I have a couple of other things to tidy up before I get there.” It's not exactly untrue. I have some work I could do for the brewery. The least I can do after leaving so abruptly is stay on top of that.
“I miss you,” she says softly and my heart clenches. Am I being an ass for not going straight to her? Looking at the sign again, the appeal of time on my own to regroup is too strong to ignore.
“Me, too,” I reply. “I’ll be there late tomorrow, and I’ll take you out for dinner to make it up to you,” I offer.
“I can’t wait.”
There's a promise in her sultry voice as she hangs up. Normally, that would be enough for me to reconsider my choice, but for some reason, even the prospect of enjoying her beautiful body isn't enticing me. I turn the car around and follow the signs to the cabins, smiling for the first time since I left Grey Ridge. This is the right decision.
As the tree cover breaks, I see five quaint cabins set back in a semicircle, a small reception, and parking lot. It’s quiet, and it’s isolated. It’s absolutely perfect. The rustic and not at all fancy cabins each have a small porch out the front. Warm lights glow from behind the curtains of four cabins, but the last is in darkness. I might be in luck.
