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“Obviously he’s not supposed to tell me where they go or what she does, but sometimes, well… he mentions harmless stuff.” Liv flushes guiltily, obviously uncomfortable gossiping about her new pack leader, but I’m all ears. “He had never seen Ethan until he showed up here a couple days ago, which I suppose would make sense if she was hiding their, erm…” she clears her throat, “...relationship. The Grey Ridge pack isn’t liked here, after all. Will thought she had a lover closer to home. He found receipts when he cleaned out the car, from different hotels and restaurants… never too far away, always just for two. Nice places.”
Letting that information sink in, I pull our hands into my lap and turn to face her, gently probing for more information. “Why are you telling me this?”
My role has taught me to question everything.
“Because a wolf who’s madly in love with someone else, wouldn’t sit outside your window for hours, then slink back to the packhouse in dirty clothes from Will's spare stash.”
“Whatever is going on with Ethan and Lucia, they’re not serious.” The words come out slowly, as I finally understand what she’s hinting at. Is it possible that Ethan isn’t the only one pretending? Could Lucia be using him just to mend bridges with Grey Ridge and repair the pack’s reputation within the region?
“Fight for it, Belle. He’s yours, not hers. And if she’s playing some kind of game with him… just don’t make any rash decisions.” Patting my shoulder, she leaves me to think about what I’m going to do.
My thoughts are spinning with endless possibilities, and only one thing is for sure: I’m going to figure it out, but not by hiding in Liv’s bungalow. There’s no way I can stay in the packhouse and watch Ethan with her, but I want to find out what’s going on.
Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I make my way to the door. Will offers me coffee, but I decline. I need to get out of here before Ethan comes back, or I lose my nerve. Both are strong possibilities.
“Thanks for having my back, Will.”
“Always,” he laughs, handing me a banana and a bottle of water to take on the road, “but I nearly ran when he growled at me.” Dashing in front of me, he opens the door before I get there.
“I’m glad Liv has you. This place is…” I’m not sure how to describe the way this pack makes me feel, “...it just feels off.” No pack is perfect, but the energy in this place is all wrong. I shake my head, “It wasn’t like this the last time I was here.”
I helped Liv move here when she and Will were first mated, and I remember how happy I was for her. If it had felt like it did today, I’m not sure I would have let her take her stuff out of the car.
“It’s not what it used to be. Lots of people are hoping Lucia will be able to bring it back.” Will’s expression tells me he’s not convinced that’s possible, but also feels like he has to trot the party line.
“You don’t think so, do you?”
Twisting his lips as he considers his answer carefully, he sighs. “There shouldn’t be so many secrets. It makes me uneasy.”
Nodding, I give him a quick hug, and I’m pulled away by Liv, who nearly breaks my ribs for the second time in as many days. When she finally lets me go, I look between them, my tone serious. “I’m asking for one more secret. Don’t tell anyone Ethan was here, okay? I’ll be back soon to figure all this out.”.
And I will. I don’t have to tell Liv that was a promise.
“You’re not going to say goodbye to him? Or even tell him you’re leaving?” Liv looks toward the packhouse. "He stayed out there most of the night."
Snarling in the distance and the muffled sounds of kicks and punches landing on boxing pads tells me fight training has started. My wolf can sense that Ethan is there, but the petty side of me wants him to worry. Like I’ll be doing every second I know he’s with her.
“No. It’d be too hard.”
If I saw him again, I'm not sure I'd be able to leave.
"He's not staying with her, you know; he has his own room. At least tell him where you're going." Will, ever the peacemaker, is tempting me to stay and work this out. I can’t; it’ll break me to see them together.
Instead of softening, I harden myself against the desire to seek Ethan and beg him to abandon his quest. This is something he needs to do.
"He’ll figure it out soon enough." Shoving my phone in my pocket, I hide my red eyes behind sunglasses and pretend I’m ready to put him behind me, at least for now.
17
ETHAN
“Alpha Anderson wasn’t well enough for a visit, but Lucia said we can see him this morning.” Joseph is kindly pretending someone decided not to visit Alpha Anderson yesterday. He hasn’t mentioned how, in reality, I went AWOL
“Sorry about that,” I try to clear the unspoken questions hanging in the air; “my wolf wouldn’t settle, so I had to let him out.”
Joseph nods as he falls into step beside me, understanding as ever. “I can imagine. You’re surrounded by a pack of wolves you don’t belong to yet; and who don’t particularly love you, to be blunt. Maybe by the alpha’s conference you’ll have joined us? It might look odd if you accompany Lucia, but still belong to Grey Ridge.”
We’re following a track from the packhouse to a fenced-off training area at the side of the property, complete with the showers I made use of last night.
