Chapter 48
Ethan
Her lips slam onto mine, tasting of strawberries and cream.
She snakes her arms around my neck, arching into me, and I nearly come undone.
For a few seconds, there’s nothing but Fiona as our lips move together. Her touch. Her scent. Her taste,
Everything about her sends a sense of calm over me, placating my anger and sending my wolf into a dizzying spiral of happiness. He howls in my mind, happy that Fiona is initiating contact with us.
Soon, she pulls back, breathing heavily. The little breaths of air puff against my face as we stare at each other,
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“Din okay, Ethan,” she whispers, but all I can focus on is her lips. Red and swollen from the kiss, and I want nothing more than to lean in and take her lips again.
“I’m sorry.” I tell her again and watch as her head tilts to the side a bit. She watches me, and I watch her, neither of us moving
This wasn’t supposed to be a stressful night for her, Fiona was supposed to have a nice night where she could unwind and watch me play soccer. Tonight was supposed to be exciting and fun, not scary and worrying. I wanted to give her that after everything that’s happened lately.
She’s had to face so much while entering the company and while dealing with her idiot husband that I thought tonight would be different.
And it’s all my fault.
“No,” my wolf growls, “Mate doesn’t blame us.”
“I know,” I mutter back to him. “But she should blame us. Regina wouldn’t have hurt her if it wasn’t for me.”
It was still my fault, though. I should have double checked that there wouldn’t be any problems for her when she came, bit it had slipped my mind. I was too focused on other things that Regina hadn’t crossed my mind.
Then, as I was getting ready, I scented Fiona’s panic and fear. It hit me like a truck and almost knocked me to my knees when I first scented it. She was supposed to be with Ryan, but when Ryan mind linked me to tell me he didn’t know where Fiona was, I went wild.
I ran out of the locker room, my mind full of all sorts of horrible images.
Then, seeing her being held against that guard sent me into a rage. Her distress and the whimper of fear had me moving before I could stop myself. All I knew was that she was in danger, and I had to help her.
I’d never felt anger like that, but when I saw the mark on her neck in the shape of his fingers, red covered my vision. I wanted to hunt the guard down and tear him to shreds, and my wolf fully backed me in the imaginary scenario.
The fact that he’d dared to put his hands on Fiona made my blood boil.
Until she kissed me.
Then she was all that mattered.
“Ethan?”
My attention snaps back to Fiona as she stares up at me with wide eyes.
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“Yes?”
“You’re… um, you’re growling” she mutters confusedly. I glance down at my chest where her hand rests. Damn. I didn’t mean to let my anger get the best of me. I wasn’t planning to tell her about my wolf and my world, so I pull the anger back.
I’ll deal with her attackers later.
Clearing my throat, 1 drop my hands to her thighs and gently squeeze, my eyes settling on her red cheek again.
Before I can say anything, she kisses me again, her lips only on mine briefly, but it’s enough to bring my attention to her.
“What happened the last two nights? Your ex said you were together, but I want to hear from you what you were doing” Fiona says quietly.
The silence hanging around us is loud, grating on my nerves,
“I was not with Regina,” I tell her firmly. When she nods for me to continue, I do. “During, my off time, I’ve been talking with a company in the west, near my hometown, to raise money to build orphanages and homes for low–income families. Likel said, my fling with Regina ended a year ago, and I erased every trace of her from my life when we ended things”
And it was still not enough, it seems. She still found a way to worm her way into my life.
“Are there a lot of children without families in the West?” She asks, her eyebrows pulling together in concern.
I shake my head.
“It’s hard to explain and more than I can get into right now, but there have been more children popping up recently without parents,” I tell her. My wolf growls in my head, and I agree with him. Wolves are usually protective of their pups, so homeless children are a big issue for two reasons.
One, they can’t wander on their own for long or they’ll become omegas, and two, because their parents are not following pack law. If for some reason a wolf can’t provide for its family, it’s supposed to go to the Alpha for help.
If people are not going to their Alpha, then there’s a problem. They either don’t trust their leaders or something else is going
- on.
In my pack alone, there have been two children that were surrendered, but in other packs, children have wandered up to the pack house on their own with stories of their parents leaving them in the forest alone and not returning.
“That’s so sad,” Fiona mumbles, biting her bottom lip. I nod. It’s one of the many issues I want to solve as Lycan King.
“There are also families who have been displaced who need homes, so I’m working with a company to create homes for these people as well as adding on medical wings to both properties,” I explain. Or at least I would be if the company would
cooperate.
“Is there anything I can do to help? I don’t have much and I know I’m not as powerful as you, but I’d like to be here for you like you’re here for me,” Fiona says, looking up at me. Her eyes search my face, and I’m not entirely sure what she’ll find if she keeps looking closer.
Her concern pierces my chest, as does the peaceful scent coming from her. The bitter scent of anxiety has dispersed in the air, leaving only the sweet scent of Fiona.
“No. I’m still discussing the terms of the partnership, but it’s taking longer than I expected,” I admit. The other side is taking their sweet time looking over my terms and submitting their own. Honestly, it feels like they’re holding back. I wish they would just tell me what they want and get it over with.
“I’m sorry, Ethan,” Fiona says, wrapping her arms around me again and pulling me into a hug. I let her soft scent wrap around me and allow my worries to fall aside for a moment.
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Her support cases something in my chest that had been tight and uncomfortable for the last few days.
“Our mate would be a good Luna,” my wolf says, “She cares and wants to help”
“I can’t think about that right now. She might not even accept what we are, I grow that Ma
He huff’s and circles in my mind before laying down. “She will.”
You don’t know that. She’s human. She knows nothing of pack culture or our
“But if she loves us, she will accept us,” he replies, and I stop.
If she loves us.
After everything we’ve been through, he still thinks about taking a mate.
“She doesn’t love us,” I tell him then abruptly cut off our conversation.
I
“Well, if there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know, Ethan. It breaks my heart to think about children without a home,” Fiona whispers while watching me with big, concerned eyes.
I nearly sink to my knees at the sight of her sitting there, offering her help like an angel.
That’s it.
I need to get out of here or this soccer game may not happen.
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