Chapter 155

Jane I’m practically skipping as I move through the hospital’s crowded hallways, eager to get to Ethan and tell him our news. I haven’t seen him since he came out of surgery, and l’m also anxious to hear how everything went. They wouldn’t tell me anything beforehand, but legally married or not, l’m his mate. I’m sure they would have told me if his condition was serious.

The TV’s at the nurses stations are all playing the news on an endless loop. Headlines about King Aimon’s death were quickly followed by reports of Southern Islanders celebrating in the streets. It seems his own people hated him almost as much as we did. Details about his death indicate that Ethan and I were involved, but so far everyone is reporting that Eric is expected to take the throne. Part of me wonders if that will mean I have to say goodbye to Linda, but I’m so happy for them both.

I’m just so elated this ordeal is finally over. We’re all free to be with the ones we love at long last, to start fresh and forge new adventurers with our families – hopefully without any of the danger and terror this time. The future is wide open and so bright it’s actually blinding-I can’t see anything past this joy and hope.

I’m still grinning when I reach Ethan’s room, relieved when I find him sitting up in bed. “You’re awake!”l exclaim, crossing the room and stealing a quick k!ss before settling on the edge of the bed. “How are you feeling?”

Ethan’s eyes rake over my body, taking in every bruise and bandage with the avid attention of a worried mate. He doesn’t respond to me until he’s finished his perusal, but l’m surprised when he meets my smile with an expressionless mask. “I’m fine, but Jane we need to talk.

“I know, I have news.” l announce, feeling positively giddy. “Are the pups with Linda?” As eager as l am to see them, I don’t want to tell them about the baby just yet.

“They are” He confirms stonily.

His curt manner and cold features send a river of ice through my veins. “ls something wrong?”

“I’m going to book flights for you and the pups to return home in the morning” Ethan replies.

This doesn’t make any sense. I can’t believe that Ethan would let us travel without him after everything that just happened. “What about you? Do you need to stay behind to help Eric or something? We can stay with you.

“No, you don’t understand” Ethan states simply.

After you ve gathered your things from the penthouse, I’ll arrange transportation to take you back to the Dark Moon pack.”

“Gather my things?” I repeat, feeling certain he’s confused. “You mean from the Dark Moon pack, so that we can move in with you at the penthouse?”

“No” Ethan corrects, “I meant what l said the first time.

Frowning, I reach out to feel his forehead. “Are you still drugged from the surgery?”

Ethan intercepts my hand before I can lay a finger on him. No, Jane. I’m perfectly lucid.”

Then… what are you talking about?” l inquire, feeling the room begin to spin.

“This thing between us – it isn’t working, Jane.”

Ethan declares, positively glaring at me.

“What?” I squeak, “Ethan, I don’t understand.”

“You disobeyed me” Ethan growls, his eyes glowing with his wolf. “I told you to run with the pups, and instead you fought. You promised me you’d leave me behind, and you didn’t. It made it abundantly clear that I can’t rely on you when it matters most.”

“Ethan we were surrounded, what was I supposed to do?” I exclaim jumping up from the bed. “Why are you being like this?”

“You were never fit to be Luna.” Ethan snaps, looking truly furious now. “I knew it before but I let myself be fooled by my wolf. But I see now it was always a lost cause. We don’t belong together, Jane.”

I feel sick. This can’t be happening. I’m still half convinced that he’s hit his head and lost his memory, but he’s not acting concussed. He seems perfectly in control. “You can’t be serious! I protest, “you’ve been after me from the moment I came back into town, you kept saying how much you wanted us to be together, how much you loved me. Why are you saying these things?”

“Yes I was interested in you when you came back to town,” Ethan confirms, “but everything since then has been a test to see if you can make up for the crimes you committed when you faked your death –

and you failed.

My knees feel wobbly all of a sudden, and I sink into the chair in the corner. “What about the pups? You can’t honestly want to live so far from them?”

“You can have the pups.” Ethan snarls, “At this stage it would be better if I started over with someone new, the pups already have so much of your defiance, I doubt they’ll ever grow out of it.”

That was the last straw. I might believe Ethan doesn’t truly want me, but there’s no way he’d ever give up the pups. He loves them more than anything. “Stop it now. What’s going on, Ethan?”

“I’ve told you, I tested you and you failed” He rumbles. “l won’t take the pups from you, but I can’t have you in my life any longer. If that means losing them to- do be it.”

“No, I’m not stupid, you’re not telling me something.” I insist, tears burning in my eyes. “Why are you just sitting there like that? Why are you being so cruel?”

“Don’t speak to me that way.” Ethan thunders, lashing his power out at me until I feel the urge to bow down before him.”Be thankful for the pups. They’re the only reason l’m letting you go, rather than making you my plaything again.”

“What?”I hiccup, “You can’t mean – “If l had my way you would be chained to my headboard and never released.” He cuts fiercely, “lf you don’t do as you’re told and leave now, I might be tempted to change my mind and do just that.”

“You promised!” I whimper, hating how pathetic I am. “You promised you wouldn’t hurt me again, that you’d take care of me and we’d be a united front.”

“I lied” Ethan hisses. “I wanted to give you a taste of your own medicine. Now you know how it feels.

You stole years of my life with your lies, saddling me with a sick pup and leaving me to raise her alone while you galavanted around the Dark Moon pack. Did you really think l’d let you get away with that?

That I would ever allow a worthless omega to show me up that way?

I’m shaking my head, holding my hand over my mouth to hold in my sobs. “Ethan, please stop this.

Please, tell me “

“I’ve said all l’m going to say.” Ethan commands. “

Now get out!”

I don’t need to be told twice. I run from the room with tears streaming down my face, not understanding I’ve been how everything went so wrong so quickly.

Such an ij***t! All this time I believed Ethan’s act, and all this time he was just testing me, trying to exact his revenge by making me fall for him just so he could smash my heart to pieces as punishment.

I suppose he went through with rescuing the pups out of some delayed sense of duty, but the Ethan I know would never abandon his children for anything in the world. But it was all an act. He was pretending to be the man of my dreams to make a bigger fool of me, and he didn’t give a damn if the pups were harmed in the process.

A worthless omega.

That’s all l’ve ever been to him, how could I ever have believed otherwise? I should have trusted my instincts and protected myself better. I knew it was a mistake to let him back in my life, why didn’t I listen to my better judgment. Am I really that desperate for affection?

I find Linda and the pups in the cafeteria, and I barely manage to dry my tears before I walk in. I have in a few deep breaths, wondering what on earth l’m going to tell them. I can’t admit to them that Ethan is abandoning them, I can’t let them know he doesn’t want them.

For their sake l have to take the blame for this. I’ll tell them we’re going back to the Dark Moon pack just like l always planned. That was still the arrangement before they were kidnapped – they don’t know about everything that happened since. They don’t know everything changed while we were separated.

And I’m not going to let them find out. I ll take them back to the home I made after I left Ethan, and we’ll start over again.

I survived Ethan one, and ‘m determined to survive him again. He’ll never know about the new baby and I’ll never trust any man ever again.

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