Chapter 170

“Alright, I’ve had enough of dealing with History and Biology for the day,” Bonnie announced with a loud sigh.

She set her books aside and leaned over the table, giving me her complete attention. I lightly chuckled and finished up my final math problem for my homework. When I did all that I could get through, I closed up my notebooks and compiled them off to the side as well.

“So, tell me. What’s been going on that’s been causing your nervous system to spaz out?” she asked.

Knowing that I couldn’t actually tell Bonnie the legitimate reason why my anxiety had been so overwhelming, I had to opt for a different facet of my ever-insane life.

“I think part of the reason why I’ve been having such a hard time lately is because things have become rather complicated between Liam and me,” I admitted loosely.

It was a half-truth, sort of.

Part of me really did believe that things had become oddly strained between Liam and me ever since we found out that Arthur was my second mate. I knew he was trying to adapt to this new concept, but we hadn’t actually gotten a chance to all sit-down and talk things through.

Bonnie gave me a sympathetic look. “Complicated in what way?”

“Well, we haven’t had a lot of time to see each other because of our schedules being so different,” I claimed. “And well, then there’s...”

She tilted her head downward and narrowed her eyes. “Then there’s what?”

Goddamnit. It also occurred to me that no one other than Liam, Arthur, and my mother knew about the double bond. Was I taking a risk, trusting Bonnie with this sort of information?

This sort of thing couldn’t possibly remain a secret forever...And I really need someone to talk to.

The moment Liam and I made our transfer here, I felt like my whole life had become one compounded secret. First, my shifting, then my unknown identity as a Moon Wolf, my double mate bond, and then there were the ongoing attacks...

It never seemed to end and very few of these issues were getting resolved or, at the very least, dealt with.

I felt the sudden touch of Bonnie’s hand rest on my arm. “Ella, you know you can trust me,” she said softly. “Whatever is on your mind, you can tell me.”

Good God, I really was taking a risk here. I gave a slight nod and brought my voice to a low whisper.

“Alright, but you have to promise me that you won’t tell anyone this.”

“I promise.”

“Okay...Do you remember the day when I first shifted?” Bonnie nodded her head. “Well, when I shifted, my wolf went on to recognize Liam as my mate.”

“But that’s great! Isn’t it?” she asked with an expected look.

“I thought it was at first...However, my wolf went on to recognize Arthur the same way.”

I watched her brows draw together until an expression of realization slowly took over. She pressed herself back in her seat and glared at me with wide eyes.

“Ella!” she gasped. “Are you telling me what I think you’re telling me?”

I silently nodded my head.

“You mean that the two of them are you’re—”

“Yes.”

“But how? I mean, I’ve heard somewhat of such a phenomenon happening, but it’s not exactly a common thing,” she pointed out.

All I could do was shrug my shoulders and shake my head. “Just lucky I guess.”

“Well, now I can sort of see why you and Liam may be having some problems. I may not be super into sports but even I know that Liam and Arthur had never gotten along with each other.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and leaned my head back.

“The thing is, I didn’t like Arthur in the very beginning,” I admitted. “He was rude, arrogant and vicious. But for some reason, he kept appearing wherever I was and I started to see him in a different light.”

Bonnie’s eyes lit up and she immediately jumped onto her phone. She pulled up the media account and started scrolling through all the various photos my lovely stalker had taken of me.

“Was it before all those matches? At the Golden Fawn Hotel?” she asked.

“Yeah.” The corner of my mouth quirked upward. “Arthur kept finding ways to get hold of me. In his own backward way, he wanted to get to know me. Of course, at the time, I didn’t know that he and I were...”

“So your shifting was what made all of this come to light, essentially,” she remarked.

“Pretty much,” I noted. “And now, I’ve been battling with myself about my feelings for Arthur because I feel like they’re growing.”

Bonnie sensed the edge of hesitation in my voice. I was graced with a soft, understanding smile.

“But you’re stressing about what these newly found feelings will mean for you and Liam? Correct?”

I nodded and skunk back into my chair. “Liam and Arthur don’t exactly have the easiest past. I figured giving things time to properly adjust would be best. Liam has become a bit hard to read lately, though. I’ve been wanting to sit down with the two of them and try to really talk things out.”

“Well, why not now?” she suggested. “You mentioned before that the two of them went to speak to Mrs. Shields. They’ve got to be back by now.”

With Bonnie’s encouragement, I packed up my bag and headed back to the dorm. I felt thoroughly encouraged to reach out to Arthur and Liam which is why I really hoped the two of them were back from their ‘little chat’.

When I made it back to the dormitory, I figured I’d start by checking Arthur’s room to see if they were there. Once I knocked and heard nothing, I then moved up a floor to go and check Liam’s room.

As I approached the door, I heard a pair of familiar voices coming from the slight crack in Liam’s door. Arthur and Liam seemed to have been locked in an intense conversation, making me wonder how their meeting with Shields had gone.

However, from little I could make of their conversation, neither one of them was talking about Mrs. Shields.

“We need to tell her,” Liam hissed.

“I know, but how do you suppose we go about doing that?” Arthur tossed back.

“I don’t know. But what I do know is that the longer we keep her in the dark, the more at risk she is of finding out the truth from someone else.”

My brows pulled together in total confusion. What the hell were they talking about?

I cautiously moved closer to the door while still keeping myself out of sight. I knew I should have been lingering like this, but I was far too compelled to pull back.

What was this so-called ‘truth’? Was I the one they’d been keeping in the dark? But what about?

“Do you seriously think that someone like Aaron would reach out to Ella and make our family history known to her?”

“I don’t know what that bastard would do,” Liam snapped. “But it’s not just him I’m concerned about. It's the whole Winslow lot.”

“What? Are you saying that you don’t trust me around her?” Arthur’s tone turned menacing. “Someone knows that Ella is part of the Moon Wolf Pack.”

“Yes, and that someone could very well be in your family.”

Arthur scoffed. “Oh, please. The Winslows were the ones who slaughtered the Moon Wolf Pack out of existence decades ago. They’re the ones who believe the pack is utterly gone.”

I let out a gasp before I could stop myself.