Chapter 123

Fiona

Hand in hand, Ethan and I exit the airport. A sort of sadness settles over me that our trip is over, and I can’t help but wonder if things will change now that we’re home. Yes, I agreed to move back in with Ethan. Yes, I’m sure we’ll keep having sex.

But what if things take a turn for the worse as we return to reality?

There’s so much going on at Ethan’s end of the relationship that I don’t know how to help him or if I even can. I want to ask, but I don’t know how I could help. I don’t know anything about Lycan law or culture other than what he’s told me, so the only thing I can think of is to stay at his side.

I squeeze Ethan’s hand, making a silent promise to do just that.

“There’s Ryan!” I point at the entrance where Ryan stands alone waiting for us. I wave, but he doesn’t wave back. Instead, he frowns and even though I can’t hear the sigh, I notice his shoulders rise and fall.

“Uh oh,” I mutter.

Ethan glances at me, smiles, and squeezes my hand back to offer comfort.

“Welcome back,” Ryan says when we approach. He takes my bag from me, not letting me protest to the help.

“Thanks, Ryan,” Ethan says, following him out. We make it through the front doors before Ethan asks, “What’s wrong?” I guess he can sense something is wrong with Ryan also.

“I wish I could tell you that you’re coming home to good news, but there have been a few problems popping up since our last conversation,” Ryan admits, and I look between the two of them. Had they talked while we were on the island? I don’t remember seeing Ethan on the phone other than when he talked to his father.

Ethan sighs and nods, like he was expecting the news. I quietly follow both men to the car, waiting beside Ethan as he lifts our bags into the trunk.

“Is my father causing trouble?” Ethan asks. I keep my hand firmly circled around his as the sensitive topic is broached. I haven’t brought up his parents since we had our conversations earlier in the week, and I didn’t want to. I wanted to give him the time without all our problems while we could have it.

For good reason, too, apparently.

We haven’t even been back for ten minutes and there’s already trouble.

“It’s not only your father,” Ryan says once we’re in the car. Ethan’s head snaps up right with mine.

“There are more problems?”

“One thing at a time.”

Mine and Ethan’s statements make Ryan stare at us for a moment, but he focuses on Ethan’s words.

“Yes, your father is causing trouble. He’s been spreading word around not only our pack but through the entire West that you’ve been seduced by a human who is set on causing a rift between our pack and the Midnight Pack,” Ryan explains, and I scoff. Though, my scoff is covered up by Ethan’s growl.

“Why would he do that?” I ask, confused. Wouldn’t he want to keep any family problems on the down low so everyone doesn’t find out? That’s what I would want, but I guess it could be different with them.

“Because he wants the council or someone higher up to come forward in his defense,” Ethan answers me. “He’s purposefully stirring up trouble so I will be inconvenienced. He thinks I will still back down and accept the marriage if enough of the elders or council come to me.”

Ryan nods in agreement, turning out onto the road. I hate that Ethan’s family is so against him marrying who he chooses. The way they don’t support him, when he was a kid or now, makes the quiet anger in me rise up into a flame of fury in my chest.

If I didn’t think it would cause more problems, I’d go find them and give them a piece of my mind. That would have the opposite result to what we’re trying to do.

Like he can sense what I’m thinking, Ethan places a hand on my thigh, rubbing gentle circles on my exposed thigh. The touch soothes the burning fire almost immediately, helping my body relax; however, it does nothing to stop my mind from running.

“I’ll take care of my parents, so you don’t need to worry about it. They may not agree with our mating, but they can’t stop it or force me to choose differently,” Ethan announces, his response for me and Ryan. “The council and elders will get over the accusations once I explain, so we can save that for another day. What are the other issues you mentioned?”

Ryan cringes, and I almost cringe with him, wondering just how bad this other news is. We were only gone one week. How much trouble could a well-maintained business encounter during that short period of time?

Clearly, more than enough if Ryan’s troubled expression is anything to go by.

“There have been some complications popping up at the law firm, and some that happened before you left that we didn’t know about. I was contacted by one of the partners two days ago,” Ryan says, looking at Ethan through the rearview mirror. I glance at Ethan, but he looks just as calm as he always does.

The whole time, his hand doesn’t move from my thigh. Little shivers run up and down my spine with each brush of his thumb against my inner thigh, but I try my best to ignore it and pay attention to the conversation.

I don’t know anything about running a company, but I’m here for Ethan, so I will try to mimic his calmness while listening.

He merely nods, and Ryan continues, “The partners have been having problems lately that they didn’t want to report because they thought they could work through the situation.”

“As they should,” Ethan says.

Ryan inhales then exhales deeply, his eyes finding mine briefly which is odd. Why would he look at me?

I briefly wonder if it’s something he doesn’t want to say with me sitting here, but before I can ask, he keeps speaking.

“Instead of fixing the situation, it got worse. The partners are at odds due to miscommunication, absences of a particular worker, and frequent mistakes from the same employee. He—”

“Every man I hired to take partner positions in the firm are upstanding, exceptional, and hard-working men, so which employee is causing problems?” Ethan asks, his teeth grinding so hard I hear them. On the outside, he may look cool and collected, but inside, he’s clearly angry.

This shouldn’t be what he has to deal with as soon as he gets back home. He hasn’t owned the law firm long, from what I remember, but I also don’t remember there every being internal issues from what Jack always told me.

Then again, Jack is an unreliable narrator.

“Ryan, who is it?”

“Jack Aldridge.”