Chapter 178

Fiona

“This is it?” I whisper, looking around. The house is simple and quaint, almost like a cottage, and secluded here on the edge of the forest. It looks far away from anything else we passed, which we did in a single car with no one following us or greeting us. Honestly, I think Ryan didn’t even contact anyone to let them know he was coming today.

He was completely serious about going under the radar once we landed.

If it leads to less trouble, I’m fine with it.

“Yes. Mr. and Mrs. Denton live here. Mr. Denton requested that we find them a plot of land that was quiet and out of the way, since not everyone accepted his mate,” Ryan says as he parks in front of the house.

A couple walks out of the front door while I climb out of the car. They’re older, probably in their mid-forties or early fifties, and they’re smiling. The woman waves, and I can’t tell if she’s waving at me or at Ryan, but when I look back, I realize it’s me because Ryan is digging for my bags in the trunk.

I wave back, feeling slightly nervous. My stomach jumbles for many reasons, one of them being that this is the woman who Zev loves like a mother. Ethan said she was always kinder to him than his own mother, so I know she won’t be rude, but still can’t stop my doubt from creeping in.

What if she doesn’t like me?

Ethan always seemed to think she would, but now, with her not even fifteen feet away, I can’t stop worrying.

“Are you coming?” Ryan asks, breaking me out of my thoughts. He somehow got in front of me and is now looking back, waving me on.

Quickly, I hurry to catch up and follow him to the front door where the Dentons are waiting.

“Fiona, it’s so nice to meet you,” Mrs. Denton coos, throwing her arms around me as soon as I’m within reach.

“Um, y-you too, Mrs. Denton,” I murmur, patting her back. I don’t know what to do, so I look at Ryan. He’s no help because all he does is smile and shake hands with Mr. Denton.

“Oh, hush. Call me Marie, and this is Callen,” she says with a smile and a wave in her husband’s direction. He smiles and nods at me. “Now, let’s get you inside. I’m sure you’re tired from traveling.”

We all follow her inside and Ryan disappears with my suitcase. I stand awkwardly in the middle of the living room, unsure of what to do. I’ve always found it weird when I enter someone else’s house when I don’t know them, and this is no different.

“Take a seat, please. I have so much to talk to you about,” Mrs. Denton, Marie, says and guides me to the couch. I let her sit me down and wait quietly as she sits next to me. “Ryan, dear, you don’t have to stick around. We’ll make sure she’s alright while you go take care of the pack.”

Glancing back, I find Ryan standing behind us again. I don’t really want him to leave, but I know he needs to. He has important work to do to make sure the pack is alright, and even though I feel hesitant, I don’t feel like I’ll be in danger or uncomfortable here.

As if he could read my mind, Ryan turns to me, waiting.

“I’m fine. Just come back as soon as you can so I can see him,” I say.

“Of course. I’ll come get you tonight, once the coast is clear. In the meantime, get some rest.”

“I will. Don’t worry about me,” I say, putting as much confidence in my tone as I can. I smile and he studies me, then after a minute, he nods and turns to the door. Mr. Denton walks with him, to see him out.

Honestly, I know that if Ryan didn’t think I was okay, he wouldn’t leave me here. He’d let me know that while we were on the plane. Ryan made it clear that he wants me safe and comfortable while I’m here, and I promised him that I would let him know if I wasn’t.

“Are you alright, hon?” Marie asks. “You look a little pale. Do you need any medicine or food?”

Shaking my head, I lean back into the soft sofa cushions and sigh, “No. I’ve just been nauseous lately. I’m okay.”

She nods slowly, then quickly as she starts to understand.

“Well, this will be exciting, but before you can deal with that, I would like to talk to you about living here… if you’re up for it, that is,” she says, watching me warily. I probably do look sick to her, especially since I haven’t had a chance to clean myself up. “There will be certain difficulties, as I’m sure you’ve been told.”

I nod, knowing where she’s going with this. This could also be my chance to learn about the pack from another perspective, one that will be much more like mine than anything else. Ethan, Ryan, and Sophie have told me plenty about the pack dynamics, but it’ll be nice to hear about it from another human.

“How did you deal with the hate and rejection?”

I’ve wanted to ask her this question ever since Ethan first told me about her. I knew we’d probably be similar, or at least I hoped we would be.

“I trusted my mate and let no one else’s opinions about who or what I am bother me. There’s so much more to this world than the opinions of ignorant, closed-minded people, and yes, it’s difficult not to hear what they say. It’s even more difficult to stop yourself from feeling the disappointment and sorrow from the awful words that are aimed at you, but my best advice would be to think of the positive things, the good times, and how much your mate means to you,” she tells me, taking my hand in hers.

Her touch is soft and motherly, like she’s trying to make me feel the sincerity behind her words with the gentle squeeze.

“It’s probably not what you want to hear, but I’m going to say it anyway. You will face hard times as Ethan’s mate, but trust me that in the end, it’ll be worth it. The people around here will eventually find out how amazing you stay true to yourself and be the kind, thoughtful, compassionate, and hardworking woman Ethan has told me you are.”

He’d told her all of that? How many times have they talked about me?

“He really loves you, you know.”

“He said that?” My heart hammers in anticipation at her next words, but it drops when she shakes her head.

“No, but I can see it in his eyes. That boy,” she chuckles and shakes her head. “He couldn’t hide his emotions when he talked about you. He’s always been that way when he talks about something he cares about. When he was twelve, Ethan came running here with a bunny he’d caught in the forest.”

Confusion and a hint of annoyance fills me. Does she see me as a pet Ethan is bringing home?

“Don’t get me wrong,” Marie says, making me look up again. “What I’m trying to get at is that Ethan was so excited, even though he tried to hide it. I could read every emotion on his face; the worry, the fear, the love, and the acceptance that he felt for that little animal was clearer than anything I’d ever seen from him. He couldn’t take the animal to his own home because his parents would never let him keep it, so he brought it here.”

“And this is how you know he loves me,” I whisper.

“Yes. He cares about you more than anything in the past, so let his love be the thing that keeps you grounded and keeps you from feeling too upset about anything else that happens.”