Chapter 88

Ethan

“I’ll have dinner done by the time you get here,” Fiona says, her voice coming through the speakers in my car. It’s been two days since she came into my office and curled up in my lap, smelling of sadness and confusion.

She’d been quiet since then, but it wasn’t a negative quiet. I could almost feel her soaking up the bond between us, feeling it out and trying to figure out how our relationship would grow from here. We’ve spent the last two days working and getting the feel of living together while also keeping a bit of a distance between us.

I don’t want her to feel forced to do anything she’s not ready for, so I wait.

“Good, I’ll see you soon and—”

“Ethan, do not ignore me again,” my father’s voice stabs my mind. “We need to talk, and I am tired of waiting for you to get back to me. It is unacceptable that you’ve been ignoring me thus far.”

I growl and my wolf growls with me. I know what my father wants, and even though I don’t really feel like dealing with him, I know I must. Ignoring my problems has never been the path I’ve chosen, so I won’t do that now.

“I will video call you as soon as I get home,” I tell my father, gritting my teeth. I cut the link between us as he begins yelling orders. Sooner or later, he’s going to have to learn I’m not a child anymore. I make my own decisions.

Parking in my driveway, I take a breath, but before I can get out of the car, another voice fills my head.

“Alpha Montgomery. It has come to my attention that we need to talk,” Elder Johnson say through our pack link. I sigh and rake my hand through my hair, letting my head fall back.

“I will have a video call with my father in a few minutes. I’ll patch you in as well, and we can discuss your concerns during this call,” I say before cutting off the link with him as well. Neither my father nor the elder will be happy with me ending the link, but I need a moment to gather my thoughts and calm myself.

The only thing they could be upset about is Fiona, and if my father’s initial contact is anything to go by, he’s extremely displeased. If I’m going to deal with his disappointment and anger, I need to be prepared so I don’t tear him a new one.

And here I was looking forward to eating a nice, peaceful dinner with Fiona.

Shaking my head, I make my way inside. Hearing me come in, Fiona comes out of the kitchen with a dishrag in her hand.

“Hi, dinner is ready,” she says, smiling up at me. Her smile calms my wolf, who has been pacing since my mind linked me. Honestly, her smile offers me a bit of calm as well, reminding me what I need to fight for.

“Sorry, I have some work I need to finish. I’m not sure how late I’ll be, but I’ll come back down whenever I’m done.”

“Oh,” she mutters. “Okay, I’ll make a plate for you.”

The disappointment on her face kills me, and I mentally curse my father and Elder Johnson. Our relationship is now becoming more stable after being so fragile for what seems like forever, but they could mess everything up.

“Thanks, Fiona. I’ll be back down soon,” I tell her, kiss her forehead, and then turn toward my office. The sooner I get this call finished, the sooner I can come back downstairs and eat with Fiona.

“They better be quick about this. If I can’t spend time with my mate—”

“I know. We’ll finish this quick and get back to her,” I tell my wolf. He huffs in annoyance, circling and then laying down in my mind.

I try to block out the scent of her disappointment as I walk upstairs and to my office. My computer sits ready and waiting on my desk, and when I sit behind it, I sigh. With the press of a button, the computer comes alive.

Like it knows what I want, the video call icon blips onto the screen. I give it time to connect before clicking both my father and Elder Johnson’s names. The icon swirls, and soon, the angry face of my father and the straight face of Elder Johnson split the screen.

“Ethan Montgomery, I may not be the Alpha of our pack anymore, but I’ll be damned if you think you can take a human Luna!” His fury is clear in his tone and the red face, but his words set off a spark within me.

“That is my decision to make, father, and as you said, you are no longer the Alpha, so this decision is not yours to make,” I growl.

“Alpha, you cannot blame your father, or any of us, for having concerns about this discovery and the fact that you have told no one about this development,” Elder Johnson says, looking between me and my father on the screen.

I growl again, hating the anger and blame that fall solely on me. The reaction would have been the same whether I’d told them or not. My father would never see a human as worthy of the Luna title, and the elders would side with my father. After all, they’re more traditional than my generation, something I’ve been battling since I became Alpha.

“The news of your little human mate has spread through the West,” father snarls, throwing his arm out. “Everyone knows you have a weakness now, and she is a weakness, Ethan. Having a human mate is a vulnerability that you cannot afford to have right now.”

“She is not weak,” my wolf argues.

“She is not Lycan. To them, that is the same thing,” I tell him, fighting back the anger and disgust that swell within me.

When I don’t respond, Elder Johnson speaks up, “This could very well be the step that keeps you from winning the Lycan King election. I have already gotten several messages from council members. They wonder whether you are still a viable candidate for King.”

“Because I have a human mate?!”

“Yes, son. While it is required for you to have a mate to become King, a human mate is not acceptable,” my father demands. “You will never become King if you are mated to a human.”

“You don’t know that for certain. Fiona isn’t a weak human like you think,” I tell him, clenching my fists. “She’s been through so much more than you can imagine. Fiona is stronger than you think she is and—”

My father laughs, “No human can be strong enough to be a Luna, not to mention the Lycan Queen. She will never survive in our world.”

“As the council has mentioned, this is a risky situation. Having a human as a mate could at the very least stop your ascent to King, and at the worst, it could paint a target on your back for every Lycan out there to come for your pack,” Elder Johnson tells me as if it’s the most natural thing he’s ever said.

They don’t see the problem, but all I see is a problem. Fiona is my mate whether they like it or not.

“No son of mine will mate with a human,” my father snarls. “You should marry an Alpha female. There are several that are of marriageable age, like Angela, the Alpha daughter of the Midnight Pack. To salvage your reputation and keep your qualification to become the Lycan King, you will not marry a human.”