Claire P. O. V
A hard slap hit my left cheek, and it stung like crazy. It was burning and hurt a lot. On top of that, I was bombarded with a torrent of curses and insults. Lucy completely embarrassed me in front of everyone who had come to get me in the middle of the woods, acting like I was some criminal who had just wrecked a Pack.
Meanwhile, everyone, including Ethan, just stood there with blank faces, letting Lucy unleash her fury with all the nasty words she could think of.
“I can’t believe you’re still letting her stick around in this Pack when she hasn’t done anything for us!” Lucy kept throwing those comments at me, making me feel worthless.
“Ethan! Why don’t you just reject her? What’s the point of keeping someone like her around like this?!”
Everyone was taken aback by Lucy’s words. Danny and the Elder, who had joined us after we returned from the forest, exchanged confused glances, clearly puzzled. But Ethan? He didn’t seem bothered by what Lucy said about me.
“What are you just standing there for?!” Lucy stormed over to Ethan, who was frozen in place. “Why aren’t you saying anything, Ethan?! Look at what she did to you! She hurt you, and now you’re stuck making some deal to leave the forest alone-”
“Cut the drama, Lucy,” Ethan replied, but he didn’t stand up for himself.
Not one to take Ethan’s words lightly, Lucy shot back, insisting that he only felt pity for me because I was alone, without friends or family.
I turned my head away, feeling the sting of her words because they were spot on. I was all alone, just someone Ethan had picked up after my life fell apart.
Everyone else was still watching me, their expressions a mix of awkwardness, maybe some dislike, or even anger.
“I’m okay with walking away if you all think I’m just a hassle around here,” I said, knowing exactly what I meant.
“Honestly, it’d be better if you just left because I’m the one who will be Luna in this Pack. Not you,” she shot back.
Luna, huh? Is that really such a big deal for a woman on the Pack? If Lucy Spencer wanted it that badly, she’d get it.
With everyone giving me those weird looks, I turned and walked away, leaving them to stew in their thoughts about how I’d already checked out. But before leaving, I approached Ethan and asked him to reject me.
“It’d be way better if you just rejected me. Let Lucy Spencer be your one and only Luna, right?” I said, but Ethan just stared at me with no expression.
“Is what I’m saying not getting through to you?” Ethan replied, still stone-faced. “Go back to your room and cut out this nonsense.”
I frowned. He didn’t say anything more, but just as he was about to walk away, I grabbed his arm, pleading to reject me, but he still wouldn’t do it.
If I had to make him mad and disappointed in me, I’d already succeeded by forcing him into that unfair deal with those Rogue Wolves, where he couldn’t step foot in the forest under any circumstances. If he did, they’d kill me and Lucy Spencer.
That’s pretty wild, especially since I know Ethan is head over heels for Lucy Spencer. There’s no way he’d let anything happen to her. But it really did put a damper on his freedom of movement, even though everyone was aware of the strength of The Silver Fire Pack that Ethan leads.
Ethan kept his gaze locked on me, his intense pheromones making me feel uneasy and pushing me to go along with what he wanted. A servant appeared and said someone was there to see Ethan.
Everyone was panicking, including Ethan, who wasted no time greeting the guest who had just arrived. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but things were getting chaotic, especially with Lucy chasing after Ethan and the Warriors looking more on edge by the second.
“What’s happening?” I wondered.
Amidst my confusion, Chen Lien grabbed my hand tightly and urged me to leave.
“Claire, we should head out. Come with me.”
“No!” I stopped Chen Lien from dragging me along. “I’m curious about who’s got everyone so freaked out.” It was my first time seeing people from this Pack, and I wanted to know what was happening.
“Hey, just hear me out for a second-ugh!”
I finally let go of Chen Lien’s grip and started heading in the direction Ethan had taken. But once again, Chen Lien was pulling me back, trying to steer me away like there was something I shouldn’t see. It felt like it wasn’t just Chen Lien-everyone in this Pack was determined to keep me from meeting the person who had just arrived.
I could hear Chen Lien cursing, clearly regretting my choice to chase after Ethan. But honestly, I didn’t care one bit. When I finally found them, I was shocked that they weren’t even talking inside the room; they were just hanging out at the entrance. The ‘guest’ had brought a whole crew, including some Warriors who looked super on edge.
“Hey Claire, come on, come back here! ” Chen Lien called me again, but I zoned him out.
“Wow, it’s a surprise to see you after three years, Alpha Ethan,” a man who looked to be in his fifties said. I could tell Ethan was not thrilled about his presence.
I was tucked away behind a big pillar on the second floor, sneaking glances at them.
“Wow, your unexpected arrival is quite the shocker,” Ethan said, sounding genuinely taken aback by the guy showing up at the packhouse.
“Didn’t I tell you I’d be here before?”
“If I had known, you wouldn’t have to worry about how I’d greet you, Alpha Christopher Gale.”
I had heard Ethan mention that name a few times, but I was surprised to see Christopher Gale still looking so youthful-he seemed to be in his fifties, sporting a well-groomed beard and slicked-back hair. He was dressed sharply in a dark blue suit, giving off a clean and polished vibe with his handsome face for his age.
He definitely had an air of authority about him. Still, something was unsettling lurking beneath the surface, making his presence feel more intimidating than commanding. It could sense the fear he instilled in others when they interacted with him.
“Honestly, I didn’t want to bring this up, but you’re unpredictable, Alpha Ethan. By the way, I heard you’ve found your mate. Is that true?” he inquired.
I was caught off guard, and when I glanced at Ethan, he sighed. It was Lucy who jumped in to respond to the question. They didn’t chat long, but Christopher Gale’s eyes landed on me during their exchange. Our gazes locked, and he flashed a smile that surprised me.