Ethan’s P. O. V
This is insane! I never expected my job to turn into this nightmare-piling up when I don’t even want it, while Lucy keeps pushing me to finish everything like some kind of tireless robot.
Honestly, all I want is to get back and check if Claire is okay with the Warriors I assigned to protect her. The last update I got said they went to a cabin by Lake Terara-the same lake my parents used to love when they were still alive.
What a crazy coincidence. I spent years keeping that place hidden from the world, and now Claire waltzes right in, disturbing the peace that has remained untouched for nearly twenty years. Even Lucy-no matter how much she begged, even if she dropped to her knees-was never allowed to step foot there.
At first, I swore I’d never let anyone in, no matter what. I wanted to keep it exactly as my parents left it. But when my Luna wants something… I can’t bring myself to refuse.
She keeps calling herself an “unwanted Luna,” but she has no idea. I want her more than anything. She belongs to me, even if the world insists on rejecting her-because technically, I already have Lucy Torrance.
“Why are you doing this, Ethan?” Lucy’s sudden voice snapped me out of my thoughts. She had just stepped out from behind the meeting room door.
I narrowed my eyes, taking in her angry expression-but I had no idea what had pissed her off this time.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“You seriously don’t know?” she scoffed. “Do I really need to spell it out for you? You’ve been ditching our client meetings, spacing out like an idiot-just because of that ridiculous thing you’ve been obsessing over!”
“Ridiculous thing?” I muttered. “Are you talking about Claire?”
“Oh, so now you can actually say her name?” she sneered. “What, is that little bitch suddenly worthy of your defense? You’re just throwing away all my hard work-everything I’ve done for this Pack-just because of her! And I’m not even your official wife yet!”
“Do we really have to talk about this now?” I sighed, already feeling the conversation spiraling into nonsense.
“Yes, we do,” she snapped. “Because you can’t seem to remember why you brought that whore into this Pack in the first place, Ethan Randall.”
I clenched my jaw. “Cut the bullshit, Lucy. Not for a second have I forgotten my reason for bringing her here. But I need a stronger justification before handing her over to Christopher Gale. Because, aside from the fact that she’s my fated mate-chosen by the Moon Goddess-she’s also the next Alpha of the Moon Fall Pack. I can’t afford to lose the chance to claim that Pack for myself.”
But of course, given the mess we were in, Lucy wasn’t about to listen.
“I’m done with this conversation,” I muttered, turning away. “I have better things to do.”
“Oh, you mean picking up Claire Halle from your dead parents’ cabin? Is *that* the ‘better thing’ you’re talking about?”
I froze.
Her words hit like a knife to the chest-sharp, brutal, undeniable.
“You’re unbelievable,” she scoffed. “I begged you-*begged*-to let me go there, just once. I wanted to see the place your parents loved so much. But you refused, no matter what. Yet when Claire Halle shows up, you just *let* her in? So what now, she’s officially your Luna? How convenient.”
“This isn’t about letting her in just because she’s my Luna,” I said coldly. “You’re twisting words to fit your damn narrative. No matter how many times you ask, I’ll say this once-I won’t let you push me any further.”
Her eyes darkened. “Is that a threat, Ethan Randall?”
“No,” I said. “It’s a fact. I just want things to go smoothly so I can do my damn job-without being suffocated by *your* rules.”
Lucy didn’t say another word. She just glared at me, seething. But I ignored her and walked away, ending yet another pointless fight.
I made my way to the main lobby, where several of my Warriors were waiting.
“Alpha,” one of them reported, “we’ve confirmed that Lady Halle is still at the cabin by Lake Terara.”
I nodded. That was the last update I got from Danny before all contact with him went dark.
What the hell is going on? Why isn’t he responding? He never ignores my calls-unless there’s an emergency or he’s passed out from exhaustion. But how could he sleep when he’s supposed to be guarding Claire and my child?
“Is Danny still there?” I asked before getting into the car.
The Warrior nodded. “No word on that yet, Alpha, but as far as we know, he’s still there with the others.”
He *should* be. But then why do I have this sinking feeling in my gut?
If that’s the case… then why the hell is Danny ignoring me?
“Take me there. Now.”
As soon as I got into the car, we sped toward the cabin by Lake Terara-my parents’ favorite place.
I should’ve been relieved to finally get away from Lucy after being trapped with her all day. But no matter how much I tried to shake it off, this gnawing sense of dread refused to leave me.
Especially when every thought of Claire made my chest tighten in the worst way possible.
I took out my phone, and tried to call Danny again. Only, just like before, all I heard was the waiting tone. This was really unusual. Now, instead of feeling happy about being free from Lucy, I was worried because I couldn’t get any news from Danny about Claire’s condition.
“Damn it! What exactly happened to them in that cabin house?” I muttered while hitting the window glass.