Chapter 167

[Liam’s POV]

The absolute last thing that I ever expected to see was Ella being carted in the arms of another friggin’ wolf—who just so happened to not be Arthur!

I glanced to my side to find that he was just as dumbfounded as I was. What the hell was Ella even doing out of her room? I would never have thought that she would have tried to push herself like this just to attend a bunch of lectures.

Then again, Ella had always been a punctual student; it should have come as no surprise that she would have been persistent in attending classes. But for Christ’s sake, she was literally on the edge of pure exhaustion.

I knew I had no right to be pissed off at whoever the hell was that was obviously helping her back to her dorm. At the very least, I should be thanking him; however, the possessive side of me couldn’t get over the fact that he was holding Ella in such an intimate manner.

It was strange not being annoyed at Arthur for a change. Hell, he appeared even more pissed off than me.

He stepped forward and snarled at the guy. “What the hell did you do to her?!”

“Nothing! For Christ’s sake, she passed out. She’s been walking around all day like a zombie, I think she may be sick.”

I honestly didn’t know what right I had to be mad at this guy. Arthur told me to stick by her side and I allowed things to get this bad for her. My heart nearly hit the ground when I saw a nearly unconscious Ella in another guy’s arms.

It left me swarming with guilt for letting things get this bad for her.

I swiftly stepped up to carefully take Ella from him. My heart swelled as I heard her softly hum when I brought her in close. She tucked her head into the crook of my neck and nuzzled closer.

“Come on, let’s get her inside so I can lay her down,” I said.

My patience was wearing thin enough as it were. Given the stressful day I was having, this was the last thing I needed to deal with.

What more could possibly go on?

My mind was still reeling over the discussion Arthur and I had earlier. When he finished explaining the rest of his conversation with his grandfather, he went on to express his doubts. Could such a power be real? Or was this all nothing but ridiculous superstition?

“He claims that it’s happened within the past couple of decades over in Europe,” Arthur had said.

What proceeded to add to my sour mood was contemplating how and when we were going to tell Ella about any of this. I quickly realized that there was no way of telling her about this inherent power she possessed without giving away the horrible fact that the Winslows were responsible for destroying her lineage.

And to cap it all off, I was still deeply pissed off over the conversation I overheard after classes. Arthur shot me a curious look as we headed up to my dorm. I placed Ella down and tucked her under the blankets.

“At least it’s quiet here and I can keep an eye on her for now,” I said.

“Alright, are you going to tell me what’s been bothering you now?” Arthur asked quietly while pulling me off to the side.

“Before I came to meet up with you, I overheard a conversation between Shields and some of the administration. She was shit-talking Ella to them, claiming that she wasn’t human and that something should be done about it.”

Something feral raced across Arthur’s eyes. The corner of his mouth curled into a sneer. It was almost enough to make me hesitate to tell him this next part...Almost.

“She even went on boasting about how she’s been in personal contact with Aaron.”

A vicious snarl slipped from his mouth. “Oh God, don’t tell me that she’s screwing him in order to move herself up here at school,” Arthur hissed.

“I wouldn't put it past her. She seemed incredibly smug just being able to boast about her connection to him. But she’s been noticing Ella’s changes and has been reporting them back to Aaron.”

“She did what?!”

Ella’s hoarse voice broke through the silence, causing the two of us to snap around. She was frazzled and beyond panicked. Her eyes were wide and she looked like she had paled even more.

We both calmly approached her and tried to ease her worry. Arthur grabbed her hands while I gently brushed her hair back from her face.

“Ella—”

“That bitch has been reporting my whereabouts to Aaron and no one was going to tell me this?”

“Ella, please, calm down,” Arthur soothed. “Liam just found this out and was just telling me about it now.”

“Believe me, none of us knew until earlier today,” I told her.

Ella’s expression filled with confusion. “But why? Why would anyone bother reporting anything about me?”

Arthur gave her a soft smile as though to lighten the mood. “My guess is because you’re an ongoing mystery that people want to figure out,” he noted.

“Think about it. You came to a predominantly werewolf school as a human but people have witnessed instances that clearly contradict that theory. My guess is that Shields saw an opportunity in exploiting you by going to Aaron, in hopes that it would somehow enhance her position at the school.”

This explanation didn’t seem to make Ella feel any better. I gently rubbed her shoulders, trying to get some of the tension to leave.

“If Aaron does any more digging on this, it’s going to put Ella even more at risk than she is already,” I commented lightly.

A long pause of silent contemplation went by. Slowly, Arthur developed a devious smile.

“Then perhaps we ought to go pay our English teacher a visit,” he slithered darkly.

Ella turned her head to give me a bewildered look.

“What exactly are you two going to do?” she asked nervously.

His smile remained fixed on his face as he gradually pulled himself up from the bed. He glanced at me, signaling that I was also going to be a part of this unknown plan of his.

“We’re just going to clear up a few things with Mrs. Shields. Nothing to worry about.”

The ambiguity was not settling Ella’s nerves. She narrowed her eyes and glared at the other Alpha with a pointed look.

“Arthur. What are you going to do?”

“I’m also quite curious as to what malicious little plan you’ve got simmering in that head of yours,” I said jokingly.

Arthur raised a singular brow and folded his arms over his chest.

“If this woman wants to act delusional and throw my family’s name around then I am going to make her realize what a ginormous mistake she’s made.”

Ella’s expression twisted with annoyance. “That still doesn’t tell me what you plan to do.”

“We’re simply going to have a little chat. That’s all.”

Her tone was filled with skepticism that I couldn’t help but sympathize with.

“A little chat?”

He nodded his head. “Exactly that. In fact, Liam and I are going to head over to see her right now.”

I leaned down to press a swift kiss to her cheek, whereas Arthur took the opportunity to reach out his hand and grasp her chin. He placed a single kiss on the corner of her lips.

I could see Ella’s eyes widening in slight panic when she flicked her nervous gaze over to me.

Okay...That’s going to take some getting used to.