Chapter 173

Ben and I spent the majority of the ride to the house in silence—something I was deeply grateful for. He didn’t try to pry into my business or ask any personal questions as he had in the past. Maybe it was because of the insane display he witnessed during class between Arthur and me. God, I was partly surprised that the campus wasn’t abuzz with the ridiculous display we demonstrated.

Nevertheless, I graciously thanked Ben for the ride when we finally arrived at the house. I grabbed my bag and told him that I’d see him on Monday to hand in our project.

I hadn’t exactly given my mom the heads up that I was coming home for the weekend. So, when I managed to get the front door opened, I was swiftly met with a look of pure surprise and confusion.

“Ella? I didn’t know you were planning to come home,” she said softly.

I tried to give her at least a small smile, but I couldn’t even bring myself to do that. The weight of the situation that had been bearing down on me for the past twenty-four hours was becoming too much to deal with. As much as I tried to hold back the tears and all the emotions I had to keep buried during the day, I couldn’t do it any longer.

I took a seat at the counter and buried my face in my hands. A broken cry tore my throat and within seconds, I felt my mom at my side. She gently began rubbing circles into my back.

“Ella, tell me what’s wrong,” she prompted. “Something clearly happened while you were at school. What was it?”

Now that I was really thinking about it...My mom was the only person who knew about my situation when it came to the double bond as well as my connection to the Moon Wolf Pack. If I was going to tell anyone about what I had overheard, it should, ideally, be her.

“Are you still not feeling well because of your shift?” she asked.

I gently shook my head. “No, this is a whole new kind of pain that I’m feeling.”

Over the next hour, I went on to tell her about how Liam, Arthur and I have all been having a hard time getting used to the idea of the double bond. I told her about how I wanted the three of us to sit down and properly talk things through so we could either set boundaries and possibly reach some workable conclusion.

Bonnie had been such a big help in making me see the importance of communication and setting our situation straight. However, it never even came to that.

“When I went to find Liam and Arthur, I ended up overhearing a conversation about how Arthur’s family were the ones responsible for killing off all of the Moon Wolves,” I said weakly.

My mom was taken aback by this bit of news while I tried not to let a whole new set of tears fall from my eyes.

“Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.”

I knew, deep down, that my mom didn’t understand the loss that I felt toward this situation. Granted, it wasn’t as though I knew these other Moon Wolves, but essentially we were all once connected through the same bloodline. It made me feel like I actually belonged.

Now that bloodline was all but gone.

As far as I knew, I was the last Moon Wolf alive. It was a grizzly, foreboding feeling that rocked me to my very core.

I pressed a hand to my head while my mom left my side to grab me a few aspirin and a glass of water.

A little under an hour went by before either of us spoke. I heard my mom lightly clear her throat before she started speaking. “Ella, I know you’re feeling upset. But did you ever happen to give Liam and Arthur a chance to explain themselves?”

My heart sank a little in my chest. “No,” I whispered.

By the cross look on her face, I could tell she was gearing up for a lecture. I swiftly cut her off and went on to explain myself further.

“Mom, I couldn’t hear them out,” I said. “The wolf that’s been developing within me was far too on edge to allow me to talk properly to them—not to mention that I was just so deeply hurt by their actions.”

She tilted her head. “But tell me what’s really the main cause of your anger, Ella,” she prompted.

“I’m devastated at the fact that Arthur’s family is the main cause of my lineage being wiped out.”

“Fair, but do you hold Arthur, at all, personally responsible for that tragedy?” she countered. “Yes...No...I think knowing that he’s associated with that family, obviously by name, that I keep feeling this twinge of resentment. But...”

My eyes filled with tears once more.

“Go on, honey.”

I tried taking a deep breath. “What hurts me most is the fact that he and Liam lied to me about it all. They purposely kept the truth from me when they had every opportunity to talk and they didn’t.”

“I see, you feel as though they have betrayed your trust.”

“Yes.”

She gave another supportive nod and advised me to head to my room so that I could rest and maybe sleep off a lot of the stress and anger I’d been carrying since earlier. I didn’t have it in me to argue.

Grabbing my bag, I headed to my room and went straight for the bed. I purposely placed my phone on silent. Ever since I left campus, Liam and Arthur had been blowing up my phone with messages and calls.

But the only message I really set my focus on was the one I’d received from the night before.

This unknown messenger could very well be Aaron but it’s strange because he never messaged her individually.

What the hell could he possibly have to say to me?

...

The next day, I was somewhat pleased to discover that a good portion of the tension I’d been feeling in my muscles had been released. Although there was still an underlying feeling of pain in my chest that lingered, my mind seemed more clear.

I thought a lot about what my mom had said yesterday. I needed to give Liam and Arthur an actual chance to explain their side of things.

I could feel my wolf’s tension and resistance to give in. I could feel her need to want to stay mad at Liam and Arthur, knowing that forgiveness wouldn’t change the past.

Still, I reached for my phone and sent the message out to Arthur, letting them know to meet me at the coffee shop near my house.

Right as I was about to head out, I heard my mother call out from the kitchen. “Bundle up! It’s supposed to be colder today.”

I reached for one of my scarves in the closet and made my way out. The wind was a bit blustery but I enjoyed the walk, nonetheless.

As I headed toward the coffee shop, I noticed a particular car kept a steady pace with my movements. I tried not to read into it. I was heading into the main hub of the town—there were many other cars that were trying to get around.

Surely, this car isn’t focused on me...

But the feeling in the pit of my stomach told me that I was wrong. Every sidewalk I crossed and corner I turned down, the car tailed me.

I could see the coffee shop from where I was standing.

Just a little further!