Chapter 159

3rd Person Linda stalked into Ethan’s brightly lit hospital room, confusion and anger warring inside her. She wasn’t sure what to think after her conversation with Jane, but she knew she had to get to the bottom of things before it was too late. She pushed through the door without knocking, finding the Alpha seated grimly in his bed, staring out the window and looking as if the weight of the world was resting on his shoulders.

“What the hell, Ethan?” Linda demanded.

“Hello Linda.” He said blandly. “How’s Eric?”

“He’s going to be fine” She remarked curtly.” Jane on the other hand -“

“1 don’t want to talk about Jane.” Ethan snapped coldly.

Linda blinked. She hadn’t quite believed her friend until now. She thought Jane had surely misunderstood, or that some terrible miscommunication had occurred with the Alpha, she never imagined that Ethan had truly ended things with his mate. “It’s true then?” She gaped. “You dumped her?”

“You make it sound like we’re teenagers.” Ethan snipes. “Jane betrayed me. I gave her the opportunity to redeem herself, and she failed.”

“Bullsh!t!” Linda countered. “You might be able to sell that bollocks to Jane because she’s wounded enough to expect abuse – your fault, I might add.” She hissed. “lf you want to talk about betrayal, that would be the place to start!”

“It’s not bullsh!t.” Ethan’argued. “Jane and I tried to make it work but when push came to shove she let me down.”

“She let you down?” Linda repeated, completely incredulous. “Of all the ridiculous, insane things to come up with. What, did Aimon conk you on the head?

Have you had an aneurysm?”

“This really isn’t any of your business.” Ethan ground out, showing more emotion as his frustration grew. “What happened between Jane and l is private. I understand you care for your friend, but she isn’t innocent in all this. She lied, she went behind my back and she broke her promises.”

“Ethan, you are more in love with Jane, and more dedicated to your children than any man I’ve ever seen.

You’ve been fighting for Jane since day one.” Linda reminded him sternly.

“Things change.” He insisted stubbornly.

Linda shook her head. “Not this suddenly they don’t. And even if things changed with Jane, I know you would never give up the pups, especially Paisley. You forget that I was there when you believed Jane was dead –I saw how devastated you were, I saw how devoted you were to your daughter-she didn’t.”

“I love the pups.” Ethan growled. “But I can’t be with Jane after what she did and they need her more than they need me.”

“You know the worst part about this entire situation?” Linda demanded, “It’s that whatever the real reason is for this ridiculous farce, you’re blaming Jane rather than taking responsibility yourself. It’s f****d up beyond belief. Do you have any idea what that’s going to do to her? How it will torture her to think that she cost her babies their father?”

“Sometimes guilt is healthy.” Ethan argued.

You are so full of it!” Linda exclaimed, throwing her arms out in exasperation.

“When it’s warranted,” Ethan continued, raising his voice over hers, “t can be a tool for growth, for taking responsibility like you said.”

“Except it isn’t warranted” Linda barked. Jane’s pups were in danger, any mother in her shoes would have done exactly the same thing and if she didn’t run when you told her to, it was out of loyalty to you.

She did everything right, and now you’re punishing her for it. And worse, you’re punishing the pups.”

“That isn’t what I want.” Ethan rumbles, a haunted expression taking over his handsome features.

“Well it’s what you’re doing!” Linda reiterated. “

They need their father, and you can be in their lives even if you aren’t in a relationship with Jane –

which you very well know.”

“Linda-” Ethan sighed, exhausted by this debate.

“No!” She cut him off, “No, I don’t believe this for a single moment. What’s really going on?”

“Nothing” Ethan hissed, his eyes flashing dangerously.

Linda narrowed her eyes, noticing how still the big Alpha had been ever since she entered. Despite the heated conversation, he’d hardly moved. It was a strange thing for such a powerful, physical being.

She stepped forward and plucked the chart from the end of his bed, her suspicions increasing when Ethan impotently reached out to stop her but did not seem able to do more.

Her eyes flitted over the page, growing wider and wider as she took in the information. The words bounced off the page, shocking her to the core.

Spinal Cord Trauma. Paraplegic Paralysis. Permanent.

Oh my Goddess.” She murmured, raising her fingers to her l!ps, as she looked back up at Ethan with wide eyes.

“You’re paralyzed?”

“Don’t look at me that way.” He sniped. “l can’t stand the pity.”

“This is why you ended things with Jane?” Linda guessed, “So she wouldn’t find out? Ethan l’m so sorry but your pride can’t be worth losing your family!”

“Don’t be stupid” Ethan snarled. “1 didn’t do it because of pride. I can’t be a true mate to her, or a true father to the pups. You know what happens to shifters with trapped wolves! I don’t want to saddle Jane with caring for me like some invalid for the rest of her life.

She deserves better than that! She deserves someone who is worthy of her, who can care for her and keep her safe, and so do the pups.”

Linda’s eyes burned with tears, “Ethan, that’s crazy. She loves you, they all love you. Don’t you think they’d rather have you in their lives in whatever way they can, rather than go on without you? You broke her heart and when the pups find out, they’ll be devastated too: They won’t care whether you can walk or not.”

He shakes his head. “You don’t understand, it’s more than that. As long as they’re associated with me, they’ll be a target for people like Anita and Aimon. That was fine when I could protect them, but I can’t anymore! I can’t shift, I can’t even piss by myself!

Chaining themselves to me would make them vulnerable, it would put them all in danger. They’ll get over the break up, but they might not survive if they end up stuck with me.”

Anita frowned deeply. “Ethan, I’m begging you, don’t do this. Tell Jane the truth before it’s too late.

“No.” He grumbled, digging in his heels. “And you can’t tell her either:”

“What?” She gasped, “I can’t promise you that, not 1 knowing the truth. You have no idea how badly thís is going to hurt Jane.”

“Of course I do!” Ethan thundered. “Do you think it was easy for me to be so cruel to her? Do you think I wanted to say those horrible things to her – after everything we went through to reach this place? I did what I had to, for her sake and the pups! I put their well-being above my own happiness because it was the right thing to do! I know exactly how badly this is going to hurt them all, but at the end of the day, that’s what has to happen. They need to hate me Linda, so that they’ll stay away. As long as they stay away they’ll be safe.”

Linda looked as though she wanted to protest, opening her mouth to respond. However Ethan cut her off before she could get another word in. “Don’t forget, you owe me, Linda. You knew that Jane was alive for all those years, you knew about the other pups and you kept them from me. You watched me suffer in silence.”

“Ethan, you barely even remembered I existed.”

She countered, “it’s not like we were friends then.”

“Fine” Ethan accepted, a cunning glint in his dark irises. “But if it weren’t for me, your mate would still be locked in a dungeon being tortured. You owe me his life, you owe me your crown.”

Linda paled, realizing he was right. She did owe him Eric’s life, and that was worth everything to her.

Ethan, please don’t ask this of me. Don’t ask me to lie to Jane this way.”

“It should be easy for you.” He assessed, “you’ve lied for her for years, and at the end of the day, this lie is for her own good.”

Linda shook her head, getting ready to refuse again, however Ethan raised his voice again, putting all his Alpha authority into his next words. “Promise me, Linda. Promise you’ll keep this secret, even from Eric:”

If he’d been anyone else, it might not have worked.

After all, Linda was a Luna in her own right now, a queen who would soon ascend to her thrown.

However Ethan was still more dominant than Eric, and he’d been her alpha for years. She couldn’t withstand his power, regardless of his immobility.

She bit down on her tongue to try to stop the words from escaping, but it was no use, they were r!pped from her vocal cords by the force of his order, and she was helpless to stop them.”l promise.”

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