Chapter 35
wide-eyed,
E and Raf sok at me wide eyed bhan raises an eyebrow Evin Kyle can’t hide his surprise
This the first to regain senebility. “Ariella, is it true!
I be my lip and sign. However, that’s enough confirmation for th and Rafe to shift their focus from Ethan back to me.
“Perhaps we can be excused, King Ethan, and discuss this as a family?”
Yes of course, there is an antechamber to the left,” Ethan nods and gestures to the door like a gentleman
I
Once the door closes behind us and we are alone. Eli’s face returns to that of bewilderment. “Ari, you told him about your
“Yes I did.” I say slowly, biting my lips. This has gotten so complicated. I had to tell Ethan about my wolf because otherwise he would have figured out about the baby. But I can’t tell my brothers that because they don’t know about the baby and I’m still not ready to tell them I’m pregnant yet. The situation is complicated, but that’s not important now. The important thing is that he offers to help
As much as I’m upset with Ethan, I can’t let my emotions get in the way of me getting my wolf back. I need evidence to back up a claim like this. “He already gave me some information about it. We need a Harvest Moon, a Moonstone and a ritual, which is something that he can organize.”
My brothers consider my words.
“And you think that attending the Harvest Festival is necessary for that?” Eli asks carefully.
I purse my lips
“I’m not sure that it is,” I admit. “But Ethan seems to think so. And I take a deep breath. “I trust him. He’s proven it to me. And I need to do this. I need my wolf back, so if this is the way that Ethan says will work, then I need to do this”
Rafe turns to Eli “I have no opinion, the call is yours to make
Elie sighs. “Fine, we’ll stay and attend the festival. But I don’t fully trust him, Ariella; and if you don’t intend to marry him, King Ethan is not known for simply giving up on what he wants. And he has made it very clear that he wants you. Be sure that he has other tricks up his sleeve.”
Oh, I have learnt my lesson on that
ILL-
careful,” I promise them. And even though I know that there is danger here, I also know that we have to stay
We return to the meeting chamber where Ethan and Kyle await. They stop speaking the moment we enter. By the look on Kyle’s face, it seemed they too were having a heated discussion.
“Ah, so what have the Crystal River royalty decided?” Ethan asks,
“We have decided that it would be rude not to accept such a generous invitation, Eli smiles. It has been decades since the Harvest Moon has been celebrated in our lands, so it would be an honor to attend it in yours.”
A small smile touches Ethan’s lips. “Excellent, I am glad you decided to accept. Kyle, please have the servants pack the King’s belongings and that of Ariella’s. We don’t want to keep Duke Castor waiting
Ethan’s entire demeanor remains calm and collected, however, I sense something more that hides behind his eyes. The fact that he’s smiling makes me all the more suspicious
16:41 Tue, Jul 23 BB.
Chapter 35
He’s being strangely accommodating and easy-going.
+84%
Π
His eye catches mine as Kyle leads us out of the meeting hall and to our rooms. I don’t want to dwell on it, already I am trying to purge the memories of our love-making to stop myse from becoming distracted.
1 close my door and collapse onto my bed. My head is spinning and I am exhausted from the journey. My thoughts won’t quiet, even though my wolf is still. Its not her thoughts and words that bother me, it’s the anticipation now. I haven’t been this close to hearing her, to possibly awakening her, in so long.
The anticipation thrums through me.
I close my eyes and fall into a restless sleep, awakening a few hours later to moonlight streaming through my window.
I try to return to sleep but it’s pointless. My skin feels dry and itchy and my stomach rumbles with hunger. The baby wants
food
I don’t think. I get out of bed, pull a gown around my form and bead straight for the kitchens. Ethan isn’t in the kitchen when I get there, and my heart dips a little. I didn’t think that it would even bother me a little, but I feel the disappointment as I reheat myself a bowl of some leftover stew.
On the bright side, the broth warms me through entirely and I feel the baby satiating and my strength returning to me. The problem is as my strength returns, so do the memories of my night with Ethan.
I clean the dirty bowl and put it away, but my mind is still running wild. Maybe a walk in the gardens will help clear my thoughts.
Hind the back door and go out through there into the back garden, pulling the gown tighter around me. It isn’t too cold out, but there is a chill in the air. I can smell the powerful scent of the Jasmine flowers, glowing white in the moonlight. I follow the path, and almost come up short when I find Ethan standing in the middle of the garden.
“Oh, sorry,” I say as I come up to him. “I didn’t mean to intrude
“Be honest, you’re not that sorry,” he chuckles, his voice a little softer than normal. “Can’t sleep?”
He’s wearing loose fitting pants, tied with a string at the waist. And his shirt is opened in the front, the buttons undone. I see his chest moving with each and every breath he takes….
Damn it. Focus on the right thing!
I take a long breath in. The crisp air clears my mind, and I feel like I can think properly again.
“I’m glad you decided to stay,” he says without waiting for my answer. His eyes are intense on me.
“For now”
He frowns
I tell him sincerely, “I’m very grateful for everything you’ve done. Thank you for helping me find my wolf.”
“That’s not why I’m saying what I am,” Ethan says, a look of irritation flitting over his face. “I don’t want praise from you. Or empty gratitude.”
Then what do you want?” I ask him back.
“You know what I want. We have discussed this” He steps towards me and pulls me closer to him by the hips.
Oh, he wants me as his breeder.
“No,” I remind him, pashing him away. “We’ve never finished that discussion.”