Ch. 81..85: The Luna and her Quadruplet Pups Chapter 81-85

The Luna And Her Quadruplet Pups Chapter 81

3rd Person

“We need to find ev-dence to help mommy.” Riley mused, looking around at her brothers and sister. Though the pups had been distracted by the news that Jane was planning on taking them back to the Dark Moon pack, as well as devastated by their failure to change her mind, her arrest had certainly reminded them of how dire her situation truly was.

“Maybe if she’s safe, she won’t be so afraid to stay here.”

Parker added, sensing the direction of his sister’s thoughts.

“Xactly.” Riley agreed, “1 don’ think she was telling the truth when she said we’re going just because her bizness is there. I think she’s scared.”

That policeman was really mean.” Paisley added with a little shiver, “he scared me too.”

“Your Mommy isn’t afraid of the police.” Eric’s deep voice sounded behind them, and all three kids turned around to look at him. He was babysitting again. Jane and Ethan hadn’t felt comfortable sending them to pre-school with all the press lurking around every corner, so Eric offered to watch them while they were both at work.

“What d’you mean?” Ryder questioned, sure his uncle was wrong. Jane had definitely seemed frightened by the investigator who accused her of murdering Petra, they’d even heard her telling Ethan she might go to jail.

“She’s not afraid of the police.” Eric repeated. She’s afraid of your Daddy.”

“No she’s not!” Paisley promptly objected.

“She is.” Eric stated firmly. “That’s why she left him in the first place, and why she’s so determined to leave again.”

“We don’t b’lieve you.” Riley replied with a stubborn glare.

“Well you should, because your Daddy is a monster:” Eric insisted. He knew Jane wouldn’t approve of him telling them this, but he believed every word he was saying with deep conviction, and he truly believed the pups should know Ethan wasn’t worthy of their admiration. After all, if Ethan was willing to enslave his own mate, why not his pups? They needed to be protected from him, and if his words helped convince them to come back to the Dark Moon pack without complaint? Well, that would just be icing on the cake.

“No he isn’t!” Paisley cried in protest. “You’re a liar!”

“You wanna bet? Eric asked, arching one dark brow.

When they were married, he betrayed your Mommy with Eve.

Do you know what an affair is? What it means to cheat?”

“Like in a game or on a test?” Parker inquired curiously.

“No honey, not exactly.” Eric corrected gently. “When two people are married, they promise they’ll only.. ?” He paused to search for a toddler-appropriate term, “k!ss each other for the rest of their lives. But Cheating is if one of them breaks that promise and k!sses someone else, and an affair is when they keep k!ssing that other person for a long time.”

“And Daddy did that with Eve?” Ryder questioned, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

“He did’ Eric confirmed, “Both when they were married and since she came back too”

“I’ve never seen Daddy k!ss Eve” Paisley frowned, narrowing her eyes at the man her siblings seemed to trust so much.

“Well he has.” Eric told her curtly, “Because they made a baby together.”

The pups exchanged confused glances, “How’d they do that?” Parker asked, the concept of baby-making still very much a mystery to he and his siblings.”

“Well..” Eric grappled for a response, realizing too late the error of revealing this particular piece of information. “

That’s a question for your Mommy and Daddy, but the fact is it’s proof of his betrayal.!”

“But why would that make Mommy scared of him?” Riley wondered aloud, not sure if she believed Eric, but wanting to understand his accusations.

“Because that’s only half the story.” Eric revealed, pleased to be holding each of the pup’s rapt attention. “Back when they were married, Eve framed your Mommy for a crime, just like she’s trying to do now – and your Daddy believed Eve. He took her side.”

“Why would he do that?” Ryder objected, “Eve’s evil.”

“Because she was very convincing.” Eric informed them.

“And sometimes when grown ups are… k!ssing each other, they can’t see people for who they really are”

“So what happened?” Ryder pressed.

“Yeah, what did he do?” Riley added.

“He locked your mommy up in his rooms and never let her leave.” Eric announced, adopting the tone one might to tell a scary story over a campfire.

“Like a time out?” Parker suggested.

“Like a time out that never ends.” Eric corrected. “He made her his prisoner. He didn’t let her go anywhere or do anything. He stole her freedom even though she didn’t do anything wrong.”

“1 don’ believe you.” Paisley repeated, “Daddy would never do that”

“What has your Daddy told you about their marriage?”

Eric asked, “Did he ever tell you why they split up?”

“He said he made a mistake” Paisley murmured, not really wanting to admit this to Eric. “A mistake that hurt Mommy and made her leave.”

“Well this was his mistake” Eric declared triumphantly.”

Ask him yourself- ask your Mommy, He made her his slave,

That’s why she ran away, and why she hid you all from him.”

He added, nodding to Riley, Parker and Ryder, “Now she’s afraid he’Il do it again.”

“But Daddy loves Mommy” Riley proclaimed, crossing her arms over her ch3st.

“He wants her- that’s not the same thing as love Eric explained, “And the question you should be asking is whether your Mommy loves him. Think about it – she was already afraid before Eve framed her,. She’s been afraid ever since she ran into your Daddy again.”

The pups looked at one another with identical frowns.

Now that they thought about it, Jane had been behaving oddly ever since Ethan turned up. She knocked him out when he k!ssed her in the hallway, then ran away crying, She was always arguing with him and calling herself other names, pretending to be someone else, She’d even told Paisley she was hiding from him.

Was it possible Eric was telling the truth? Had they been so distracted by everything going on with Eve, Paisley and Petra, that they’d missed the signs. The more they thought about it, the more Eric’s words made sense. The wolf in question was watching them closely, reading their tense expressions and sensing their gradual acceptance, Deciding to hammer one final nail into the coffin, he continued, “The last time I shared something with you and you accused me of lying, you went to your Mommy and Daddy and they told you l was right.” He reminded them. “It’s the same this time.

I’m telling the truth.”

Paisley was stilt stubbornly shaking her head. “You’re jealous of Daddy, you want us to think he’s bad so we’ll go home with Mommy.”

“I won’t pretend I like your Daddy – because l don’t.” Eric admitted. “But the reasons I don’t like him are precisely because of the things I’m telling you now. I care about your Mommy, I want only the best for her, and knowing how badly your Daddy hurt her is more than enough reason for me to dislike him.”

Paisley sort of deflated, looking to her siblings for help, you don’t believe him, do you?” She asked them anxiously.

Riley, Ryder and Parker stared back at their newfound sister with wide eyes. They loved Paisley and they didn’t want to believe such terrible things of their father, but they couldn’t deny Eric’s story fit. “Paisley, you weren’ there in da beginning’ Riley uttered softly, “Mommy’s been upset ever since she saw Daddy at the restraunt.”

“She’s more scared now,” Parker concurred, “but she was I ready scared before Eve.”

With a sinking heart Paisley realized that her siblings weren’t going to take her side this time. It hurt worse than she expected. She’d always dreamed of having brothers and sisters, imagining that they would form their own little pack, always there to help and support each other. However now it simply felt like three against one. Her young mind assumed siblings meant never being alone again, but she couldn’t remember I time when she felt more alone than in this moment.

“But you don’ know Daddy like l do.” Paisley argued pitifully, making one last attempt to convince them. “He’s the nicest man in the world.”

“l’m sorry, Paisley.” Riley professed, “We don’ wanna believe it, but we hafta ask. If Daddy says it isn’t true, we won’t argue.

“We owe Mommy that much.” Ryder added. “But we’ll understand if you can’t agree.”

“Well I don’t agree!” Paisley burst out, stomping her little foot. “Why did you even come here if you didn’ want to be with Daddy!?”

“We did.” Parker insisted, “We do… we just need to know the truth.”

“Fine. Paisley pouted, “Have it your way, but don’t come crying to me when you’re wrong. The distraught pup stormed off to her bedroom, not wanting to look at Eric or the other pups for a moment longer. Still, deep down in the back of her mind, her worst fear was growing bigger and bigger: what if they weren’t wrong? What if they were right?

What if Daddy was as bad as Eric said?

She prayed he wasn’t – or she’d never be able to look at him the same again.

 

The Luna And Her Quadruplet Pups Chapter 82

Ethan

“It’s all taken care of?” I ask, staring down the desk sergeant at the police headquarters.

She nods, averting her eyes from my dominant gaze.

Yes Alpha, Ms. Mechant will be held at the sanitorium until her trial.”

“Good”‘ l answer briskly. ” want to be notified the moment a date is set, or if any new developments arise.

“Yes sir”‘ She replies obediently. I’m about to walk away when the detective on my Mother’s case catches my attention.

“Excuse me, Alpha, do you have a moment to talk?” He asks, looking far too pleased with himself.

“Assuming you have something of consequence to share.

“I grumble, closing the distance between us.

“Of course, sir.” The man agrees, leading me towards his desk, “I would never waste your time”

I follow him at a distance, muttering under my breath and trying to guess what fresh hell he might be preparing to thrust me into. Taking the guest chair as he settles in front of his computer, I mentally count to ten, urging myself to have patience.

“Well?” I press when he doesn’t explain why he pulled me aside, “What’s going on? Have you found something?

“As a matter of fact, we have” He shares with a smug smile. “As you know we collected a few boxes of evidence from your apartment on the night of the murder, including a number of items from your mother’s room.”

“And?” I prompt him, wishing he would get to the point.

“Well my team has been going through that evidence all week, and yesterday one of my rookies came across a document we previously missed – one which could explain your ex-wife’s motive for the crime”

My wolf’s hackles raise. If the obnoxious investigator doesn’t stop insisting Jane is responsible for my mother’s murder despite my repeated orders to investigate Eve, lI’m going to lose my temper. “And what document is that?” | hiss.

His smile widens, and he slides a piece of paper in a clear evidence bag across the table, and I snatch it up, scanning the contents of the form. The logo of an out-of-territory laboratory is stamped at the top, and beneath the address and clinicians names, are the words: DNA Test Results; For Personal Knowledge only. Below this is a table full of obscure biological markers and alleles, with each of the quadruplets’ names and my own in the column headers.

I really understand the specifics, but I know how to read a percentage easily enough, and at the bottom of each column are the words, probability of paternity: 1009%.

It takes my brain a moment to catch up with what I’m seeing. I always felt confident that Jane was lying when she told me the pups were Eric’s, but I think I held off having the tests run myself because deep down I was afraid she was telling the truth. Apparently my mother had no such reservations. She had the tests run without telling anyone, and now l have all the proof I need. The pups are mine – definitely, unequivocally mine.

“Where did you find this?” l ask hoarsely, feeling more emotional than I would ever admit to this man.

I suspect he takes the thick emotion clogging my throat as belief in Jane’s guilt, rather than the joy of my paternity’s confirmation, because he’s grinning more broadly than ever.

“It was in your mother’s desk. We mistook it for a bill at first, it wasn’t until someone went through all her financials that we found it.”

“She must have been waiting to tell me.” I muse, wondering how soon after she received the results she met her untimely end.

“Or maybe she didn’t plan on telling you at all.” The investigator theorizes. “Maybe she was going to use the test results to force Jane to give you custody. Maybe she tried to confront her with it, and lost her life as a result.”

“That’s quite a leap.” l grouse, still staring at the page with utter reverence. They ‘re mine. They’re really mine.

“1 don’t see it that way” The investigator argues, You’ve been telling me Jane didn’t have a motive to kill Petra all along, but l’ve seen-people killed for far weaker reasons than this.”

“You really believe that Jane killed her because of this?”

I demand, waving the report in the air. “If that were the case, why did she leave the report for you to find? If she knew this existed and was willing to kill to hide it, why didn’t she destroy it?”

“Maybe she couldn’t find it. Maybe she panicked and ran before she could look for it.” He ponders.

“But she made the call reporting my mother’s death. If she ran out, she had to run back in – and she would have had ample time to search before you arrived.” I counter, feeling more frustrated by the minute.

“You’re biased Alpha.” The detective tells me, shaking his head. “You’re infatuated with her and you don’t want to believe she’d do this, but all the evidence points to her.

You’re going to have to accept it sooner or later”

“Have you even begun looking into Eve?” I question. “

Have you given a single thought to anything l’ve told you about her.”

“With all do respect, Alpha, you run the pack, not my department. I reserve the right to run my investigations as I see fit.” He grumbles defiantly.

“You only have that right as long as you remain on the force.” I remind him. “If I were you, l’d think long and hard about how badly you’re willing to risk your job.”

He puffs up his ch3st, rife with indignation, “Are you threatening me?” He exclaims in outrage.

“I’m sorry” I chuckle, though it sounds closer to a growl than a true laugh. “Was that not clear?” Standing up and towering over the insolent wolf, I continue, “if you want to keep your job, I suggest you start doing it a hell of a lot better than you have been. I might not run your department, but I am your boss’s, boss’s boss.”

Ruffling his feathers, he tries to glower up at me before chickening out, “I’Il look into Eve” He begrudgingly mutters.

“Good boy.” I taunt, patting his head.

I feel like l’m walking on air as I leave the headquarters building, l’m sure that’s not what the detective intended, and maybe l’m being overly optimistic about the investigation, but I can’t help being thrilled about the DNA results. The entire walk to my car, all l can think is that they’re mine, I don’t even have enough animosity remaining in my heart to bark at the reporters lurking outside the apartment when I get home.

When I get up to the apartment I can’t wait to see the pups – my pups. I want to squeeze them tight and celebrate, and while I haven’t decided how l’m going to break the news to Jane, I know l’m going to have fun doing it. l’m not sure if she believed she got away with her lie, but she’s certainly going to pay for it.

“Jane?” I call when l enter, gently closing the door behind me, “Kids?”

All four pups appear at once, almost as if they were waiting for me. I open my arms to them expecting the usual abundance of hugs, but to my surprise, they all hang back – even Paisley.

“What’s wrong?”l ask, searching their sweet faces.

They exchange a few nervous glances, and eventually Paisley steps up to the plate, taking a deep breath and stepping forward, though she still hangs just out of reach.

“Daddy, did you put Mommy in time out forever?”

Paisley asks me, her green eyes wide.

I blink, her words not really clicking in my head, “What do you mean, angel?”

Paisley sighs heavily, her l!ps condensing into a pout. “

When you were married, did you lock Mommy up? IS that why she left?”

All of my elation from a few minutes ago evaporates. My heart sinks into my stomach. How do they know? I think frantically, wondering how on earth they learned this detail about our past. In the end I have to assume they overheard one of our arguments, or some other conversation not meant for their young ears,

However the truth is that it doesn’t matter how they found out. They know now, and they expect an answer.

They’re all looking up at me expectantly, and l know the moment I share my story the DNA test won’t matter anymore. They’re all going to hate me, even sweet Paisley.

Still, I refuse to lie to them. I have to take responsibility for my actions, and I owe it to Jane to acknowledge what l put her through- no matter the cost to me.

Part of me wants to ask the kids for one last hug before everything changes, before I share what they’ll never be able to forgive. Instead I take a deep breath, and prepare to lose everything I hold dearest.

 

The Luna And Her Quadruplet Pups Chapter 83

How did it come to this? I think morosely. How did everything go so wrong so quickly?

l’d like to think I’ve been shielding the pups from the truth about what häppened between Jane and I all those years ago for their own safety and peace of mind, but if l’m honest, I think I’ve been protecting myself. I know how horribly I messed up with Jane, and as badly as it hurt to see my former mate looking at me with that expression of utter betrayal, seeing it on the faces of my innocent pups is worse.

When I left the house this morning I was their hero, now l’m their villain.

“Why don’t you come sit down.” I suggest to the pups, hoping they’ll agree. How am l ever going to explain this to them? They’re too young to even understand a fraction of it.

Despite my tormented thoughts, they obey. One by one they toddle into the living room, settling on the sofa while I take a seat on the edge of the coffee table in front of them. I search their young faces for any hint of openness, but they all seem completely closed off.

“Listen.” l begin, not even knowing where I’m going with this. “I made a lot of mistakes in the past, and I did a lot of things I’m not proud of, but I love you and I love your Mommy more than anything.”

The quadruplets exchange meaningful glances, “what does that mean?” Ryder questions.

“It means that it’s true. Eve tricked me into believing something terrible about Mommy, and… I punished her” I confess, “l put her on house arrest.”

“But how could you b’lieve Eve?” Riley demands, clearly affronted on her mother’s behalf.

“Because l didn’t know how evil she was then.”l explain,

“1 don’t have any other excuse. I was a fool -l let her make a fool of me, and believing her is the biggest regret of my life, second only to how l treated your Mommy afterwards.”

“Wha’s house arrest?” Parker inquired, clearly distracted by my previous choice of words.

“lt’s like what Paisley said, a permanent time out.” I share.

“So you made Mommy a prisoner” Riley summarizes, for something she didn’ do.”

“Yes.” I concede. “That’s right. I made her my prisoner and l’ll never regret anything more.”

I can see their affection for me evaporating, and I don’t blame them. If someone did to my mother what I did to Jane, l’d probably kll them. Still, I can’t believe how quickly things have flipped upside down. A little while ago I was happier than I’ve been in a very long time, and now l’m awash with shame, guilt, and despair. I’m losing them. I think forlornly, lonely just got them, and I’m already losing them.

Well, it ‘s your own fault. A little voice says in the back of my head, after all, if you hadn’t been so cruel to Jane they wouldn’t be able to hold it against you.

I was young and stupid. I argue back, but children don’t understand the blurry black and white shades of youthful indiscretions, or the complexities of growth and redemption.

To them I’m the evil man that hurt their mother, full stop.

“How did you find out?” I ask them, wondering why this suddenly came up after Jane and I were both out all day.

“Eric told us.” Parker admits, looking at me as if l’ve just kicked a puppy.

“What?” | growl. To my horror, Riley, Parker and Ryder actually flinch away from me, as if frightened I’ll lash out at them. If I thought I felt ashamed before, it’s nothing compared to how terrible I feel now.

“Easy now, I caution, softening my tone, “‘m sorry. I was just surprised.”

“Eric said you were a monster.” Paisley murmurs, looking as though the sky is falling around her.

“It’s not that simple” | sigh, feeling a rush of pure hatred for the other man. “People aren’t angels or demons. Good people do bad things sometimes, and bad people do good things.”

“So which are you?” Ryder asks grumpily, scowling over at me.

“I d like to think I’m a good man who was tricked into doing something terrible, but I don’t know if your Mommy would agree. What I can tell you is that I’m not the same man I was then.” I proclaim, praying they understand.

They don’t.

“How’s that possible?” Riley demands, “you weren’t you then?”

“No, I was still me.” I state, dragging one large hand through my hair, “but people change as time passes. You’ll see when you get older, sometimes you can change so much over the years that you don’t even recognize the person you used to be, and having children is one of those things that can transform a person.”

“I don’ understand.” Ryder admits.

“I think he’s saying he has two personatalies.” Riley explains in a stage whisper.

“No” I chuckle humorlessly, “| don’t have two personalities. I just… I would never treat anyone that way today, but I can’t change the fact that I did it in the past.

“So… you were bad before, but you’re not bad now?” Parker presses.

“I was bad before.” I confirm, “And l’d like to think I’m not anymore, but that’s not for me to decide. It’s for you and your Mommy.”

“I think if he did the bad thing once, he could do it ‘gain.”

Ryder contributes, gazing at me with newfound suspicion.

Riley nods, “Mommy’s already in trouble ‘gain. Was dis your fault too?” She askS me.

“No, I’m doing everything I can to help your mother.” I insist.

“Paisley, what’d you think?” Parker asks.

“1 dunno.” She whimpers, “| love Daddy, an’ | love mommy.”

“But Daddy hurt Mommy” Riley reminds her, “He locked her up.”

Before l can say a word, Riley, Parker and Ryder put their heads together, murmuring to each other under their breath.

C*****g my ears towards their low voices, I catch the tail end of their conversation. “I think we should leave.” Riley is saying.

“Eric is much nicer to Mommy.” Ryder agrees.

“He was right, Mommy’s scared.” Parker adds. “I don’ want her to be scared. I think we should leave.”

“Agreed. The other two murmur, pulling away and looking curiously towards Paisley.

Jane enters then, her hair still wet from her shower and her clothes clinging to her damp skin in the most alluring way. Still, this isn’t the time to appreciate her luscious little body. The ground is crumbling beneath my very feet, and here I am distracted by my mate. Of course, it takes Jane all of five seconds to zone in on the tension in the air, so attuned is she to her pups.

“What’s going on?” She asks, studying their devastated expressions and turning to me for an explanation. “Is there news?”

Yes, I want to say, There is news. I know they’re mine, but none of it f*****g matters any more.

“Mommy, we wanna go home.” Riley announces gravely, getting to her feet.

Jane frowns, moving deeper into the room. “We are home, angel.”

“No, we wanna go back to the Dark Moon pack” Parker explains.

“You do?” Jane asks, completely shocked. “1 thought -“

if he’s on the verge of tears.

We wanna go home!” Ryder interrupts her, sounding as now.

“… what’s happened?” Jane questions, looking to me

“They know.” I state bleakly, “they know what I did to Jane’s eyes widen in shock, and she turns to Paisley, the only one of our pups who hasn’t said a word yet.

Paisley?”

My precious girl looks up at me, her lower l*p quivering heavily. She seems as if she wants to speak, but can’t seem to find the courage to actually share her thoughts.

“It’s okay, little one.” I tell her, feeling my heart break into a thousand pieces. “I want what’s best for you. You don’t have to be afraid to say how you feel.”

“1 don’ wanna leave Daddy.” She squeaks, staring hopefully at Jane. “But I don’ wanna lose you neither.”

“You can never lose me, sweetheart.” Jane promises, coming forward to stroke Paisley’s soft cheek. “And leaving your Daddy doesn’t mean losing him either, it just means you live with me and he comes to visit.”

Paisley’s looking at me again, and as much as I want to roar my rage and sorrow into the abyss, I can’t put those bad feelings on her, “I love you, Paisley. Whatever you choose.”

Her head whips back and forth between Jane and I, her cheeks growing increasingly red until she finally bursts. 1 can’t! I can’t choose!”

“Hey,’ I croon, pulling her into my la*p as tears begin streaming down her face, “lt’s okay, honey, I’m sorry. It’s okay, you don’t have to choose.”

Paisley wails into my shirt, and I find myself looking to Jane for guidance, feeling almost as raw and vulnerable as my daughter does. “What are we going to do?”

 

The Luna And Her Quadruplet Pups Chapter 84

Ethan

It takes almost an hour to get Paisley down for a nap, she’s so distraught by the idea of losing one of her parents. I feel like an absolutë monster: as if it wasn’t bad enough that the other pups now think l’m a villain, my daughter’s obvious pain is r!pping me to pieces.

When I finally get Paisley down, I join Jane in the kitchen. She’s standing over the stove stirring vegetables in a pan, silent tears sliding down her cheeks. “Hey'” I murmur, reaching for her arm, “what is it?”

Jane jumps three feet in the air, turning towards me in surprise and hastily swiping at her tears. “Hi” she hiccups, “

I’m sorry, I’m fine.”

“You don’t have to apologize for crying.”I tell her softly. “

And you’re clearly not fine.”

“1 am” She insists stubbornly, sliding out of my reach, this is just harder than I thought it would be. That’s all” She admits.

“I know.” I sigh, scrubbing my hand over my face. “This really isn’t how I thought this evening would go.”

“l just want one day, one day that isn’t filled with tears or drama.”‘ Jane laments, her voice thick with emotion. “

I suppose that’s not a realistic expectation when you have kids.”

“I don’t think most people’s lives are this crazy, Janey.” I tell her wryly, “and I don’t think ours is going to be like this forever. We’ve been through a lot lately.”

“Well when does it stop?” Jane bursts out, stomping her little foot in indignation and looking at me with a sulky frown.”You’re an Alpha, can’t you just snap your fingers and fix everything?”

Chuckling softly, I have to resist the urge to pull her close. I wish I had that power more than she could ever know. I’d do absolutely anything for Jane and the pups, and nothing fills me with more guilt than being helpless to fix their worries and fears. “Earlier tonight I actually thought l might have a solution for us.” I share, “l spoke to the investigator today.”

“Really?” Jane perks up, “did he find something on Eve?”

Suddenly I realize that I got so excited about the DNA results that I managed to overlook how Jane would take the news of the investigator finding more evidence against her.

Internally hitting myself, I try to backtrack. “No, actually, he found something he believed would prove your motive, but I told him he was an idiot.”

“How is that a solution for us?” Jane demands, “What did he find?”

“Weli it seems my mother wasn’t convinced that the kids belonged to Eric. She had a DNA test done – on all four pups.”

I share, wincing in anticipation of her reaction.

All the b***d drains from her beautiful face, and her entire body winds up tight as a spring. “She did?”

“You never had an affair, did you?” I press, decided to push past her discomfort and get right to the point. “You knew they were mine all along.”

She bristles, “How do you even know the test she got was legit? Maybe she forged it – it’s not that hard if you know someone at the facility.”

“You would know.”I remark coolly, narrowing my eyes at her. “I’m sure you were planning to do exactly that if l ever had my own paternity test run. But she had it done out of the territory, I highly doubt she kept in contact with foreign lab techs.”

“She could have still bribed them” Jane mutters, crossing her arms over her chest before squaring her shoulders and glaring at me. “And anyway, what does this have to do with her murder?”

“He thinks you killed her because she told you about the test and you wanted to stop her from revealing the results to me.” l explain, scanning her features and waiting for her to say more, even if it is only to deny the test’s veracity.”Is that really all you have to say about this?”

“What do you want me to say, Ethan?” She asks, “your mind is made up, just like that investigator’s mind is made .Then what harm can it do to come clean?” l question, “I already know the truth, so just admit it.”

“If you know that there’s no reason for me to admit it.”

Jane snaps, turning back to the stove.

I nab her trim waist, turning her to face me and towering over her with my most intimidating glare. “Yes there is.” I growl. “l want to hear you say it. I deserve that much, Janey.”

Jane can’t seem to look me in the eye. Her gaze keeps skirting around the kitchen as she tries to escape my scrutiny, but l’m certain she can feel the weight of my regard.

She begins shifting from foot to foot, squirming uncomfortably, but I hold out. I keep pinning her with my piercing gaze, waiting for her to pluck up the courage to admit the truth, or simply to surrender to my dominance.

Look at me, little wolf” l order after a few moments, putting all my Alpha authority into my tone. When she finally inches her glittering green irises to mine, I command, “Say it.”

The words are dragged from her l!ps without her permission, her wolf caving to my demand even though Jane wants to keep fighting. “Fine, they’re yours!” She cries, “but that doesn’t mean you should get to keep them. You lost that right when you made me your slave, and they want to go home with me” She reminds me, making my stomach churn.

“1 am going to marry Eric, and if the pups want to be with their stepfather instead of you, you need to respect that.

“What about Paisley?” I snarl, “She doesn’t want to choose, and the kids only just found out about what happened between-us. They might not be mad at me forever.

“They might not be, but I will.” She argues, wrenching at my grip. “You may have changed, Ethan, but some crimes are too terrible to forgive. No one capable of doing what you did to me belongs around children.”

“No!” I thunder, “you can say whatever you like about our marriage, but you cannot claim l am a bad father. You never would have left Paisley with me if you thought she wouldn’t be safe-“

“1 didn’t have a choice!” Jane interjects, raising her voice so loudly that I’m afraid she’ll wake the sleeping children.

Glancing towards the pups bedroom, I shush her gently.

“I might not have been a good husband-“

She scoffs, interrupting me again and sorely tempting to shut her saucy mouth with my own, but I forge on ahead.

This is one thing you cannot take from me. I am a good father and you know it.”

“Fine!” Jane hisses. “But the pups need to be together, and they need to be with me. You saw what being without me has done to Paisley.”

“And I promised her I would never leave her like you did.

“I bite back before I can stop myself. “She’s the one who’s going to be hurt in all of this. The other pups might be okay, but you’re asking her to live without one of her parents again. Don’t you care about her?”

Jane j3rks in my arms, looking as if she’s been slapped. “

Of course I care about her.” She insists thickly, “I love her every bit as much as I love the others… and in some ways she’s more precious to me, because she’s had to fight for every day of her life, and I’ve gotten so little time with her. I want what’s best for all of them, and that means being with me, and being with a male role model deserving of their affection.”

Now it’s my turn to reel back. Her words slice through me so sharply I want to double over in pain. A few hours ago | thought I was finally getting everything I wanted, and now I feel as though everything is slipping out of my reach all at once. My wolf is raging inside me, and I can feel my control slipping. My temper is blazing hotter and hotter with every moment that passes, and I know I should walk away before I say something I regret. Yet at the same time, I’m afraid if I walk away now I won’t get another chance to convince Jane: she’ll consider the battle won, and begin making plans to leave.

“Is Eric still going to want to marry you if he finds out you cheated on him?” I demand.

“Excuse me?” Jane responds, clenching her fangs.

“How would your fiance react if he knew we slept together a few days ago?” I threaten, if he knew how completely you surrendered yourself to me, how many times you came screaming my name?”

“How dare you!” She explodes, j3rking free of me at last.

“Are you blackmailing me? You think if he doesn’t want to marry me, I’ll stay with you?”

I know this is a mistake, but I can’t seem to stop myself.

The damage has already been done, and all I can do as I spiral towards self-destruction is hold on for dear life. “You haven’t answered my question.”

“He already knows.” Jane growls, “I told him after we got back from the vineyard. Luckily for me he is good man capable of forgiveness, unlike you. But thank you for confirming what I already knew, Ethan. Thank you for making it so clear that we don’t have any future here.”

I stare after her as she storms from the room, my heart sinking into my stomach like a rock. Whatever Jane says, I know Eric is less honorable than she believes, and I know he’s hiding things – why else is he fighting so hard to take her and the pups from me? l’ve held off on investigating him before now, but that ends today. I’m going to figure out his secrets and expose them to Jane – before it’s too late.

I will make sure Jane will be back to me. Nothing

Nobody could stop me.

 

The Luna And Her Quadruplet Pups Chapter 85

Jane

“l swear he’s losing it.” The man in question is back home with our pups, while I try to wrap my head around what just happened with the help of Linda and Eric. I’m seated on my friend’s plush sofa, with Eric beside me and Linda looking on from the kitchen while she brews a pot of tea. “He threatened to blackmail me tonight.”

“I warned you he wasn’t really going to let the pups go.”

Eric frowns, “what on earth did he try to blackmail you with?”

My face flushes with color as I stare at my la*p, fidgeting nervously. “Well..”l begin, trying to find the courage to speak the words aloud.

“Oh I know that look!” Linda chimes in, a note of humor in her voice. “What did you do, you bad girl?”

I sort of slept with him” I confess, burying my face in my hands rather than face their scrutiny. “So he threatened to tell Eric so he’d call of our wedding.”

“| knew it!” Linda exclaims, “How did it happen, when did it happen -I want details!”

“You slept with him?!” Eric adds, sounding appalled.

“It was the other day, when we went wine tasting” I share, peeking at Eric through my fingers and seeing his furious face. “We got a little tipsy and -“

“You were drunk?” Eric repeats, immediately rising to my defense. “He took advantage of you!”

“He didn’t.” I murmur. “l mean yes I lowered my inhibitions, but I wanted it. I’ve been resisting him for so long.

“Eric is fuming, and I suddenly feel very guilty for sharing this with him when I know he has feelings for me. “I ‘m sorry.” I profess, resting my hand on his arm, “l shouldn’t be sharing this kind of thing with you. I’m not trying to be insensitive, I just… I told him you already knew.”‘

“No it’s okay.” He assures me, quickly covering my hand with his own, “I need to know these things if l’m going to help you. If he says anything about it, I’ll pretend I knew all along.”

“Are you sure?” l inquire hesitantly. “1 feel like l’m asking way too much of you.”

“l’m sure.”‘ Eric promises, “and if you ask me Ethan isn’t losing it, he’s just showing you his true colors. If you want to see the man behind the mask you should keep pushing him, otherwise you’ll simply be letting him fool you again.”

Linda, clearly reading my slightly affronted energy, interjects, “l don’t think she “let” him do anything.” She says with a frown, her eyes locked on Eric even as she speaks to me. “And don’t know that pushing him is a good idea, Janey. He’s clearly feeling desperate and more conflict isn’t good for anyone. I don’t believe he’s trying to repeat history here, but if you force him into a corner he might lash out and do it anyway.

“You underestimate the depth of his cruelty” Eric tells her bleakly.

I can’t recall ever seeing Linda argue with Eric, they’ve always gotten along like gangbusters, but now she actually seems annoyed with him. “If l’m underestimating him then it’s all the more reason to be cautious. Why are you giving her such bad advice?”

“Please don’t argue, you guys.” I beg, “I’ve got enough discord at home. I just want to relax with my friends.”

Eric softens almost immediately, patting my leg in comfort, “I’m sorry, you’re right.”

Linda seems more reluctant to drop the matter at hand, still seeming preoccupied with Eric. If I didn’t know any better I might think she was angry he’s giving me so much attention, but surely if she liked him she would have told me.

She’s known Eric for years and never even hinted at being interested in him.”1 don’t understand”‘ She muses, finally turning away from him. “How did the pups even find out about Ethan enslaving you?”

“1 don’t know.”‘ I answer simply, pursing my l!ps, my best guess is that they were eavesdropping again. Eric you were with them today, id they mention anything to you?”

Eric blinks, looking off into the distance and racking his brain. “No, they seemed fine. But if they overheard something and asked Ethan about it, I doubt they waited very long- which means whatever they heard probably happened tonight. Is there any reason Ethan might have been talking to someone about it?”

This hadn’t occurred to me, but I realize he’s right. The pups would have certainly been impatient to find out the truth about whatever they heard, so it must have happened today. A niggling doubt enters the back of my mind. The only two people who were with them today were Eric and Ethan.I know Eric would never do anything to hurt me… but Ethan just found out the pups belonged to him…

“What is it?” Linda presses, her brow furrowed in concern as she reads my expression.

“Nothing” I deflect, “l just…” Trailing off I rise to my feet, beginning to pace. “Is that tea ready yet?”

“Let me check,” Linda responds, jumping up.

“What’s going on Jane, this clearly isn’t nothing.” Eric observes, standing as well.

“1 think I’m becoming paranoid.” I m0an, wringing my hands. “I mean Ethan just made a very public statement blaming Eve for Petra’s murder. He’s defended me with the investigator at every turn and he truly seems to regret what happened between us…”

“But?” Eric prompts.

“Well, what if he was talking on the phone to his beta or something, about taking me prisoner again now that he has proof the pups are his?” I fret.

“I think that’s entirely possible.” Eric agrees gravely, moving closer as if he wants to comfort me, but isn’t sure if I’ll accept it. I can’t help but think how different he and Ethan are -Ethan would comfort me regardless. If he thought I needed it he’d impose it even if I fought him tooth and nail.

And he’d probably be right. How twisted is it that he’s the reason l’m afraid of letting people get too close to me, and yet he’s the only one hard-headed enough to force his way in and give me what I won’t let myself have?

“And I think that’s a total leap!” Linda calls from the kitchen, strolling back in a few moments later with a tea tray.

“You have absolutely no reason to think that, Jane. And if he was talking to someone about it, it was probably his regrets about the past.”

“And how is that not a leap?” Eric questions her stiffly.

“First of all because the pups found out about the past, if he’d been talking about doing something in the future they probably would have told Jane, especially because they clearly turned against him.” Linda reasons, “And second, because l’ve been here the last four years watching him like a hawk. I’ve seen him raising Paisley and I’m telling you he’s changed. He isn’t faking it.”

My friend’s words are a welcome balm to my tormented nerves. I know Eric wants to help, but he seems so protective of me that he’s become as paranoid as I am – as if he was vicariously traumatized watching me try to recover from Ethan, while Linda’s heart softened watching Ethan cope with my death. I know they’re both on my side, and I know Linda might be biased in the other direction, but she’s sounding more logical than Eric at the moment.

“Thank you.” | breathe, accepting a cup of tea and letting the warm steam waft over me. “You’re right, I’m being a little crazy.”

“It’s okay babes, we all get a bit crazy sometimes.” Linda reminds me, glancing pointedly at Eric, who is mutinously grumbling under his breath.

I sip my tea and return to my seat. “I think this just shows that I was right about leaving. I can’t wait for the perfume launch, I need to get the pups back home sooner rather than later:”

“What about Paisley’s physical therapy?” Linda asks.

“l have to find a therapist there.” I suggest. “And I know it’s going to be hard for her to leave Ethan, but it will be better for all of us to rip the bandaid off rather than drawing out the pain.”

“You may be right.” She agrees, “but what about the investigation, you’re not supposed to leave the territory.

“They can only stop me if they catch me before l get out.

“I remind her. “The Dark Moon pack isn’t going to extradite their top business woman when the Alpha of this territory doesn’t even support the investigation.”

“That’s right.” Eric agrees with a wide smile, looking much calmer now. And if they try they’ll have to go through me.”

l grin at his cheesy line. I still don’t feel sure about starting to date anyone, but I have to think that after everything he’s done for me.

Could Eric at least deserve a chance? Will it be a fresh start for all of us? It seems so. But something about Eric just doesn’t make me feel right.

I so hope I would have my wolf to discuss about it and to clear my confusions.

Two nights later l’m lying awake in my bed, trying to list everything I need to do before we leave – including the not-so-little details of telling Ethan and Paisley, when I hear an odd scraping sound at the door. At first I assume it’s Ethan coming home – he went out with his beta and I haven’t heard him come in yet, even though it’s nearly three am.

Still, the scraping doesn’t end with a slight jingle of keys and the door clicking open and shut. Instead it drags on for two full minutes, soon followed by a few dull thumps. My heart rate increasing, I slide out of bed and edge toward the door. “Who’s there?” I whisper anxiously. Has Eve escaped? Is someone else breaking in?

The scraping begins again as I draw closer, and my heart races in my ch3st. Someone is trying to get into the house, and that means my pups are in danger.

l grab a knife from the kitchen, and edge towards the door- prepared to defend my family at all costs.