Chapter 51

Fifty-One

IZZY

“ G od, these are the best ribs of my life. I would marry the fuck out of them if I could.” I moan as I use a napkin to wipe away some more sauce from my lips.

The napkin isn’t as good as Christian’s thumb, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Desiree glances at her own plate with a crinkled nose and raised eyebrows. Hesitantly, she picks up a rib and takes a delicate bite out of the meat. I can’t help but snort at how ridiculous she looks.

Like every other time I’ve seen her, she looks meticulous, not a strand of hair out of place. She wears a white dress that grazes her knees and a dark cardigan overtop.

“Stop laughing at me!” Desiree huffs, though her tone holds no true annoyance. “This shit is hard to eat. I don’t want to spill.”

“At this rate, it’s going to take you five hours just to get through one rib.”

Desiree carefully sets her meat back down on her paper plate and swivels on the bench to face me completely.

The two of us sit at one of the picnic tables slightly away from the rest of the party. The air has grown considerably colder in the hours since I’ve arrived, and a soft breeze stirs my blonde curls.

Desiree glances at her plate and then refocuses on me, her eyes slightly misty.

“Do you hate me?” she asks, and the abruptness of the question takes me off guard.

I lean back slightly and say, “If I hated you, I wouldn’t be sitting here watching you attempt to eat ribs.”

Desiree makes a face. “These things are a menace to society. They shouldn’t be allowed to exist.”

“Agree to disagree. But back to the important issue… Why do you think I hate you?”

“Maybe because you’ve barely talked to me since you discovered I was supposed to mate with your guys?”

A blush settles in my cheeks. “They’re not my guys,” I mutter.

She ignores me. “I don’t want to mate them, Izzy. You have to understand that.” She glances down at her hands—the nails perfectly manicured and painted a cherry red—and whispers, “I’ve accepted that I’m a lone wolf. It’s my father who’s holding out hope for me.”

A tiny piece of my heart shatters at her confession. “Is there really no hope?”

I can’t help but think of Christin when I ask that question. If he’s fated to lose his mind to the wolf, then where does that leave us?

“There’s never been a case of a lone wolf remaining sane,” Desiree confesses, finally glancing up to spear me with a look. An understanding smile graces her face. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not possible. Stranger things have happened. I don’t know Christian well, but I know that he’s a fighter.”

Did she see my almost-kiss with him? Christian assured me that we didn’t need to be subtle, that no one here would care that he’s my vice principal and mate, but I can’t help but be worried. A thread of trepidation unfurls in my gut.

“How did you know…?” I blink at her in disbelief, but Desiree simply snorts and then grins.

“There’s a reason I brought you to him on your eighteenth birthday. I know he’s one of your mates.” A fierce expression twists her face as she glares at me. “And I would’ve told you sooner if you didn’t ignore me. You were supposed to be my friend, yet you allowed those big dickheads to get in the way.”

Shame fills me. “I know. I’m sorry. It was just…hard. I didn’t really know what to believe. I still don’t, if I’m being honest.”

“Let me cut to the chase for you.” Desiree turns completely to face me and jabs a finger at my chest. “I have never and will never have feelings for your men. I knew from the very first moment I touched them that they weren’t meant for me—that they’ll never be meant for me. But even if I didn’t know that, I wouldn’t have feelings for them. Ashton has the emotional capability of a robot, Reid scares the shit out of me, Emery makes me want to become a murderer, and Ethan… Well, I think I hate Ethan least of all.” She shrugs. “I just don’t find him attractive.”

How could she not find him attractive?

All of the guys are sexy as sin, even Ashton, as much as I hate to admit it.

Something occurs to me then.

“Desiree, do you not like…?” I trail off, unsure of how to ask the question without coming across as inconsiderate or rude. “Fuck. Sorry. It’s not my place to ask.”

Desiree chuckles. “I was wondering when you would ask me that.” The smile gradually fades from her face, her lips compressing into a thin line. “I’m not gay, if that’s what you think. But I’m not entirely straight either.”

I remain silent, waiting for her to get her thoughts in order.

“For the longest time, I thought there was something wrong with me,” she confesses, brushing at a loose strand of hair. “I wasn’t sexually attracted to girls or guys. I mean, that can’t be normal, right? I thought maybe that would change with time. I hooked up with a guy here and there, and when that didn’t work, I started sleeping with girls. But I felt…nothing. I hated it, if I’m being honest.”

“You’re asexual,” I breathe in understanding.

She licks her lower lip and nods once. “I think so. Or maybe I just haven’t found the right person. I don’t know yet.” She shakes her head from side to side, as if trying to physically clear her thoughts. “Does that make me…weird?”

“Of course not!” I exclaim instantly. “Did someone call you weird? Who did it? I’ll kill them.”

Fierce indignation and protectiveness rumble through me on behalf of my friend.

Desiree offers me a soft smile. “Did you know I have a special power on top of shifting into a wolf?”

Once again, I’m blindsided by the topic change but take it in stride.

“I remember being told that some wolves have extra gifts, but I didn’t know you had one.”

She nods solemnly. “I can see visions of the future. And before you begin freaking out or asking me for lottery numbers, my visions are…erratic, to put it mildly. Completely random. They often happen whenever I touch someone.”

I remember the way she froze when we were introduced. The way her eyes glazed over and her lips parted.

“You had a vision when we met, didn’t you?” I phrase it as a question, but I already know the answer.

“I did,” she says. “It was different from the others. Longer. Clearer.”

“What was it of?”

“The two of us,” she confesses, her cheeks pinkening. “In the vision, you were at my house, and we were talking about your mates and eating popcorn and laughing, and I never felt so content. You were my best friend, practically my sister, and I loved you with my entire heart.” A single tear cascades down her cheek. “I’ve never had a best friend before.”

“What about Mimi? Emilia?” I think of the two girls I see trailing along after Desiree in school. Both girls have become friends of mine, though Mimi is definitely more outgoing than the reserved Emilia.

“We’re friends, yes, but… Is it wrong if I say that the friendships feel superficial?” Desiree tilts her head to the side. “Like, they know my shoe size and my favorite restaurant, but they don’t know that I’m asexual. And I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable telling them that.”

I wrap my arm around Desiree’s shoulders and pull her against me. “I’ve been a shitty friend.”

“You have,” she agrees, hugging me back. She then pushes away, sniffs, and brushes daintily beneath both of her eyes, catching a few wayward tears. “But at least you have your head out of your ass now.”

“I’m kind of happy we cleared the air because there’s a lot I need to get off my chest.”

Desiree’s ears practically perk up like a dog being told her owner has a treat.

The two of us sit on the bench and chat about everything and nothing. I tell her about what Hale and Gerry said about my birth parents, and then my suspicions that Silas and Mr. Remington are my fathers. I tell her about Grayson and how he ditched me shortly after we had sex—to which she responded, “Fuck him, then. He probably has a tiny penis.”

He does not, in fact, have a tiny penis.

I tell her about Ansel and Christian and even the other four wolf shifters. I express my disappointment that they’ve kept so many secrets from me and my fear for the future.

Desiree listens to everything I say without judgment, only understanding.

“We could run away together and become old, evil crones on the outskirts of town,” she suggests once I finish.

“That’s… That’s actually a very tempting proposition.”

She nods seriously. “We can have a bunch of black cats roaming around and set out old, creaking rocking chairs on the front porch that we can sit on when the neighborhood kids walk by. Then we can just stare at them without saying a single word and watch them run away screaming in fright.”

“Damn, girl. I got actual goose bumps.” I hold up my arm to show her what I mean.

“I know—” Desiree cuts off abruptly, her eyes widening. “What the fuck are they doing?”

I turn to follow the direction of her gaze, and my jaw just about hits the floor.

Emery and Ethan stand in the middle of the road, already gathering a crowd of concerned, curious, amused, and scandalized onlookers.

“Was this the bet?” Desiree asks in disbelief.

“No! I never asked them to be naked!”

Because Ethan and Emery are completely naked, their hands covering their junk.

And every ounce of hair on their bodies is gone.

The blond tousled curls on their heads.

Their eyebrows.

Their chests.

Their arms.

Their legs.

I wonder if they even shaved their…

Nope. Not going there.

Desiree covers her mouth with her hand as laughter bubbles free. “Oh my god.”

“Is this your doing?” Christian, who has been talking with a few wolves a short distance away, comes to stand beside me, his twinkling eyes trained on the twins.

“I didn’t tell them they had to come out butt-ass naked!” I insist.

“Nudity is common amongst wolves,” Christian says, as if that explains everything.

It totally doesn’t.

“What the fuck am I looking at?” Reid rumbles as he stomps towards our table, Ashton following a short distance behind him.

The latter doesn’t even look at me.

“They were so sure they would beat me at the arcade,” I say with a shrug. “I told them that if they were to lose, they would have to shave off all of their hair.” When everyone turns to stare at me in shock, I shrug again. “What? Emery said it’ll grow back within a couple of days.”

“They look…more repulsive than usual,” Desiree says, frowning.

“Like adult babies,” adds Christian.

Reid simply laughs into his hands.

“Oh god. What are they doing now?” I whisper in horror, watching as Emery moves to stand on one of the picnic tables.

He removes his hands from his dick and props them on his hips.

And…yup.

He is shaved everywhere.

Oh my god.

I need to stop looking, but I can’t.

My trepidation melts into heat, traversing my veins like liquid fire.

“Can I have everyone’s attention?” Emery calls without any shame whatsoever.

Ethan, on the other hand, is still blushing a beet-red, attempting to cover his junk with his hands.

“You already have it,” one of the shifters says, and a few laughs trickle through the crowd.

“Was this a part of the bet?” Desiree whispers to me.

I shake my head wordlessly, even as desire beats through my blood like a pulse.

“My twin and I have something to say!” Emery continues, gesturing for Ethan to join him on the table.

Ethan looks as if he’d rather stab himself in the eye than join his twin, but he eventually sighs and climbs up.

“What the fuck are they doing?” Ashton hisses.

“Hush,” Desiree snaps.

“We made a mistake,” Emery says. “ I made a mistake.”

He searches the crowd until his searing gaze catches my own. Time seems to stand still, and I find that I can’t look away. My heart thumps unevenly in my chest, and my breath catches.

“I hurt someone I care about very much by keeping secrets from her. Lying.”

Ethan clears his throat and takes a step forward, still covering his dick with his hands. “About a year ago, I did something I shouldn’t have.” His voice rings out clear and concise. “I won’t go into the details now because it’s not something you guys need to know, but I was in a lot of trouble. I made a deal to get out of it.”

Shame coats each word.

“Oh my god,” Desiree breathes, her gaze flicking to an older gentleman standing opposite the street.

Even from this distance, I can pick up the similarities between him and his daughter.

“What are they doing?” Ashton repeats, and this time, his voice is rife with something akin to panic.

“A lot of you think that Desiree is our mate,” Emery says, taking over the conversation. “But that’s a lie. She’s not and will never be our mate.”

Desiree’s breath hitches, but it’s not because of Emery’s words. She’s focused on her father, who is stalking through the crowd, fury painted onto every line of his face.

“We found our true mate, and she is the most caring, beautiful, amazing girl in the world.” Emery’s lips twitch into an adoring smile. “I don’t think we’ll ever be worthy of her.”

“Oh my god.” That seems to be the only three words I’m capable of saying.

“We’re sorry,” Ethan adds, and though his voice is soft, I can hear it across the distance as if he screamed. His green gaze never strays from my face. “We promise to never hurt you like that again.”

Desiree’s dad is close to them now, his hands balled into fists.

Emery and Ethan exchange a look, and the latter smirks evilly.

Then, as one, the two of them shift into their wolves.

Their furless, naked wolves.

Someone chuckles in the audience, and then that noise is followed by a few more laughs. It isn’t long until the entire crowd is laughing at the guys’ expense. Emery—I can tell it’s him based on his personality alone—prances around in all his naked glory, his tiny tail wagging behind him. Ethan, however, comes straight to me, his head lowered in what appears to be submission.

“Oh, Ethan. What did you do?” I whisper as I tentatively reach out to touch his head.

He presses his cheek flat against my palm, his lashes fluttering shut, and I have to stop myself from grimacing. He’s really, really gross like this.

“What the fuck did you do?” Ashton bellows, moving to stand beside me, his chest heaving, his eyes wild with fear. “Do you know what this means?”

Ethan’s eyes snap open, and he sits, watching his packmate.

“What this means is that he broke our deal,” a cool baritone rumbles from behind us.

I stiffen and slowly turn around.

“Daddy, please,” Desiree begs. “Just forget about it. You know the mating wouldn’t have worked anyway…”

Desiree’s father turns towards his daughter, and some of the anger in his face dissipates, replaced by desperation. “I won’t allow you to go feral. I refuse.”

“Mating with them won’t change anything?—”

“They’re the strongest pack around!” her father bellows, his cheeks turning red. “They’ll be able to save you. I know it. You just need to?—”

“I’m sure we can come up with another solution,” Ashton says smoothly, attempting to appear unruffled, but I can see the panic swirling in his eyes. I didn’t think I knew Ashton well enough to notice things like that, but apparently, I do. “Perhaps monetary compensation?—”

“This boy”—he jabs an angry finger in Ethan’s direction—“destroyed my entire house and nearly killed me. He deserves to spend the rest of his days in prison.”

Ethan flinches like he’s been kicked and lowers his large wolf head, placing it on his paws. A whine emanates from his chest.

“Did he tell you what he did?” Desiree’s father turns towards me, pure malice reflecting in his eyes.

“Dad, don’t!” Desiree snaps.

He ignores her. “You have no idea that your mate is a drug addict, do you? An alcoholic? Did he not mention that when he was between your legs?”

“You’re being fucking disgusting!” Desiree screeches, red blotches erupting on her cheeks.

“He’s not a drug addict anymore,” Ashton says stiffly.

“He ran his goddamn car through my living room after one of his benders. Not only did he nearly kill me, but he sent his own brother to the hospital. It’s a miracle Emery was able to walk again.”

“Why don’t you stop talking about shit you know nothing about?” Emery growls, coming to stand on my other side.

At some point, he must’ve thrown on a pair of jeans, though they appear slightly too big on him, the waistband hanging low on his hips.

Ethan whines again.

“Maybe it’s a good thing that Desiree won’t be tied to your pack,” the older man spits out. “You are all a bunch of fuckups.”

“We can talk about this,” Ashton tries again, keeping his voice calm and placating. “There has to be a solution?—”

“Yeah, a prison sentence.” He sneers down at Ethan, who whimpers and backs away. “You fucked up, boy. You fucked up real bad.”

And with that, he turns on his heel and stomps back towards the party—though everyone is paying more attention to us than anything or anyone else.

Desiree curses, shoots a hopeless glance in my direction, and then hurries after him, pleading with him to listen to her.

I turn to stare down at Ethan, who tilts his head up to maintain eye contact with me. “Is that true?”

Everything starts to make sense.

I finally understand why Emery has hated Ethan for as long as I’ve known him.

Ethan nearly killed Emery, and not only that, but he got their pack trapped in a relationship with a woman they didn’t love.

However, I don’t feel any anger or hatred or annoyance when I stare down at Ethan’s wolf. Only sadness. He carried this burden with him for just about a year now. It must be so incredibly tiring…and lonely.

How long has he been clean?

Did he have help along the way?

Does he have a support system in place?

Ethan continues to stare at me, his eyes unreadable, before he jumps to his feet and takes off in a run.

“Dammit!” Emery curses, taking a step as if he means to go after him.

Ashton holds up a hand to stop him. “You need to stay here and start damage control. People here find you…” His lip curls. “They find you charming . Use that. Rally support. I have a feeling Peter will do something sooner rather than later, and we’ll need people on our side.”

Peter.

That must be the man’s name.

I fucking hate it.

Emery looks as if he wants to protest but nods once. “Fine.”

Without a word, he disappears into the crowd.

“What’s going to happen now?” I ask nervously.

Ashton pinches the bridge of his nose. “Because of the twins’ idiotic proclamation, we can no longer hold up our end of the deal. That means Peter is free to take legal action against Ethan if he so desires.”

“Not normal legal action,” Christian adds. “They’ll face the Council, and they’ll decide Ethan’s punishment.”

A tiny bit of hope flares to life. “That’s good, right? I mean, his dad is on the Council.”

“His dad and packmates won’t be able to vote,” Reid rumbles, his tone gruff. “Conflict of interest.”

“The vote will go to the second most powerful pack, which happens to be close friends of Peter’s,” Ashton finishes, his jaw tick-tick-ticking away like a tiny clock.

A finger of ice touches my spine, and an invisible spike spears my chest. “Fuck.”

“Yeah. Fuck.” Ashton scrubs a hand over his buzzed head. “He’s an idiot. I don’t know why he would do such a stupid thing?—”

“Maybe because, unlike you, some things are more important to him than power and prestige,” Christian remarks softly. “Maybe because he didn’t want to lose his mate before he even had the chance to have her.”

My heart thunders against my rib cage.

Ashton whirls on his older brother. “Is love more important than freedom?”

“Is that what you think the mating bond is?” Christian asks, frowning. “A cage?”

Ashton blanches as if he’s been struck. “This has nothing to do with me or the mating bond but everything to do with Ethan spending the rest of his life in prison. Because you know that’s what they’re going to vote for—despite the fact that no one got hurt, and we repaired the house. Peter’s a vindictive man. He’ll want revenge for the way the twins humiliated Desiree.”

“I never…” I swallow and try again. “I never would’ve asked them to do this for me. I swear.”

Ashton turns towards me, and I swear his face softens for a fraction of a second. Then it hardens, turning to stone once more, his eyes keen knives that slice at my skin.

“I won’t allow Ethan to spend the rest of his life rotting away.”

“I’ll see if I can talk to some of my old friends,” Christian says. “Remember Bobby?”

Reid’s brows furrow. “The nurse?”

“He was one of my old buddies before I…before I moved away. And he’s also the son of one of the men who will be voting on Ethan’s fate. I can talk to him. Try to get him to set up a meeting with his father and the rest of his pack. Make them see reason.”

Reid’s scowl deepens. “I can make them see reason.”

His dark, threatening voice causes goose bumps to ripple up and down my arms.

“Reid, go find the twins’ parents. We need to tell them what’s going on. They’ll know what to do,” Ashton instructs, and I can see the wheels in his head turning, the cogs circling.

“And what are you going to do?” I ask, turning towards Ashton.

“I’m going to look for Ethan. He shouldn’t be alone,” Ashton says.

He begins to stalk towards the forest.

I exchange a helpless glance with first Christian and then Reid before hurrying after Ashton. “I’m coming with you.”

Ashton stops abruptly. “No, you are fucking not.”

He glares at me, but I hold his stare without an inkling of fear.

“Yes, I fucking am.” I fold my arms over my chest and scowl. “Are you going to stand here arguing with me, or are you going to start looking?”

“You’re not a wolf,” Ashton snaps. “You’ll just get in the way.”

“I’m his mate,” I counter immediately, my tone firm in its conviction.

And…I realize this is the first time I’ve ever acknowledged that out loud or without scorn. The rightness of that statement now seeps through my veins and surrounds me in warmth, kindling an unimaginable blaze.

Mate.

I’m his mate.

A battle wars in Ashton’s eyes before he finally grits out, “Fine,” and stomps towards the forest. “But I’m not slowing down for you.”

I roll my eyes. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

However, despite Ashton’s words, he waits for me at the edge of the forest.

I ignore him entirely.

“Do you even know where you’re going?” Ashton bites out as I push away a tree branch.

It snaps back into place…hitting Ashton square in the forehead.

“I’m his mate. Of course I do,” I lie, unwilling to admit that I’m completely and utterly lost.

I’m sure there is a way to find Ethan through the mate bond, but I haven’t yet read my copy of Mating Bonds for Dummies .

“Such a liar,” Ashton grumbles, and then silence descends, broken apart by the singing of crickets and the chirping of birds.

With every step, I can feel his eyes on my flesh, roaming over me in a way that makes my neck prickle. I can’t fucking take it.

I pause so abruptly that Ashton nearly runs into me. I whirl around and jab a finger at his chest. “Why the fuck do you hate me?”

Shock splays across his face, momentarily replacing the impassivity I’ve grown accustomed to. “What?”

“Why the fuck do you hate me? No lies. No half-truths. Why. Do. You. Hate. Me?”