apter 0085
I turn and am shocked to see the she–wolf that spoke to me with such venom inside the
Pack House kitchen.
I had almost forgotten that we’re still outside of the Pack House.
“He has your eyes… is he your son?” The she–wolf asks softly, looking at Ethan who still remains seated inside of Ryan’s car.
I hesitate, so used to being on my guard when within Pack DarkWood territory. I briefly debate changing the subject and avoiding the question.
“Yes, that’s my Mommy,” Ethan replies for me.
I let out the breath I was holding and smile down at my son. I suppose I can’t keep him hidden forever.
I look back to the she–wolf, nodding. “It’s true.”
“Please accept these toys as a gift, a token of our deepest apologies for how we’ve treated you,” the she–wolf says, holding a large bag in her hands.
I look inside and the bag is filled with racecars and robots, candies and crafts, all kinds of toys that would make any child jump for joy.
Ethan jumps out of the car, reaching for the bag. “Really?!”
Just then, a pair of small children, probably around five years old or so leans out from behind the she–wolf. They must have come with her, but were hiding out of sight behind her body.
“They’re for you,” one of the children says.
He turns to me, tugging on my shirt, “Can I play with them, Mommy?”
I nod, and reply, “Just for a few minutes,
I feel a tear of joy and pride prick the corner of my eye watching my son run and giggle with the Pack House orphans. For so long, he’s had his sister to play with, but now that Mia’s health has gotten worse, she’s been confined to a wheelchair.
Mia can’t play like she used to. And that means Ethan hasn’t played much either.
Ethan stretches out his little legs and runs behind the children, smiling from ear to ear. His black hair blows in the wind, covering his forehead and dipping in front of his eyes.
He looks just like…
Suddenly, I feel like I’m transported back into a memory. Into the far corners of my mind, I recall seeing a young boy who looked just like him.
Chapter 05
With black hair just like him.
Running in the forest.
Lost and looking for his pack.
I remember him.
-25 BONUS
I once dreamed about that boy.
I remember feeling like we only had each other, Like there was no one else in the whole world. Just the two of us.
Together.
And I knew, I just knew, that the two of us could solve anything together. We could do anything, overcome any obstacle.
We were just two kids, but there was something between us. A powerful force that both soothed and excited me, even then.
The emotions are rushing through me as the memory hits me. It’s powerful, like a wave crashing on top of me.
What had ever happened to that boy?
I didn’t recall seeing him again after that day in the forest. After that, I was taken into this very Pack House and saw so many new faces that until just now, I barely remembered what that boy had looked like.
Something about the way Ethan’s hair was blowing had triggered something in me. I could finally see his face, the boy from my memory.
Where was the boy now?
“Cara,” a man’s voice calls to me.
I look up, remembering myself. “Yes?” I ask.
It’s John, the DarkWood Beta. He’s still here.
“We should get to the hospital now,” John says.
I look down at my watch, shocked to see that we’ve stayed at the Pack House so long. I meant to leave a while ago.
“Alaric is waiting for you,” John says to me.
