Chapter 2

The next morning Ella ushered Aaron and Emme into the already-packed car.

“Where are we going?” Emme asked as Ella buckled her in.

Ella knew they would be curious, but she wasn’t quite sure how to tell them about her past. After all, this was the only home they had ever known. They had never met anyone from the Moon Rising Pack, not even their grandparents.

Aaron turned to her, curious as well, his innocent green eyes imploring her for an answer.

“We’re going for a little trip to see Mommy’s home,” Ella finally answered, hoping she wouldn’t have to divulge more details.

Thankfully the twins didn’t ask her any more questions, and Ella started up her car. It wasn’t much, but it worked. She pulled out of the driveway, letting out an anxious sigh. Ella’s chest tightened at the thought of what she was doing. Was she really ready to go back home?

Ella turned onto the interstate. Ella looked back at her children through the rearview mirror. They look so much like Adam. There will be no doubt once everyone sees them. Ella’s eyes returned to the road, but her mind continued to worry about how she and the twins would be received. She didn’t want them shoved into the spotlight so soon.

Ella’s thoughts wandered as she continued down the nearly empty stretch of road. After all this time, she had tried hard to forget about her past, not wanting to relive the pain. But the closer she got to her old pack, the more her thoughts turned to the terrible events that led to her fleeing.

***

Adam had marked her as his. She'd never been happier in her whole life. She wanted to spend the rest of her days with him, her best friend in the whole world. They had been about to complete their mating ceremony when all hell broke loose.

Ella could hear screams and her heart dropped. A fully changed werewolf was tearing through her loved ones, massacring them left and right. Her eyes widened as the figure neared her and Adam.

Before the beast could get any closer, Ella’s mother swiftly transformed, her fiery fur ripping apart the gown she had on. Before Ella could protest, her mother charged the intruder, motherly instincts adding ferocity to her attacks. But it wasn’t enough. The large wolf easily overpowered her, breaking her neck and throwing her aside like she was nothing.

Ella’s screams blocked out everything else as her hands flew to her head and the crushing weight of grief pushed her to the ground. Adam had sprung into action after that, changing into his fearsome wolf. He might not have been quite as large as the attacker, but his anger fueled him.

Adam charged his opponent furiously. They clawed and bit each other, but the intruder could not withstand Adam’s onslaught. After a fatal blow to the gut, the attacker retreated, moving faster than Ella could track. As an expert healer, she could tell Adam’s final blow had been fatal, and she assumed the wolf would bleed out from his extensive injuries before the end of the day.

“Who was that?” Ella had asked her mate, her voice trembling.

Adam spat in the direction the wolf had left. “Orion, Alpha of the Moon Blood Pack.”

“Why would he come to attack us now?”

“I’m sure he wanted to beat me before we finished our mating ceremony. He knew once we were bound, I would be even stronger, and he would have no hope of overtaking our pack.”

With each word, Adam became more and more enraged. He began to pace like a caged animal.

Ella tried to soothe him. “He is gone now. You beat him. We can forget all this and be happy together, just as we planned.”

She reached out a delicate hand to turn his face toward hers. As Adam turned to face Ella, his eyes looked wrong— they were no longer the kind and confident ones Ella had come to know; instead, they were crazed and filled with hate. Something had changed in Adam, and Ella feared he wouldn’t be able to let it go.

As the days wore on, Adam continued to let the awful event bring him to bitterness. Without meaning to, he was pushing Ella away. He became ruthless in all his dealings. Ella had tried to plead with him, trying to get him to realize what he was doing. But he refused. The mating ceremony fell by the wayside, and Ella wondered if they would ever complete it.

Soon, she had had enough. Adam wasn’t the man she had grown to love. He was a stranger to her. She packed her bags and left, letting the pain drive her away from her home, her family. The death of her mother encouraged her to leave the place, keeping the awful memories behind along with those slaughtered at her ceremony.

Days later, Ella had realized she hadn’t started her period yet. With everything happening, she had forgotten it should have come a couple of weeks ago. She scrambled to the convenience store down the street to buy a pregnancy test. Sure enough, it turned positive. Ella blanched at the thought of raising a baby on her own.

***

Ella snapped back to the present as Aaron’s voice rang out. She swerved away from the oncoming car just in time. Ella looked back at her children, seeing their terrified faces in the rearview mirror.

“Sorry, love,” she sent over her shoulder.

Ella took a deep breath, calming her nerves. She shuddered as the memory faded away. She reached up with her hand to brush a tear away, not realizing she had started crying. Ella continued to take deep breaths, shoving the memory back where it belonged.

“Are you okay, Mom?” Aaron piped up quietly.

Ella’s face softened, guilt pushing to the surface. “I’m sorry I scared you. I promise I will never let anything happen to you.”

“Are we there yet?” Emme asked, staring out the window.

Ella chuckled. “Does it look like we’re there yet?”

Emme sat back into her booster seat, arms crossed. “We’ve been driving forever,” she complained.

A small, understanding smile donned Ella’s face. “I know, sweetheart. Just a bit longer, I promise.”

Ella reached back into the bin on the floor, blindly feeling for a toy. She grasped one and held it out to her daughter, who snatched it up happily.

“I want a toy too,” Aaron complained.

Ella silently rolled her eyes, knowing the response was coming. She held out a different toy to him.

“No, I want the red one!”

“Honey, I can’t see the colors while I’m driving. Please just take this one.”

Aaron reluctantly took the toy from his mother. Ella returned her hand to the steering wheel. She saw a sign indicating her exit was only five miles away. I didn’t realize we were so close already. Apprehension caused her chest to tighten.

Breathe, Ella. Just breathe.

She let out a long sigh as she changed lanes, getting ready for the upcoming exit.

Soon, Ella could see the outskirts of the pack’s territory. She steeled herself, knowing her return would raise many questions, especially once everyone saw her children. She arrived at her father’s house, and she greeted him with a lasting hug. He squeezed her back, tears filling his eyes.

After introducing her children to their grandfather, she told them she would be back soon. Ella asked her father to watch Aaron and Emme while she went to see Adam. She wasn’t quite ready to tell him he was a father.

When they arrived at Adam’s house, she walked up to the front door on shaky knees and hesitantly knocked. Maybe there was still time to get back in the car before he —

The door swung open, and Adam stood before her, still as handsome as ever. But his skin was ashen, and he looked on the brink of death. Adam’s eyes widened as he saw who was standing on his doorstep. His mouth fell open. They stood there awkwardly for a second before Adam spoke.

“Ella?”

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak just yet.

“What are you doing here?”