Chapter 42: Rhys
Leon shouted to his wife that I’m here, and then we head to his in-suite office. I took a seat in the large chair across from his, and he grabbed a bottle of whiskey and poured us each a drink. I took it gratefully, swallowing it in one go, and he refilled it without me even asking. He had been my best friend for longer than I could remember, and he tended to know exactly what I needed every time.
“So, what’s going on?” Leon asked, sitting down in his chair.
I sighed. I had just explained everything to Sawyer, now I had to tell Leon, and I already knew he would side with Sawyer. I also knew Sawyer was probably right about a lot of things, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want someone to tell me a different answer.
“Well, according to Sawyer, I’m pushing Gracie away, and I don’t know how to navigate this without coming on too strong.”
“How so?”
“Well, I was holding her, and I was telling her how much I wanted her, and then I said something about not letting other guys touch her, and she literally faked being asleep.”
“Uh-huh.” Leon replied. “And what did Sawyer say?”
“That I’m imposing partner like expectations, and she’s confused by them.” I mimicked Sawyer’s voice bitterly.
“Well, that’s probably true. So, when are you going to tell her that she’s probably your mate? ” He asked.
I looked at him in disbelief. “Why would I do that?”
“Because it’s unfair to keep it a secret.”
“I’m not going to tell her. Everything’s too complicated. What if she can’t handle it?” I protested.
“You have all the information laid out for you, at least more of it anyway. She’s blind in this. You keeping it from her is only going to hurt both of you. She deserves to know why you act the way you do. Just because you haven’t found who marked her, doesn’t mean that she shouldn’t know about her very possible future reality.”
I sucked in a breath, processing what he was saying. No, I couldn’t be honest with her. She had enough change to deal with in the last few weeks. Adding anything else seemed cruel.
“No. She can’t handle it.” I told him.
“You mean, you think she’ll leave you.” Leon stated, not budging.
I didn’t want to admit that was what I was worried about, but that was exactly what I was worried about. She’d hear all the things I’d kept from her, and she’d leave, never looking back, never trusting me again.
“Have you been down to see Ethan?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Yea,” Leon answered, sounding a little more hesitant than he had been a moment ago. “He still won’t talk. Both Sawyer and I have taken turns down there, but neither of us have had any luck getting him to talk. Especially since you won’t let us use violence.” He mumbled the last part under his breath.
“Why won’t he talk to you guys?” I questioned out loud, knowing that Leon probably didn’t have an answer to that anymore than I do.
“Truthfully I think it’s because we aren’t you.” Leon surprised me. “Sawyer and I both have far less Grace information, and even if we did, we aren’t privy to share it, and he knows it. He knows the only way he can get any information is from you.”
I nodded, thinking about what he said as I looked around. Leon’s office was a lot more homey than mine. He had pictures of his family everywhere. His wedding, birthdays, us growing up, his kids. Every piece of Leon’s life hung somewhere in this room, and I wanted that. I wanted a life that I could hang in pictures on a wall.
“Let’s go see Ethan.” I said after a long moment. “Maybe he’ll talk if I’m there..”
“Sure,” Leon answered uneasily as we headed to the door. “But please think of telling Grace, sooner rather than later. Secrets are no good in a relationship.
I acknowledged him with a wave, and we made our way to the dungeons in silence. Part of why I was so close with Leon was because he knew when to stop pushing me. He knew I was done talking about Grace, and he just backed off before it became a whole thing and I got angrier.
I approached the cell, unlocked the door, and took the seat Sawyer had occupied the day before.
“I didn’t think you’d come back.” Ethan said as he studied me. He was still in the same position he had been in yesterday, sitting on the floor with his knees to his chest.
“You know nothing about my habits.” I answered coldly.
The kid just shrugged. He wasn’t bothered by much it seemed.
“How did you know Grace was here?” I demanded. “How did you find my pack?”
“Lycan’s have a natural ability to track each other,” Ethan answered simply. “I just followed my gut, and it brought me here. I also always keep close tabs on all things Grace. Trouble tends to follow her.”
“You haven’t told her about her true identity yet, have you?” He asked.
“I ask the questions.” I growled.
Ethan let out a forced chuckle. “It scares you to be in love with a monster like her, doesn’t it?”
I scoff. “I’m not afraid or in love.”
“Sure.” Ethan smirked. “Whatever you say.”
“What else do I need to know about Lycans?” I interrogated, ignoring his insinuations.
“Well, maybe not about Lycans directly. But you should probably know that my half-sister, Kinsley, for unknown reasons, is not a Lycan. I assume you are still searching for their pack, and that might be helpful for your search. My Alpha father and his Luna were both Lycan, but Kinsley is not, and Grace and I are, so that’s kinda weird.”
“Is that why she targeted you guys?” Leon asked.
“That’s one of my guesses,” Ethan answered with a shrug. “She couldn’t inherit the throne perfectly with us around.”
I locked the cell door behind us, it was nearly 2 in the morning and I finally made my way to bed.
I pondered over Ethan’s answers. There was so much we didn’t understand about the Blood Moon pack, but more and more things were being pieced together. Whether Ethan was lying or not, he never seemed to say anything without a purpose. I just wished I was completely privy to everything he was saying.
And Leon is right, Grace needs to know the truth.