MATED TO SERIES COLLECTION

62. ETHAN: SHOCKING NEWS

"When are you coming home?"

"Once business is done here."

"What business?" Avery questioned. "You always change the subject when I ask about this. Why? What are you hiding Ethan? Where are you? I'm coming to you."

"No!" I yelled. "No," I said a little softer. "It's too dangerous. I don't want you in the path of danger."

"Ethan," she paused, "I miss you."

"I miss you too." The words taste vile. "I'll be home soon."

"How soon?"

I swallowed and turned away from the window. It felt like the walls were starting to close in on me. I needed to get out. Avery was talking again but her words flew over my head. I clutched the phone tighter as hurried down the hall and out of the house through the back door. A few minutes later I found myself on a cliff overlooking the ragging waves of the grey ocean.

The thunderclouds still lingered but no rain had fallen as of yet. I wished the sky would open and wash away all our problems. I wished that I could imagine a future with Lara and Silas by my side.

"Ethan, are you there?"

I swallowed. "I'm here. I just got a little distracted."

"Your mom helped me find the perfect dress for the ceremony. I've also started making arrangements to have the cabin cleaned. I know we've never really talk about completing the mate bond, but I would like for us to do that. We could start our own family. You want kids, don't you Ethan?"

"Yes." But not with you.

I want a family with my true mate. I want to go to bed with her and wake up next to her. I want to watch her belly grow with our baby inside. I want to watch her give birth. I want to watch her be the best fucking mother in the world. I want all that, but not with you. I want all that with Lara. Not you Avery. Never you.

"Great!" She giggled. "We might actually start that part a little sooner than we had planned."

My knees weakened. "W-what do you mean?"

"I think I'm pregnant, Ethan," she told me. "Nothing has been confirmed yet, I'm still waiting for the test result but I should have them back any day now."

A baby. Pregnant. Avery pregnant. Not Lara.

I tried to breathe through the panic that filled me. My chest tightened and it got harder to breathe. I could feel the life I had build with images of Lara, crumbling down. They were replaced by images of Avery being pregnant and then holding our baby. It wasn't right. It was all wrong.

"I'm so happy! I've always planned on having kids but I never expected it happening so soon. The doctor said it's because you have Alpha blood running through your veins."

Lies. It had to be lies. She had lied to Silas and me years ago. The baby she was carrying then was neither of ours. She had an abortion because she never wanted to be a mother. What had changed? Was she really pregnant? No, the blood work would confirm it. Avery couldn't be pregnant.

"I have to go," I said. "I'll call you a little later."

"Okay. Love you."

I hung up and stared down at my feet. Please don't do this to me. Don't do this to Lara. It'll destroy us. It'll destroy her. There was only one person I could trust to tell me the truth. I dialled his number and pressed my phone against my ear. It was time I made a choice and nobody would like the outcome.

***

The rain hit us two days later. Heavy thunder storms that forced us to stay inside. During the mist of it all, Lara had shifted for the first time. It was a painful experience to watch her go through the pain of shifting without being able to help her. All I could do was explain things to her and be there when her shift was completed.

Silas's back was healing nicely and because he had so much Lycan blood, his wounds healed and the scars faded. Lara's scars would forever be a reminder of what they went through. It would be a reminded that I could've lost her. I could've lost them both and maybe I still would.

Two days turned into another week that passed. Avery called to confirm that the test were positive. Avery was five months pregnant and the baby was mine. Wrin had confirmed it. I didn't know how exactly that had happened, but there was no going back now. I had always made sure that we used a condom whenever we had sex. I wanted to prevent something like this from happening. I didn't want Avery to have something else she could use to blackmail me.

She had my future in her hands.

***

Lara's laugh drifted towards me from across the yard. I stood in the tree line, just watching her. She was sitting on the porch, talking to Vanya. Silas stood to the side talking to Devrim. Every now and then he would glance over at her and smile. Lara would do the same but colour would flood her cheeks and she would quickly glance away.

Their love for each other were as clear as day. She was happy—I could see it in her eyes whenever she looked at me. My Lara was happy but today I would be the one to make all that happiness drain from her eyes. I would be the one to destroy her.

I felt the familiar feeling of envy and hate slithering up my spine. Why was Silas always the one who got what he wanted? Why was he the one who got to walk away from the responsibilities of the pack? Why was he always mom's favourite? Why was she always making excuses for him? Why him? What does he have that I don't?

My eyes drifted over to him as all those questions flashed through my mind. Nobody was going to answer them. Silas was. . .Silas. He was the trouble maker. He was the stubborn one. He was my brother—my twin—and the one I would do anything for because I loved him. No matter how much a part of me hated him for always getting what he wanted.

I sucked in a breath and slowly blew it out. Leaves crunched beneath my feet as I walked across the lawn towards them. Lara noticed me first. Her eyes locked with mine and her smile widened. She climbed to her feet and hurried down the steps. I caught her when she threw herself into my arms and hugged her tightly. But when she pressed her lips against mine, I couldn't kiss her back.

"Ethan?" She pulled away and blinked up at me. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm s-sorry," I whispered. "I'm so fucking sorry, my beauty."

"I don't. . .W-what happened?"

Reaching up, I cupped her cheeks and dropped my forehead against hers. Worry filled her eyes and then fear. She knew. Somehow Lara knew, I could tell.

"It's Avery, isn't it?"

I squeezed my eyes closed and nodded. It was hard to get the words out. I swallowed a few times and then forced them out. "Avery's pregnant."

She sucked in a sharp breath and pulled away. My eyes snapped open when Lara gripped my wrist and pulled my hands from her face. She fanatically shook her head as tears welled up in her eyes.

"It's a lie," she whispered. "She lied to you both before. It's part of her plan, right? You know it is, Ethan. Avery is a liar. She would do anything to get what she wants."

"I checked, Lara. I made sure. She's not lying this time, beauty. Avery is five months pregnant and the baby is mine."

"No!" She pushed me away and stumbled backwards.

I reached for her but she slapped my hands away.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed.

Lara continued to mutter under her breath as she shook her head. Her body was shaking and I knew that she was going to shift if she didn't get her emotions under control. I stepped forward but Silas was suddenly there, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to his chest. His eyes caught mine but snapped over to Lara when she pushed him away.

"What happened?" He gripped her shoulders and turned her to face him. "Lara?"

"I hate him!" she screamed, fighting his hold. "I hate her!"

Silas turned towards me with a frown. Lara suddenly jerked free from his hold and starting running for the woods. Fear washed through me. The cliff was to the west. She wouldn't. . .I shook my head and took off after her. I needed to talk to her. I needed to explain everything. I needed to make her understand that I loved her and that having a baby with Avery would never change that.