Chapter 72


    Chapter 72 – Telling the Pups


    3rd Person


    “What’d you mean, we’re moving?” Riley asked in a hushed voice.


    “Eric told me.” Paisley confided, looking around at her siblings faces with a deep frown. “He says


    Mommy’s taking us all back to da Dark Moon Pack and leaving Daddy here.”


    The other pups exchanged worried nces. They’d been afraid something like this would happen.


    Mommy always said they were only here for a few months and she hadn’t talked to them about staying


    longer, even when she moved them in with Ethan and Paisley. It was


    part of why they’d been so eager to reunite her with the Alpha; they knew they had to work fast.


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    Poor Paisley on the other hand, hadn’t realized that Jane was only in town for a limited time. She


    assumed that now that their family was together, they would stay together. If Eric hadn’t told her the truth,


    she never would have known any


    differently.


    However, whether the news was unexpected or not, all four pups could agree that they had to find a way


    to stop this from happening. “We can’t leave Daddy behind.” Parker decided firmly.” He ‘n’ Mommy


    belong together, and we belong with both of ’em.”


    “I don’get it.” Paisleyined,“ Daddy’s always hugging and flirting with Mommy, I know he wants to


    be with her.”


    “I think Mommy’s scared.” Ryder murmurs, “I dunno why, but every time she talks to Linda ’bout Daddy,


    she seems


    really upset.”


    “You know if we ask they’ll only tell us it’s grown up stuff.” Riley rolled her eyes.


    “An’ we’ll understand when we’re older.” Ryder and Parker supplied in unison.


    “So how do we make her not scared?” Paisley asked, “how do we convince her not to leave??


    “Well first ‘f all, I think we have to make them tell the truth.” Riley decides, “then we can show them how


    much we don’t want to leave.”


    “Good idea.” Ryder concurred. “Mommy hates seeing us sad.”


    “So let’s make sure we’re very, very sad.” Parker grinned. “We might get a time out, but she can’t really


    me us either.”


    “What are you talking ’bout?” Paisley questioned, not following.


    “Well, don’t tell Mommy, but sometimes our tantrums aren’ as real as we let her think.” Riley confided


    mischievously, sharing a knowing look with her brothers.


    Paisley giggled. “That’s bad!”


    “No,” Ryder corrected her slyly, “i’s useful.”


    The four pups dissolved intoughter as they made their ns, and a few hourster they gathered in


    front of Ethan and Jane in the Penthouse’s living room, serious expressions on their young faces. Ethan


    and Jane were seated on the couch, eager to hear about the kids’ day at school and not suspecting even


    one bit of the mischief headed their way.


    “Well what did you learn?” Jane encouraged.


    “Mommy, this isn’ ’bout school.” Parker


    announced somberly.


    “Oh, then what is it about?” Ethan questioned, an amused smile splitting his cheeks.


    “Are we moving?” Paisley demanded abruptly, going against the script she’d nned with her siblings,


    but unable to withhold her curiosity.


    Jane instantly paled, and Ethan frowned. “What do you mean, sweetheart?”


    “Eric told me that Mommy’s taking all ‘f us away with her in a few months, and you’re staying here.” She


    announced, already near tears.


    Jane and Ethan both smothered curses, before exchanging a meaningful nce. Jane looked horrified,


    and Ethan furious. “I’ll kill him.” The Alpha muttered under his breath, his temper rising despite Paisley’s


    unease.


    “Is it true?” Riley questioned, crossing her plump arms over her chest.


    “Kids, what you have to understand is


    that-”


    “That’s a yes!” Ryder eximed, usation heavy on his tongue.


    “We live in the Dark Moon pack.” Jane reminds Ryder, Parker and Riley. “It’s home, and I told you from


    the beginning that we’d be going back when my business here was finished. And you Paisley,” she said,


    turning to her youngest. “You’re well enough now toe and live with me, like you wanted.”


    “I wanted to live with you and Daddy.” Paisley corrected her fiercely.


    “Well your Daddy is Alpha here, he can’t leave the NightFang pack.” Jane exined, looking to her


    former mate for


    support.


    Ethan wasn’t quite sure how to handle this, after all he only agreed to this arrangement because he had


    no intention of letting it actually happen. The pups knowing about his deal with Janeplicated things


    beyond all reason. He didn’t want to admit he’d been ying Jane, but he also didn’t want to tell the


    pups he was going to give them up. “We only want what’s best for you.” He dered slyly, knowing full


    well that the best thing for them was for the entire family to be together.


    “But you promised!” Paisley cried, looking at her father with abject betrayal. “You promised you’d never


    leave me!”


    “Angel, I’m not leaving you.” Ethan assured her, his voice full of conviction.” I will always be in your life,


    no matter what.” He hated this, he hated her


    thinking he would actually let something divide them, even if it was Jane.


    “We don’t wanna go back.” Riley proimed, picking up the conversation before Paisley could get too


    caught up in her feelings to remember the n. “We wanna stay here!”


    “We’re a family.” Parker seconded,” families don’t split up.”


    Ryder sealed the deal, looking at the Alpha with wide eyes. “Don’ you want


    us?”


    “Of course I want you.” Ethan professed before Jane could stop him. “I want you all more than anything.”


    “But that doesn’t change the fact that our lives are in different cities.” Jane interjected, trying to steer


    them back on track. If circumstances were different, she might lie and use the Eric excuse, but


    she couldn’t do that to the pups. Ethan was one thing – her kids were another.” It can’t be helped, my


    darlings. I know it isn’t what you want to hear, but this is simply the way things are. Neither one of us can


    simply pick up our entire lives and move across the continent.”


    “But we’ready have!” Riley insisted. “If we can do it for a few months, why not forever?”


    “Well for one thing because Ethan and I aren’t married.” Jane reasoned, trying to find a way to put their


    situation into words the pups would understand.


    “So get married.” Ryder suggested, as if it were the most obvious thing in the


    world.


    “Sweetie it doesn’t work that way,” Jane sighed, looking to Ethan for a bit of help. To her annoyance, he


    simply stared back


    at her, as if he didn’t have any objection to this idea whatsoever. Shooting him a pointed re, she


    nudged him hard with her elbow, only for Ethan to catch her and wrestle her under his arm.


    Once Jane settled against him, he returned his attention to the pups. “I think what your Mommy means to


    say is that her business is in the Dark Moon pack and even though she can conduct it here – ”


    Jane elbowed him again, and he slipped his hand down to pinch her round bottom. Jane yelped and


    squirmed away from Ethan, but he held her tight. “Would you stop it!” She muttered under her breath.


    “The pups are watching.”


    Four little faces looked up at them, catching every word and interaction.” Listen,” Jane sighed, peering


    into their young eyes, “I love you all so much, and I


    want you to be happy, which is why I’m always going to do what’s best for you. And this is what’s best.”


    “No!” The boys cried in unison.


    “Being ‘part isn’t what’s best.” Riley added, her little face scrunching up with genuine emotion. The pups


    had nned to do or say whatever was necessary to convince their parents to stay together, including


    throwing a fit, but the longer this went on, the more real it was feeling.


    “We wanna stay t’gether,” Paisley cried.” With Daddy!”


    Ethan watched Jane’s face twist into a grimace, and knew she wasn’t going to give an inch in this


    moment. He had every intention of continuing to wear her down, but at the moment she was digging her


    heels in and he knew pressuring her further would only backfire. “I’m sorry,


    little ones.” He dered simply. “Your Mommy’s mind is made up.”


    Jane’s re pierced into him, but before she could object to him putting the me on her, the pups were


    already mid meltdown. All four kids had thrown themselves on the floor, wailing and beating their little


    fists on the floor. Jane dropped her head into her hands and sighed, pushing Ethan’s hands away when


    he tried to rub her back.


    This was exactly what she’d been trying to avoid. She was worried moving into the penthouse would get


    the kids too attached to Ethan and it would make moving impossible, and here was the fallout. Guilt


    washed over her in a tidal wave, blending with her frustration and all the stress that had tormented her


    thest couple of weeks. After the morning she’d had, Jane had been looking forward


    to cuddling her pups when she finally got home, not having them scream that they hated her while


    sobbing into the carpet.


    The final straw was when she reached for Paisley, who always wanted her even when the other kids did


    not, and the little girl pulled away from her, shouting that she only wanted her Daddy. With that, Jane lept


    from the couch and fled into her bedroom before the pups – or Ethan – could see her cry.