Chapter 169


    Jane


    “Okay, you can do this. You can do this. You can do this.”I repeat to myself, staring at the phone in my


    hands with utter trepidation.


    The pups are sleeping soundly in their bedroom, and I’m getting ready to sacrifice my dignity in their


    honor.


    I’m not sure how Ethan will respond to my phone call, if he’ll even answer when he sees my number on


    the screen. I’m half tempted to go find a pay phone and calI from a number he won’t recognize, but I


    decide to try this first. Taking onest deep breath, I dial and hit the send button, raising the device to


    my ear.


    It seems to ring for an utter eternity, but eventually the line clicks, and Ethan’s deep voice sounds in my


    ear.


    “Jane?”


    The familiar sound sends a shiver down my spine. “


    Hello Ethan.”


    “I thought I told you not to contact me.” Ouch, I know l expected failure, but that seems harsh, even for


    Ethan.


    “Actually you just told me to leave, you didn’t say I couldn’t ever reach out.”I correct him hoarsely. It’s


    only been four weeks, but it feels like an eternity since west spoke. Those early days after l left with


    the pups had passed in a haze that still haunted me, and it feels so surreal just to hear his familiar


    voice.


    “Well I should have.” He growls. “I didn’t realize I had to spell everything out letter by letter. I thought


    you were smarter than that.”


    “Wil you just listen for a moment.” I beg, hating how cruel he’s being.


    He pauses for a moment. “Is something wrong?


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    “Well that depends on how you define wrong.” I snap. “Your pups are absolutely heartbroken without


    you. They don’t understand why they can’t see you, they’repletely traumatized from the Southern


    lsles – every other night they’re having nightmares and begging for you instead of me, and yesterday


    they attempted to run away to the North Pole so they could ask Santa to bring you back to them for


    Christmas.”


    Silence meets me on the other end of the line. I wait impatiently for a response, wondering if he’s even


    still there. “Ethan?” I prompt after a moment.


    “Is that all? He questions coldly.


    “Is that all?” I repeat, not believing my ears. “Is that all?! Ethan they could have been killed, they stole a


    horse-drawn sleigh and were taking off into the mountains. They’re desperate to be with you and they


    don’t understand why you’re suddenly not in their life anymore! And now they hate me, so you’re the


    only one they want!”


    “Why should they hate you?” He snaps, sounding even harsher than he had a moment ago.


    “You don’t think I told them that you’d abandoned them, do you?” I hiss. “I took the me for you so


    they wouldn’t develop aplex, and now they think that it’s my fault they can’t see you.”


    “Well they’re not wrong.” Ethan rumbles. “It is your fault. If you’d done what you were supposed to in


    the Southern lsles, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”


    My mouth falls open as his words steal my breath right out of my lungs. I can’t believe him. I can’t


    believe how badly it hurts to hear him speak to me this way. He wasn’t even this cruel when Eve staged


    her attack all those years ago. I can’t believe how badly I misjudged him, and I’m furiou? with myself for


    falling for his act.


    Still, l have to stand up for my children. “So you don’t even care that you’re punishing the pups for my


    wrongs?


    “I demand fiercely. “You don’t care that they’ repletely innocent and they worship the ground you


    walk on – especially Paisley!”


    I’ don’t understand why you’reining?” Ethan counters. “Isn’t this exactly what you wanted? You


    were nning to take her from me and cut off contact from the very beginning.”


    “That was before!” I burst out, loosing hold of my temper.


    “Before what?” He remarks boredly.


    “Before you made me love you again!” I exim. “


    Why did you do that? If you cared this little about the children, why did you fight for me the way you did,


    why did you make me love you if you didn’t actually want us to be a family.”


    “We’ve been over this.” He rumbles. “You owed me for faking your death and hiding the other pups


    from me.


    You deserved to pay.”


    “You’re nothing but a sociopath.” I use, feeling maternal rage bubble up inside of me. “It’s one thing


    to punish me, to break my heart, but it’s another to punish innocent pups. They didn’t do anything


    wrong – they don’t deserve this, Ethan.” I protest, tears burning in my eyes.


    “Then maybe you’ll think twice before you decide to y with their fates again.”Ethan snarls. “All I did


    was give you what you wanted Jane. And yeah, maybe I snuck a lesson in there for you along the way,


    but this was your dream ending. You made your bed, now go sleep in it- and never contact me again.”


    He hangs up before I can say another word, and before I can stop myself I hurl my phone against the


    wall, flinching when it strikes and bounces off again, ttering to the ground. I follow suit, sinking onto


    the floor and wrapping my arms around my knees, finally letting my tears fall freely. How could I ever


    have been fooled by that man, not once, but twice?


    Suddenly I’m remembering the teenage alpha who turned up at my door on my sixteenth Christmas,


    bearing food and gifts for me and mom. I know how I fell in love with him, he’d been sweet, protective


    and affecti0nate nothing like the monster he was now. Where did that Ethan go? What happened to


    that loving, generous boy?


    “Ethan, I can’t ept this!” I’d eximed, staring at the emerald ne he’d bought to match my


    eyes. It was the first gift l’d opened, and already it was more valuable than anything l’d ever owned


    before.


    “Sure you can.” He grinned. “l picked it out just for you.”


    “But it’s too much!” I insisted. “Girls like me aren’t meant for jewels and finery, and I’ll never be able to


    get you anything near as nice.”


    “You are meant for every bit of decadence and luxury there is, little wolf.” Ethan corrected sternly, “just


    because you haven’t had it yet doesn’t mean you don’t deserve it. This is just a small token, and you


    have already given me so much more in return. You give me more every day.”


    I open my mouth to object again, but he ces his finger over my l!ps. “Besides, if you refuse it “‘ll be


    offended.” He teases. “Now open your other gifts.”


    I tried to argue with every subsequent present, but Ethan always silenced my every protest, eventually


    ceasing verbal arguments and just k!ssing me senseless every time I tried to open my mouth. By the


    time I was ready to give him my own gift in return, I was half delirious with his affection. My skin was


    flushed and my eyes probably had stars in them, but I gradually found the courage to hand over the


    framed painting. “It’s not much, and it’s nothingpared to everything you’ve given me, but -“


    Ethan imed my lips again, “hush.”


    I watched nervously as he unwrapped the golden paper, then watched his handsome face transform as


    he took in the painting. He blinked in amazement a couple of times, before looking up at me, “You


    painted this?


    “Yes, but if you don’t like it -” Again I found my words stolen by Ethan’s lips, only this time he didn’t stop


    at my mouth, he took my face between his hands and k!ssed every inch of my skin. “It’s incredible, and


    I love it.


    ” He praised when he finally pulled back. “You’re incredible.”


    “You really like it?” I squeaked.


    “It’s the best gift I’ve ever gotten, because you made it, and your heart is in every brushstroke.” He


    proimed, “now I feel like I didn’t get you enough, I just spent money, I didn’t do anything like this.”


    “Ethan if you try to give me anything else I will throw an actual tantrum.” I warned him, only half joking.


    Ethan chuckled. “You see the problem with you is that I like everything you do – I’d probably even like


    your tantrums.”


    “Trust me, you wouldn’t.” Iughed.


    I suppose only time will tell.” Ethan joked.


    As Ie out of the memory, I find myself crying harder than ever. Only this time I’m not weeping for


    my own broken heart, or even for my pups. I’m weeping for that poor naive girl l once was, the one who


    blindly walked into the arms of a predator and let him destroy her. Suddenly I’m mourning for the life I


    might have had if I hadn’t fallen for Ethan’s tricks. Don’t mistake me, I wouldn’t trade my pups for


    anything in the world, and I would dly suffer Ethan’s abuse to have them again, but my soul is just


    so worn down and tired from the pain Ethan inflicted, and I hate what he did to that bright-eyed young


    woman. It’s clear to me now that I did the right thing shielding my pups from the truth. I don’t want


    Ethan to do to them, what he did to me.


    I decide then and there that I’m doing crying over Ethan. This will be thest time – and then l’m never


    looking back.


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