To Right a Wrong(36)

She’d sworn never to give up hope, but last night she’d snuck Ethan’s pack book out of his duffle bag and found out more about what the werewolves had done years ago. She clenched her teeth together. In all likelihood, she’d lost her brother, just as she’d lost her parents.

Mrs. Danielson pulled into the driveway.

“Good. Ethan’s home. I’m not going in, but I’ll call you in the morning. Get some rest, you’re exhausted.” She gave Dani a little hug.

“I will.” Dani opened the car door. “Thanks, Mrs. Danielson.”

Shoving her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, Dani walked to the house until a loud clatter from inside had her running through the door. “Ethan?”

“Here.”

She kicked off her shoes and trotted down the hall. “Where are you?”

Ethan left her parents’ room, rubbing the side of his head.

She frowned. “What are you doing in there?”

“Cleaning the room out.” He turned and went back inside.

“What? Where’s all of my parents’ stuff?” She stood in the doorway and put her hand on her chest. Heaviness constricted her lungs. “Why?

Why would you do such a thing?”

“It’s time.” He swung the hammer, popping the bed frame apart. “We’ll move our things into this room and…”

The rest of his words faded away. She backed up, shaking her head. This wasn’t right.

She couldn’t change Jordan’s home. It was important to keep everything the same. It was too soon.

She spun around and stomped to the living room, where she glanced at the picture of her parents on her dad’s birthday. His cheeks were puffed up in mid-blow while her mom held a cake up in front of him with candles covering the top. Stripping her memories of her parents away…was wrong.

“Dani?”

Ignoring him, she ripped off her clothes and left them lying on the floor. She opened the screen door and shifted. She wanted to run, to escape all her troubles. She poured all her anguish, frustrations, and heartbreak into dashing toward the woods.

“Dani, come back. Let’s talk about this.” She blocked him out of her mind and gave her wolf free reign. Jumping over a fallen log, she headed in no specific direction. The urge to flee set her course. If she could continue running, she could ignore the pain.

Ethan had returned to Drover. After he’d won the alpha position, the pack was more than happy to welcome him back. Almost every night they sought him out for one problem or another.

Even Brad, Shelley’s life mate, had shared a beer with him in the backyard a few days ago.

Dani sprinted toward the river. The burn and pain from overstretching her muscles was medicine for her soul. She wanted to hurt, to cry, to wallow in her grief. If she no longer suffered, it meant that her mourning for her parents was over. That she’d given up on Jordan .

I’ve failed.

She came to a skidding stop. No. She stalked the bank of the river. Had her excitement over finding Ethan and falling in love with him pushed her need to get Jordy to the back of her mind? She sat on her haunches and whined. Oh, God, am I giving up too? Does Ethan expect me to forget about my brother and start making our own family?

She’d failed and had no idea where to turn to find Jordan. Ethan had exhausted all searches, and still there wasn’t a clue to explore or a straw to grasp in hope. Her body ached. No one could ever make her stop searching, hunting, praying that Jordan would come back home. She pointed her snout up in the air, arched her neck and howled. I’ll never give up. Never.





* * *

Ethan lay a couple hundred yards from the river bank, his front paws crossed and his head lying on his legs. He hadn’t understood why Dani had run away and refused to answer him, but her cry of loneliness about undid him. A primal need to kill whatever had upset her and to protect his life mate came over him.

But…

Someone else hadn’t hurt her.

He had.

He lifted his head. He’d thought it would give her something to look forward to if she could work on a new play room for Jordan.

I’m such an idiot.



Three times her age, and somehow, he’d missed the point of the relationship lessons his grandfather taught him many years ago.

If a woman walks away in anger, she’s really telling you to bring her back. If a woman stops talking to you, it’s because she wants you to do the talking. Whatever you do, you do it all for your mate. You make her a home, and she’ll worship you till the end of time.

Panting, Ethan stood and walked toward Dani. Upset and lost in her own thoughts, she didn’t seem to hear him approach. He wanted to howl because he’d made her cry. He stopped beside her and sat down. He had a hunch if he’d come up on her in his human form, she would have run off.