To Save His Mate(38)

“I could feel how upset he was last night when I asked him to leave. It was like how I felt when I lost my parents, the extreme sorrow and despair.” Lacy shook her head, “I don’t want to hurt him, Stephanie, but I can’t think when he’s close by. All I want to do is go to him. Be with him. Is that normal?”

Stephanie’s smile was so kind and understanding and Lacy’s emotional state was so fragile that she wasn’t surprised to feel a tear running down her cheek.

What startled her was the sight of Ethan speaking to a very animated Landon when they pulled up. Through their connection, she felt his depression and longing, making her want to comfort him, but she still had questions, and she couldn’t trust herself around him long enough to ask.

“Why is Ethan here so early?” Lacy wondered aloud. He was in his forest ranger uniform, but Lacy was almost certain Landon hadn’t asked him to wear it.

“He’s pulling from the shoot today, to give you the space you asked for,” Stephanie explained. “Trust me, that man wants nothing more than to be with you, but you’ll discover soon enough that you will always come first.” When Lacy turned to her, Stephanie just smiled. “It’s a little overwhelming at first, I get that, but you love him, I can tell, and he loves you, too. Would being his mate really be such a hardship? You would never have to worry about infidelity, never question his feelings for you and he will spend the rest of his life seeing to your happiness.”

“I think I’m still in shock, to tell you the truth. He turned into a wolf in my bedroom, Stephanie. That sort of thing freaks out most women.”

“Believe me, I know, but at least you found out what he is in private. I, on the other hand, got my crash course while in a life or death situation with Sarah’s attackers.”

Lacy listened, riveted, as Stephanie recalled the night she witnessed Sarah fighting for her life against two men and how she’d had to put aside her own hysteria over seeing the brothers all turn into wolves long enough to help save her friend. In the end, the two werewolves after Sarah had been killed, but not before they’d inflicted a serious injury to Sarah, having stabbed her with a silver blade.

“Why a silver blade? Why not a regular one?” Lacy asked.

“Because, that’s one thing Hollywood got right. Wounds from silver are extremely hard for them to heal from. Therefore, Sarah’s wound wasn’t closing and was still bleeding freely.” Stephanie must have recognized the shock on Lacy’s face because she added, “Yes, Sarah is a werewolf, too. She’s an alpha female, and that’s why those men were after her. She’d dealt them a blow to their egos that they wanted revenge for.”

“So what made you decide to stay? Were you already bound to Abraham before you discovered his furry side?”

“Nope, I wasn’t ready. Abe, being the sweetheart he is, waited until I was.”

Lacy could see how much Stephanie loved her husband, the proof in the faraway look in her eyes whenever she mentioned him.

“Listen, I had the luxury of knowing all of these guys for a few weeks before I found out about their secret, but they were still the same people I’d come to know and call my friends. They were just more.”

Needing to be alone for a bit and process her thoughts, Lacy thanked Stephanie. “I’m going to take a walk around the perimeter of the shoot to think. I need a clear head when everyone gets here. Or at least, a little less muddled than it is right now.” She smiled at her new friend. “I really appreciate you talking to me.”

“I hope it helps. I’ll stick around for a bit in case you have any more questions.”

“Thank you. I’ll be back once I check around,” Lacy promised.

“Be careful. I know Ethan probably didn’t go far—his protective instincts won’t allow him to while there’s danger around—but don’t forget to watch your back.” Stephanie stepped forward and gave Lacy another hug, patting the firearm in the holster Lacy had tucked into her shorts. “Good thinking.”

“I’m here to catch a killer, so it’s never too far from me,” Lacy replied, feeling the weapon at the small of Stephanie’s back, as well. “So what’s your excuse?”

Stephanie just pulled back with a shrug. “I never leave home without it.”

Lacy really liked this woman. “I’ll be back in about twenty minutes.”

“I’ll be here.”

* * * *

Ethan couldn’t help himself. Once he’d told Landon he had something important to handle, having worn his forest ranger uniform to look official, he’d returned home long enough to strip and shift before allowing his wolf to run.