Chapter 47: Chapter 47 She’s trying to get your attention
Ethan’s POV
I hit redial immediately. The call wouldn’t go through.
My fist slammed into the desk before I could stop myself, sending papers and pens scattering across the polished surface.
The sharp crack of impact echoed through my office, but it did nothing to ease the rage burning in my chest.
Who the hell was that man?
The door burst open, and Clara rushed in, her eyes wide with alarm.
"Ethan, what happened—"
"She’s with someone else." The words tasted like poison. "Aria. There was a man answering her phone."
I tried calling again, my fingers jabbing at the screen with barely controlled violence. Nothing. The line was dead.
Clara moved closer, but I couldn’t look at her. Couldn’t think past the image forming in my mind—Aria with another man. Some bastard touching what was mine.
"I can’t believe this," I muttered, my voice rough. "After everything—"
I swept my arm across the desk, sending everything crashing to the floor. My laptop. The framed photo of the Pack. All of it.
Clara flinched slightly but quickly steadied herself, watching me with those calculating amber eyes.
"Ethan, you need to think clearly," she said, her tone measured. "Getting angry won’t solve anything."
But I couldn’t think clearly. Not when every instinct was screaming at me to track Aria down, to find out who dared touch my True Mate.
*Your True Mate?* My wolf’s laugh was bitter. *The one you rejected? The one you’ve been using like a glorified assistant?*
*Shut up,* I snarled back internally.
I snapped at Clara, though I wasn’t sure if I was defending myself to her or to my wolf.
"But we need her. The Pack needs her. Without her connections, without her ability to handle business negotiations—"
"So this is about business?" Clara’s question hung in the air.
I didn’t answer. Couldn’t answer.
Because I honestly didn’t know anymore.
When I’d first brought Aria into the Pack, it had been purely strategic.
She was my True Mate—I’d known that the moment I turned eighteen and first scented her at university. But I’d already given my heart to Clara by then.
She’d saved my life when I was seventeen, and I owed her everything.
So I’d done what I thought was best.
I kept Aria close enough to satisfy the Pack’s expectations, to use her brilliance and connections, while privately rejecting the Bond and completing my Mark with Clara instead.
It should have been simple.
But Aria had never been simple.
"She wouldn’t just move on that fast," I said finally, more to myself than to Clara. "Not after two years. She’s too..."
I trailed off, realizing I didn’t actually know what Aria was anymore.
*Loyal?* My wolf’s laugh was sharp. *You mean the loyalty you’ve been taking advantage of? The loyalty you never deserved?*
Clara’s expression shifted to something more thoughtful. "You know, I don’t think there actually is another man."
I looked up sharply. "What?"
"Think about it, Ethan." She moved to perch on the edge of my desk, careful to avoid the scattered debris.
"Aria’s smart. Too smart to actually start something new this quickly. She knows how Bonds work."
My wolf had been restless lately, agitated in a way I couldn’t quite pin down.
But there hadn’t been the sharp, agonizing pain that would come if Aria had truly given herself to another Alpha.
"So you think she’s playing games?" I asked slowly.
"I think she’s trying to get your attention." Clara’s tone was almost soothing now.
"She’s been ignoring your calls for days. Now suddenly she picks up and makes sure you hear a man’s voice? It’s obvious what she’s doing."
The knot in my chest loosened slightly. That did sound like something Aria might try if she was desperate enough.
"She’s testing you," Clara continued. "Seeing if you’ll bend. If you’ll finally give her what she’s been asking for—recognition, status, maybe even shares in the Pack."
I stood, pacing to the window. The Pack lands stretched out below, peaceful and orderly. Everything I’d built. Everything I’d sacrificed for.
And it was all hanging by a thread because of one stubborn, brilliant woman.
"Maybe we should just give her what she wants," I said quietly.
"A share of the Pack’s business interests. It’s not unreasonable, Clara. She’s contributed more than anyone to our expansion. The deals she’s brokered, the connections she’s brought—"
"Ethan." Clara’s voice cut through my thoughts. "If you give her shares now, what’s to stop her from demanding more later? A seat on the Pack Council? Real Luna authority?"
I wanted to argue. Wanted to say that Aria wasn’t like that, that she’d never been vindictive or power-hungry.
But the truth was, I didn’t know anymore.
The woman who’d worked endless hours for the Pack without complaint, who’d endured my mother’s cruelty with quiet grace—I’d thought I understood her.
Now I wasn’t so sure.
"Mother said the same thing," I admitted finally. "Before she left with Sophie. She warned me that giving Aria any real power would be dangerous."
Clara seized on that. "Luna Margaret’s right." She stood, moving closer.
"Please, Ethan. Just give me a few more days. Let me try to secure the financing we need through other channels. If I can stabilize the Pack’s finances without Aria’s help, then you won’t have to negotiate with her at all."
Everything in me wanted to refuse. Wanted to call Aria back, demand to know who that man was, force her to come back where she belonged.
But Clara’s eyes held a certainty I couldn’t quite match right now.
"Fine," I said at last. "A few more days. But if we don’t find another solution—"
"We will." Clara’s smile was confident. "Trust me."
I nodded, but the unease in my gut didn’t fade.
Because deep down, I knew the truth Clara didn’t want to acknowledge.
We weren’t handling anything without Aria. We never had been.
She was the one who’d salvaged the Riverside Development deal when our original investors pulled out.
She was the one who’d negotiated the treaty with Stoneheart Pack that gave us access to their trade routes.
She was the one who’d quietly cleaned up every mess my impulsive decisions had created.
And now she was gone.
A knock at the door interrupted my brooding. "Come in."
Beta Matthew stepped inside, his expression serious. "Alpha, your father wants to see you in his office. He says it’s urgent."
I sighed, setting down the files I’d been pretending to review. "Did he say what it’s about?"
"No, but he seemed... displeased about something."
I stood and moved toward Clara, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I need to go see what this is about."
She looked up at me with understanding eyes. "Of course."
I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers in a brief goodbye kiss.
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