CHAPTER 64

Ethan limped slowly through the row of houses. Then, he entered one of the empty ones. The houses on the path had not been in use for a long time. It was either the occupants managed to escape from the pack or they had died at the hands of their Alpha.
It was a good enough place to hide from the multiple eyes he knew were on him. All day, he had been trying to escape the watchdogs Collins had placed on him. There had been no need to do that so far but then, he had gotten an urgent call from Sam. The wolf had sounded excited and panicky at the same time, requesting they meet up at their secret hideout.
Ethan had been strongly against it at first, and there was no way he could slip away unseen but then, Sam had said it had something to do with Cole and that he could not say much over the phone unless they meet in person.
Ethan had needed no motivation than that. His heart had started thumping fast and he had told himself he would slip away no matter what.
And there he was in the abandoned house, peeping through a hole in the door to see if he was still being followed. He could make out two men who seemed to be super interested in looking up the trees and counting the number of steps they took. They were doing a very poor job if their goal was to follow him unseen.
He made his way to the backdoor of the house and slipped away. Finally, he was able to lose his watchdogs. It was going to take a while before they realized he was no longer in the house and by then, it would be too late.
He went round and round the perimeter to confuse them with his scent if they thought of tracking him. After, he shifted into his wolf form and ran like crazy to the log house. He was really excited to find out what Sam knew about Cole and from the call, it sounded like it was good news.
Maybe Cole was alive after all.
Ethan smelled the blood before he reached the log house. The dry, metallic smell was fresh and pungent in the air.
"No, no,no," he growled repeatedly, praying that the crazy scenario he could see in his head was nothing but his imagination.
But alas, as he came to a screeching halt before the damaged house, there was the mangled body of Sam lying right inside the door. His eyes were still wide open in fear, his limps torn from him and left dangling by his flesh. His once handsome and hopeful face was scratched almost beyond recognition.
With a choked cry, Ethan transformed and limped dejected to the dead wolf, tears of regret and anger clouding his vision.
Sam had obviously died with fear tearing him apart at the hands of a coldblooded killer and he did not deserve the last minutes of fear before he died. He did not deserve to die at all.
Ethan wailed as his hands tested for a pulse, knowing the boy was dead but unwilling to accept it. If only he had kept his stupid revenge to himself, then Sam would still be alive. If only he had maintained his ground and refused a meeting when Sam called him instead of getting worked up and excited, Sam would still be alive.
It was all his fault. He had gotten the young , vibrant wolf killed because of a stupid plan that already hit the rock. He should have been the one to die instead.
There was no doubt about who the killer was. Ethan could sniff out the subtle scent of him in the air. He had not stayed around long enough and that alone was a message to Ethan.
Sam's death was a warning that he could do what he wanted with him at any time.
How many more were going to die before it was enough? Before they got help from the so called chosen ones?
His heart hurt as he watched the once courageous wolf in his own pool of blood.
★★★★★★★★★★
"Not again," Shana thought as she heard the door slam on its hinges. She groaned and moaned loud enough to wake the dead when she heard the voice that followed after.
"I do not care for whatever you have to say, but you've to get out of that bed this instance Shana Anderson or I'm afraid I'll have to do that for you," Rose threatened seriously.
Her only reply was another moan from the big, four poster bed. She wheeled over to Shana and swept the sheets away from her. "You should get out of that bed and eat something. You aren't the only one rejected here but you don't see me sulking," Rose chided before she noticed the distress on Shana's face. Her eyes were still closed as if she was asleep.
Rose maneuvered herself to sit on the bed. She touched Shana's forehead and snatched her hand away almost immediately. "You are burning up!"
"Yeah, tell me about it," Shana thought to herself. The aspirin had obviously done nothing for her as she felt worse than the night.
"How long have you been like this? Why didn't anyone inform me?," Rose asked hurriedly as she got Shana out of her nightclothes deftly. Shana thought Rose was too efficient for her own good, taking control of every situation like she was born to it.
"No one cares enough, I guess," she thought to herself. She could not bring herself to open her eyes or say a word.
"I came because I haven't heard from Mila in over twenty four hours and she isn't here now. I can't believe that housekeeper of his didn't care much about those she lives with just because she's siding with her master. It just doesn't make sense for her not to notice Mila wasn't here, does it?," Rose rambled on as she urged Shana out of the bed for a cold shower.
"Not another cold shower. It did nothing for me," she muttered weakly but Rose was not even listening to her as she continued talking.
"I would have her head if anything happened to you. She should know better than her blinded loyalty. And what am I to make of Mila's absence? She's never gone missing in action since I know her. I believe something must be wrong with her," she continued on and on.
"Why do you keep talking about Mila? How did you know she hasn't been here for a day if no one informed you about it?," she wanted to ask but her throat felt parched and clamped up.
Then she was forced to stand on weak limps and trudge slowly to the bathroom.
Rose followed after her into the bathroom talking nonstop about how angry she was at the housekeeper and how worried she was about Mila. If Shana did not know better, she would think Rose was nervous about something. But it was Rose, she was never nervous or unsure. Her life was the very essence of confidence and dignity.
When she was done with her shower, Rose was outside the stall waiting for her with a towel she wrapped around her. Then she followed her back to the room and told her to sit on the bed. Shana realized she felt a little better after the shower, but that did not mean she still felt anything like her usual self.
Rose was soon back with her clothes and two aspirins. Shana could not hold back her tears as the old woman helped her into them, with her still talking without pause about Elise and Mila, then Asher. Shana suspected she did not know she was basically saying almost the same thing over and over again.
"Now, I don't think all I've been saying warrant any of those tears child."
The way she said the word 'child' reminded her so much of her own grandmother, who Shana still couldn't bring herself to think about without hurting.
"You've been saying the same thing for the past thirty minutes," Shana finally said weakly.
"Thank goodness. I thought you lost your voice already and I'm happy you've been paying attention to all my ramblings," she said with a sad smile.
"You were loud enough and I had nothing else to do but listen," Shana replied.
"Watch your sassy mouth Luna," Rose replied with a mocking scoff.
Shana was feeling better now and she could see that Rose was actually nervous. "Is there something you are not telling me?," Shana asked with a suspicious lift of her left brow.
"Did I tell you your mate accused me of betraying him for my son's revenge plan? I mean, where did he get such stupid idea?," she asked with a rueful shake of her head.
"Oh my goodness," Shana exclaimed. It was obvious Rose had been hurt by Asher's accusation and she was doing a poor job trying to hide it.
"He's so stubborn and stupid, I wish I could knock some sense into him. And now his housekeeper is mistreating his wife because of him and..."
She continued on again. Shana knew Rose still was not saying what was bothering her and it was unrelated to all her subject interest. "You can tell me Rose," she said with a weak smile. Shana reached out to hold her old, wrinkly hands in hers.
She sighed resignedly. "It's just a hunch I've for now, nothing definite," she evaded.
"Tell me about your hunch," Shana invited.