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An echo that didn’t belong to Paul.

No.

That echo of grief was hers.

* * *

Over the next week,Ivy began to notice that Paul was avoiding her. More than was usual.

He didn’t come with Iris for the weekly dinner at her home—usually he and Stellan delighted in teasing her and giving her shit, even though she was a wolf-grown. He didn’t turn up at the pack meeting to discuss the vineyard and the farm and what to do with the milk from the dairy cows they’d bought last year. He didn’t even turn up at the lessons she and the other maternal wolves took with Abby, Iris and him to learn more about the healing they could do as maternal wolves.

Nobody else commented on his absence though, so she could hardly ask. But it wasn’t difficult to put two and two together.

He was avoiding her and it was because she’d pushed him and forced him into lying.

Lying about something to do with her. Something horrible.

She still couldn’t get her head around him caring so deeply that it would make him feel so sad, so much pain. Or the fact that she seemed to be the only one who’d noticed anything was wrong. It made no sense.

She wished she could ask someone about it, but if she did that, then they’d go ask him and he’d deny it and then she’d look like the fool.

She needed more proof that he was lying. That he was holding something back from them.

Perhaps she should leave it alone. Was it really her job to find out what was wrong? He called her Poison Ivy and treated her horribly most of her life. She argued with herself about it over a few days, but each time the waves of grief hit her—which they were doing more and more—her argument fell apart and eventually, she gave in to the need to find a way to help. Besides, she had a feeling that the man she’d seen the night of Siobhan’s mating ceremony, the one filled with so much grief and despair, was different from the Paul who’d been so awful to her—and not only because of the turmoil of emotions emanating from him. It was something else. Something deeper. Something that echoed inside her. And she could not let that go.

The next morning after this final resolution, she pulled herself out of bed—it was harder than it should have been, her energy levels still low—and during breakfast, asked Stellan what his plans were for the day. He was only on guard duty for Paul for the latter part of the day, but he did let slip that he was heading to the hot springs to meet up with Paul and a few other pack mates. Apparently, the witch from the McClune Pack was driving down from her King Lake compound to spend a couple of days here with a few friends and they thought going to the hot springs would be a good activity to do together.

‘That’s great. I’m glad they’re getting to know each other.’ She kept her smile in place even though that aching inside her throbbed, making her want to cry.

‘Yeah. Although Paul doesn’t seem to be as in to it as he was a week ago.’

‘Really?’

‘Yeah. I don’t blame him, though. It must be super hard to have to deal with an arranged marriage.’

‘Paul knows the pack would not expect him to accept someone he didn’t like,’ Callum McVale said as he sipped his coffee.

‘He wants to do his duty, Dad,’ Stellan said, piling more strawberry jam than was necessary—or healthy—on his toast. ‘He knows how important it is for him to have children who follow in his footsteps and continue the Collins line. And we all know the best way of ensuring that is for him to handfast with a witch.’

‘But Paul’s happiness is important too. I hope he knows that.’

Stellan shrugged. ‘I suppose so. We haven’t really discussed it.’

‘Perhaps you should,’ Callum said, eyebrows lowered. ‘That’s what a true friend would do.’

Stellan’s brows creased, his jaw squaring. ‘I am a true friend.’

‘Are you? Sometimes I think you and those other two reprobates we bound to him as guardians, don’t take your role seriously. Paul is under a great deal of pressure. He needs friends more than guardians now. You are bonded to him. You should be there for him more than any others.’

‘He’s not talking at the moment, Dad.’

‘Well you and Jackson and Luke need to find a way to make him talk. I can’t say he seemed very happy at the mating celebration. He didn’t dance or participate as he usually would. Not to mention he hasn’t been participating in pack life.’

So, she wasn’t the only one who’d noticed Paul wasn’t acting normally. Although, she didn’t think her father had noticed the depth of change that she had. But this was fascinating and went a long way towards backing up her determination to get to the bottom of it. For the health of the pack of course. She still couldn’t stand Paul for himself.

As their father continued to lecture Stellan about his obligations as friend and guardian to their lone Pack Warlock, Ivy ate her breakfast and pretended not to listen, flipping through the newspaper.

‘I get it, Dad. We’ll try harder.’