Page 103 of Beneath the Blue Moon

***Ethan***

Her head snaps up at the sound of my gruff voice, fear flashing

in her eyes. Good. She’ll tell me exactly what I need to know.

“Sit.”

Taking a seat on the couch, she glances nervously between Charlie

and me.

“Am I in trouble?”

“Only if you don’t tell the truth.”

“About what?”

“First, that day at the barbecue. What happened after I left

you and Casey in the kitchen?”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want

to get into trouble.”

“Tell me what happened.”

“She was so sad after… and it’s like I felt her pain. I

didn’t know what to do.”

Tears fill her eyes and spill over, running down her cheeks.

“What do you mean you felt her pain?” I ask.

“By the pool, when I looked into her eyes… I just felt this…

connection. I don’t know. It’s like I knew her even though we’d just met.”

“Maybe I can help with that,” Charlie intervenes. “I felt

the same way when I met Ethan. Got even stronger after he became alpha.”

“You mean I’m….”

“You’re meant to be her beta.”

If I wasn’t convinced before, this surely would have removed

any doubt. She’s the one. Anna smiles and turns to me confidently.

“Okay. I’ll tell you what happened.”

“Ethan, come quickly!”

Clara’s shrill voice echoes in my ears. Oh, Christ, what

now? I run up the stairs to find her standing over Casey, who’s lying on

the bed unconscious. No, no, no!

“What the hell happened?” I rush over, pulling her into my

arms. “Casey?”

“She just passed out,” Clara says.

“My God, she’s burning up!”

I did this. I’ve probably given her an infection. I knew

I shouldn’t have touched her. I need to get her to the hospital!

“It’s the fever.”

“What?” I turn to stare at Clara in disbelief. “It can’t

be!”

“I’ve seen it enough times to know.”

“No!”

I begin removing her clothes, searching her body fervidly.

It can’t be! The doctor said she wasn’t bitten or scratched. We’ve made love. I

would have seen it, wouldn’t I? I flip her onto her stomach, and that’s when I

see it—the four tiny scratches on her lower back.

“Fuck!”

I pace the room, not even knowing what to feel right now.

Anger? Fury is more like it. Hurt, confusion, helplessness—yeah, it’s all

there. Then it dawns on me. The son of a bitch Stone, he wants her. He wasn’t

trying to kill her; he wanted to turn her. He wants what’s mine. I can’t wait

to rip his head from his shoulders.

Clara gently tucks her under the blanket.

“Nothing we can do but wait it out.”

I kneel by the bed, taking her limp hand in mine. My

world. I’ve let you down so many times. Do I even deserve you?

“Don’t go doubting yourself now,” Clara says. “She needs you

more than ever.”

I kiss her cheek and straighten with a new determination.

“Stay with her.”

I stomp back downstairs, removing my duty belt and tossing

it into a nearby chair. Charlie and Anna look in my direction, and she cowers

at the fury in my expression.

“Speak,” I growl.

She takes a deep breath and keeps her eyes on the floor. “After

you left us in the kitchen, your mother came in.”

“Mother? What did she say?”

“She told me to run along because she wanted to talk to

Casey alone.”

Son of a bitch! She said she hadn’t even spoken to Casey.

So help me God….

“I don’t know what she said, but I know Casey was really sad

after they spoke. She wouldn’t even talk to me.”

My mother. My own mother. I can’t believe this. That’s

why Casey wouldn’t tell me who it was!

“And today,” Anna continues, “she showed up again. I called

you as soon as I was far enough away that she couldn’t hear me. I swear.”

“It’s all right, Anna. You did the right thing.”

I turn to Charlie, barely containing my anger. What am I

supposed to do now?

“Take her home. Get Brick and find my mother. I don’t care

if you have to tie her up, you watch her until I get there.”

He nods and they move toward the door. I reach for my phone

to call my brothers. Since we’ve been hunting, they’ve all stayed close by. God

knows I’m going to need all the help I can get to stop myself from wringing

Mother’s neck.