Ditched Cheating Alpha, I Led My Daughter to Life's Peak novel Chapter 295

"You know what I'd like to know?" Aiden opens his mouth-again. His bitter stare turns to me. "What was the plan here?"

"There was no plan," I scream.

Everyone jumps.

Yeah, that's right. Now I'm pissed. "This is the last time I'm going to say it." I point at Shen. "Ethel's imprint had the opportunity to kill me, kidnap me, or use me as collateral against the pack. She didn't, even before she knew she was bonded to him." I point at myself. "I'm here, I'm fine, and I actually think she's a decent person, so I'm going to defend her. That's all there is to it."

"There's a little more to it," Aiden says matter-of-factly.

I'm gonna kill him. I fall back against the couch, massaging my temples. I can't do this anymore. I'm done. If he wants to argue with himself, go ahead, but it's not going to affect me. The only person I need to convince right now is Carson.

He's the swing vote-assuming Axel is on my side. He sits back in his chair, staring at Shen. His eyes are hard, arms crossed, but I don't think there's any animosity in it. It just seems like he's questioning her.

"Maybe we should see what happens with the doctor first," Axel offers.

We all nod-except Aiden.

Dr. Janice picks her things up to move them to the back room. Ethel helps.

"I don't need everything right now," she says to him. "Just that bag. And that one... And that one and, yes, that."

"That's all of them, Auntie," Ethel huffs.

Fei stays quiet, even when Shen starts moving. Ever since Aiden and Carson showed up, she's barely said a peep. I remember that Shen said the other refugees told her to be quiet. I wonder if Fei gets that same vibe from the triplets. Is she scared?

I watch her blue eyes follow her caretaker as Shen pushes up onto her feet. Shen makes sure she's stable before trying to lift the little girl, but Fei's not having it. At last, she speaks. "Mommy." She raises her hands, hopping up and down. She doesn't want to be forgotten, but with that one word, half the room freezes.

Mommy.

If Ethel's breathing, I can't tell.

Shen gives the little girl a look. "Stop crying. I've got you." She pulls Fei into her arms, lifting her. When she takes a few steps to follow Ethel, she limps. I knew about her limp, and I know it was mentioned in the conversation, but I guess seeing is believing.

Ethel stops focusing on the child and stares at his imprint. I hope there wasn't anything fragile in those bags, because he drops them. "Are you okay?" He falls to one knee, touching her leg.

"I'm fine." She pulls it away, putting it behind the other.

"Let me carry you," he says.

You can tell a lot about a werewolf based on how they react to their imprint-as I'm slowly learning. Ethel reminds me of Carson and Axel the first time I met them. Shen reminds me of me, like, whoa. Slow down. She backs up, holding Fei closer. "I'm fine. Thank you."