Rejected and Pregnant I Fled The Pack (Evelyn and Damon) novel Chapter 227

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Ethan pov

My father had insisted on handling this formally, calling each woman individually to his office rather than simply issuing a broad, impersonal statement, understanding the genuine importance of actually hearing their grievances directly before delivering whatever clear expectation he intended to establish.

I sat in the corner of his study, present at his request, watching as Danielle entered first, her expression carrying obvious wariness at being summoned so directly.

"I understand you've experienced genuine hurt because of Ethan's previous behavior," my father began, his voice carrying careful, measured authority. "That's legitimate, and I won't dismiss it. But I need you to understand something clearly."

He explained it carefully—that whatever previous relationship existed between them didn't grant her ongoing claim over Ethan's future, that mate bonds represented something genuinely different from prior romantic connections, that the decision to pursue his chosen mate belonged entirely to Ethan and Nadia, provided they both genuinely consented.

"He slept with me," Danielle said, her voice tight with obvious hurt and building anger. "Told me things were serious, and now he simply gets to move forward with someone else because some mystical bond decided that's apparently more important than everything I invested?"

"I understand that feels genuinely unfair," my father said, his voice remaining steady despite her escalating distress. "But Danielle, continuing to target Nadia, harassing her specifically because of your own pain regarding Ethan's previous behavior—that's not acceptable, regardless of how legitimate your underlying hurt genuinely is."

She left visibly upset, though without the violent outburst I'd half-expected given her obvious distress.

Sera came next, considerably calmer initially, though her composure cracked quickly once my father outlined the same expectations.

"So he simply gets everything," she said, her voice rising sharply. "Uses whoever he wants, however he wants, and then when his actual mate appears, everyone else is just supposed to accept that and move aside gracefully?"

"That's not what I'm suggesting," my father said carefully. "I'm simply establishing that continued harassment toward Nadia isn't acceptable, regardless of your understandable frustration with Ethan's previous conduct."

The screaming started properly with the third woman—one of the three who'd apparently confronted Nadia directly, though I still didn't know her actual name.