Rejected and Pregnant I Fled The Pack (Evelyn and Damon) novel Chapter 278

Ethan pov

I didn't sleep.

I sat in the hallway outside her door until the window at the end of the corridor turned from black to gray, listening to her breathe. Around three in the morning she whimpered in her sleep, a small, frightened sound, and my wolf came up so hard I had to dig my nails into my palms. I didn't knock. I didn't open the door. I stayed where I was, because I'd promised her a locked room, and a promise like that has to hold even when you want to break it.

By dawn I'd decided what to do with the rest of my night.

I found Rhys in the pack kitchen, already halfway through a pot of coffee. He's been my beta since we were sixteen, a lanky, sharp-eyed guy who notices everything and says about a third of it.

"You look terrible," he said, sliding a mug across the counter.

"I found someone at the north border last night."

"I heard." He raised an eyebrow. "The whole night shift heard. You walked a girl in through the side door in the rain and gave her your jacket. Ethan, you've never given anyone your jacket."

"She's my mate."

Rhys went completely still, mug halfway to his mouth. Then he set it down very carefully. "Okay," he said. "Okay. That's not what I expected you to say."

"She's running from something. Her wrists are bruised, and she's been on the road for days. I need you to find out who she is and who's after her. Quietly. Her name is Marissa Dawn."

"Dawn," Rhys repeated, already pulling out his phone. "Give me a couple of hours."

It took him ninety minutes.

I was in my father's office, standing at the window with my arms crossed, when Rhys knocked and came in with a folder. He shut the door behind him and didn't sit.

"You're not going to like this," he said.

"Tell me."

"Her parents are Daniel and Carol Dawn. They own a failing hardware chain two states over. Bad debts, three liens, a second mortgage. About a month ago, Daniel Dawn signed a contract with a man named Garrett Voss." Rhys flipped a page. "Voss owns lumber contracts across three counties. Forty-six years old. Twice divorced. His second wife filed for protective orders before the divorce went through. They were quietly withdrawn after a settlement."

My stomach turned over. "What kind of contract?"

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify