13
“Ethan…”
Seemingly unable to believe what she saw, Isabelle called out again.
But Ethan’s expression remained the same, making her suddenly feel panicked. He spoke coldly. His voice was devoid of warmth, a stark contrast to the affection he usually displayed.
“Why did you do this?”
She didn’t react.
“What are you talking about, Ethan?”
But the next second, the he–wolf shouted as if he had gone mad. His wolf howled with a primal rage, demanding justice for Zoe.
“I’m asking you why you did this! Why did you slander Zoe!”
Although frightened by his tone, Isabelle was still very confused when she heard Zoe’s name.
“Isn’t she just a Beta wolf, what’s the big deal, Ethan, why are you so angry? Didn’t you yourself say that she was just a Beta wolf?”
She said it so righteously that Ethan suddenly lost all his fight. Her words, echoing his own past dismissals.
“Yeah, I was the one who made her leave back then, so why am I so angry now?” His wolf whimpered, guilt and regret gnawing at his
soul.
Isabelle walked closer, wanting to hug him.
“Don’t be angry anymore, Ethan, shall we go eat?”
But hearing that overly sweet voice, Ethan’s irritation grew, and his mind was filled with my wronged face; he had actually chosen to hurt me again and again instead of trusting me.
The scent of her perfume, once alluring, now felt suffocatingly cloying.
“How sad must she have been then?“The thought of my pain was a knife twisting in his heart.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt breathless, without even the patience to put on a good face, he pushed Isabelle away.
“If
you
want to eat, go eat by yourself, I’m not in the mood right now.”
Isabelle scoffed, no longer bothering with him, and turned around to leave.
Facing the mess in the Pack grounds, Ethan felt a splitting headache. He didn’t ask for food to be sent again, instead throwing himself into work, wanting to make himself forget those things.
He desperately sought refuge in the familiar routine, hoping to silence the relentless guilt.
He was busy from noon until evening, finally resolving the Pack’s issues during this day. What was laughable was that more than half of them were caused by Isabelle.
To clean up her mess, almost all of his Pack’s resources for this year were lost.
He sat up straight, leaning back in his chair and taking a deep breath.
It was already dark outside. He checked his communication stone again, no messages.His heart ached with the silence, the absence of
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her presence a gaping wound.
His heart felt empty, an unspeakable weariness and loneliness welling up.
Now, he was the only one left in the Pack grounds. He couldn’t help but speak.
“Zoe.”
This was the first time he had called out her name since she left.
The sound of it, echoing in the empty Pack grounds, was a stark reminder of what he had lost.
These three words seemed to carry a curse; once uttered, he couldn’t help but think of more things about Zoe.
No matter how late it was before, she would always stay with him to work, arranging everything perfectly.
They would intertwine in front of the office’s floor–to–ceiling windows.
Meriu
Her face would be flushed crimson from shyness, as if covered by the evening glow, incredibly adorable. Her eyes were as innocent as a fawn, and whenever she was bullied too much, they would gather a watery sheen.
But he didn’t know that such an expression would only provoke more impulse. He remembered the softness of her skin, the scent of her hair, the way her body fit perfectly against his.
More and more memories flooded his mind, and he could no longer control his emotions.
He picked up his communication stone and dialed his sister’s mind–link.
Dozens of seconds passed, which felt longer than half a lifetime to him.
Finally, he heard the call connect on the other end and spoke impatiently, “Lydia! Do you know where Zoe went!”
His sister let out a sarcastic laugh.
“Ethan, you’re already so loving with Isabelle, why are you still looking for Zoe?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he tightly gripped his communication stone with difficulty.
“I know everything now. All those things that happened before, Isabelle staged them herself. I want to… bring Isabelle to apologize to Zoe. She can come back, and from now on, I won’t let Isabelle make things difficult for her, I…” His wolf pleaded, desperate to right his wrongs and win back the she–wolf he had so foolishly pushed away.
His words were cut off before he could finish, his self–righteous apology interrupted as Lydia sneered.
“No need. Zoe doesn’t need your apology anymore, and you’ll never find her for the rest of your With that, Lydia severed the mind–link.
life!”
Listening to the busy signal on the other end, a rush of regret and powerlessness surged into his chest. He furiously slammed his communication stone onto the ground.
Immediately after, he heard the sound of the office door opening.
He stood up abruptly, thinking the she–wolf he missed had returned. His wolf surged with hope, his heart pounding in his chest. “Zoe.” He looked hopefully towards the door.
