21
Not long after, Lydia arrived. She rushed over immediately after receiving my call via mind–link. The two she–wolves hadn’t seen each other in a moon cycle, and Lydia embraced her good friend as soon as she arrived.
“Zoe!”
My expression softened, and I embraced my friend.
“Lydia, you’re here.”
We sat and talked for a while. When it was time to part ways, Lydia couldn’t help but feel guilty.
“I’m sorry, Zoe, I shouldn’t have been soft–hearted and let
my
brother come find
you.
I caused
you so
much trouble.”
I squeezed her face.
“It’s fine, even if you don’t say it, Ethan will figure out a way himself. Better a short pain than a long one. It’s good to clear things up this
time.”
Even so, Lydia still felt really bad. She herself hadn’t expected her brother to be so crazy, soaking in the rain all night like he didn’t care about his life. She turned her head to look at someone not far away who was looking over with longing yet restraint, and couldn’t help but ask the answer she really wanted to know.
“Zoe… If, I mean if! If Isabelle hadn’t appeared, would you be in blood bond with
my brother?”
Ethan also really wanted to know this answer. If there was no Isabelle, would I be his mate? My wolf felt a sting at the thought.
I smiled faintly. I had once thought about this question, but after that moon cycle, I understood clearly that even if there was no Isabelle, someone else would appear. Ethan’s love for me was merely a product of regretting only after losing.
I smoothed the bangs by my ear, smiling with release.
“No.” My wolf gave a final mournful whimper.
No one asked me why, or perhaps they all already had the answer.
Lydia took the disheartened Ethan back to the Silver Stream Pack territory. The Hawthorne Pack businesses had suffered severe losses recently, and Ethan had no mind to manage them, so he had to temporarily hand them over to Lydia.
It was pitiful that she had just returned to the country and had to take on her brother’s management during her studies abroad, so she wasn’t completely clueless.
mess, but fortunately, she had studied economic
But when she planned to take over the company, Lydia still kindly gave her brother some pictures.
“When you were abroad, I also found out some things. Take a look.”
Ethan opened it and found things about Isabelle inside. Lydia had found out that she hadn’t studied seriously in the years she was abroad, but had been playing the field, having relationships with several foreigners, and had even had several abortions. She was no longer the person Ethan remembered. Her scent was tainted, corrupted.
Come to think of it, what was she like back then?
Ethan paused slightly in a daze, realizing he could no longer recall what she looked like back then. Ten moon cycles of separation and reunion had long worn away the innocent feelings of their first love. Now, when he closed his eyes, only my face appeared in his mind, whether smiling or sad, vividly tugging at his heart. His wolf howled in anguish at the thought of me.
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Man
But after the next ten moon cycles pass, will he truly be able to forget Zoe just like he forgot Isabelle? A sense of hesitation and desolation arose in his heart, but he was the culprit for the current situation.
He had clearly known what Isabelle had done for a long time, yet because of that vague feeling, that constant declaration of love, for such a person, he actually pushed me away,
Looking at those photos again, his heart felt no ripple; it was as if his heart had died with it. His wolf laid down and whimpered in defeat.
“Thanks, Lydia. I won’t let you worry for too long.”
He thanked her in a hoarse voice, then suddenly remembered something and smiled at his sister.
“I almost forgot, I still owe you something.” He said, raising his hand and harshly slapping himself across the face. With a heavy thud, his face immediately swelled up, startling Lydia.
“Ethan! What are you doing!”
Ethan swallowed the metallic sweetness in his throat.
“I hit you before, I’m sorry, sis, this is to pay you
back.”
Lydia’s brows furrowed again. She didn’t know what to say, her hand wanting to reach out lifted and dropped several times, finally exhaling a turbid breath.
“Forget it, just don’t be a fool anymore. Maybe another Zoe will
appear,
you
and can’t miss out on her then.”
Lydia smiled and waved her hand. Ethan didn’t speak, watching his sister leave.
He didn’t want to spoil his sister’s mood, because everyone knew there wouldn’t be another Zoe. His bitter emotions surged up, then
were silently swallowed. Ethan picked up the photo in his hand and walked towards the basement.
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