Chapter 8
Ethan’s POV
It took a whole month after Aria disappeared for Ethan to even notice something was off.
He’d figured she was just playing hard to get.
But when he realized he couldn’t reach her no matter what, couldn’t even track her familiar jasmine scent, he finally got a little serious.
He sent out the pack’s best trackers, but they all came back empty–handed.
He contacted the wolves Aria used to be close with; they all said they hadn’t seen her.
He cut the mind link impatiently, turned to his Beta second–in–command, and pulled up Aria’s bank account info.
It showed zero spending on the black card he’d given her.
Aria had only taken her own savings when she left, nothing else.
“So, she has a spine after all,” he sneered, his pride refusing to acknowledge the hollow ache in his chest.
She just wanted him and the cubs to come running back to her, right?
trick.
Such a childish trick.
It wouldn’t work.
The next morning at breakfast, Mason and Maya were chattering about wolf school.
Isabella gently put food on their plates, looking up at Ethan now and then with a sweet smile.
The two little wolf cubs were lively, their ears twitching with excitement.
It looked like a happy scene, but for some reason, Ethan felt like something was missing–that sense of peace only a true mate could bring.
“Dad, next week is parents‘ sports day at wolf school. Can you and Aunt Isabella come?” Maya asked, her amber eyes wide with hope, a little wolf cub’s eagerness shining through.
“Of course,” Ethan replied automatically, then paused. “Before… who used to go with you? Was it your mom?”
Both cubs made disgusted faces, their little wolf ears drooping.
“It was her… but we didn’t want her to come!” Mason pouted, his little face cold. “She always dressed so plainly, didn’t even know basic wolf etiquette.”
“All she did was stay home and do chores, never wanted to leave the territory. She didn’t even try to look nice. We didn’t want her there at all.”
“Yeah!” Maya agreed, her little wolf tail wagging nervously. “Aunt Isabella always dresses up so pretty, and she smells like nice perfume. All our classmates envy us!”
Isabella smiled shyly, poured Ethan a cup of coffee, her movements as graceful as a perfect Omega’s.
“Ethan, try this. I had the servants make it just how you like it.”
Ethan took a sip and frowned slightly–too bitter.
His wolf senses were much sharper than a human’s; he could easily tell the subtle difference.
Aria always used to make his coffee herself. She never made mistakes like this.
Aria remembered he liked his coffee with a spoonful of cream, no sugar, and she’d even add a bit of honey before a full moon night to soothe his restless wolf.
“What’s wrong? Not to your taste?” Isabella asked with concern, her voice soft.
“It’s fine.” He put the cup down, said nothing more, just straightened his cuffs. “I’m heading to the office.”
In the days that followed, life in the pack house seemed normal on the surface, but small changes were happening quietly.
Isabella had never done chores and had no idea how to take care of an Alpha’s daily life.
After a few tries, she just left everything to the servants.
Though the pack house seemed to run smoothly.
