The converted warehouse stands grey and uninviting before me. I know the interior is modern and full of natural light, but the exterior hasn’t quite managed to shed the industrial façade of its origins. I’m a little nervous of my welcome; Ethan is expecting me, but I’m not sure he’ll like some of the questions I’m here to ask.
The ground floor door is open, just like he said it would be, so I make my way inside and take the elevator up to the apartment that spans the top floor. A narrow hallway leads me to another door, and before I have a chance to knock, it opens to reveal a cheeky grin and warm brown eyes.
“Let me guess, you smelled me coming?” I give the werewolf before me a wry smile.
He laughs and moves aside, ushering me in. “I know better than to answer that. Grab a seat and make yourself at home.” He indicates towards the oversized sofas and leather recliners that occupy the main living area. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Hot water would be good, thanks.”
He quirks an eyebrow at me but says nothing as he heads to the open-plan kitchen and puts the kettle on.
I take the opportunity to check out the view and whistle softly. The panoramic window artistically frames the city skyline, and with the heat of the sun beaming through the glass on a rare sunny day such as this one, I can easily imagine sitting there and doing little else other than basking in the warmth. It takes some effort to tear myself away when Ethan re-joins me with two steaming mugs in his hands.
“Thanks for taking the time to talk to me.” I settle back into one of the oversized sofas and take the mug he offers.
“I figured if I didn’t, you’d arrange for terrible things to happen to me.” He gives me a wink and I stifle a laugh. Oh, if he only knew.
“The readers have been asking about you. They’re curious about your history.”
“They want to know how I came to be so irresistible?”
I snort, unable to restrain myself. “I’m sure that was the subtext. They know you’re from Donegal and were wondering how long it’s been since you were last home?”
He shrugs, a blank mask replacing the playful look on his face. “A year, two maybe.”
“That’s a long time. Your family must miss you.”
“I am very missable.” He grins, but I’m not fooled.
“What made you leave?”
“I needed a break, I guess. With the pack I was always the Alpha’s first born, never just Ethan. Everyone means well, but it gets tiring.”
“I can imagine. It must be hard having people look up to you all the time.”
“I don’t want people to look up to me.”
“What did your dad think about you leaving?”
“To him the pack is everything; the thought of not being with them is unimaginable. He’s given up arguing with me to come home now, but he still doesn’t understand, not really.”
“And what does the pack mean to you?”
“The pack are my family, and I love them dearly. I’m just not ready to go back to them yet.”
“Because of Sean?”
His brown eyes darken and his body stills. Little hairs on my arms stand on end as some ancient part of me recognises danger in the energy thrumming from him. But he won’t hurt me, I know that.
It’s a full minute before he speaks. “How can I face them knowing his killer still walks free? What kind of leader would that make me?”
“Do you think they’ll blame you?”
“It doesn’t matter either way.”
“Because you blame yourself?”
The heavy silence provides the only answer I need.
“From what I understand, Sean came to Dublin to try convince you to go home. Would you have gone? If what happened hadn’t happened …”
His gaze turns distant, a shadow of regret making him seem older than his thirty years. “Maybe. It was easy to convince myself I didn’t miss the pack when I was on my own. Then Sean showed up and it reminded me of everything I’d left behind. I still didn’t want the responsibility of being anyone’s Alpha, but I guess the time away helped me gain a bit of perspective.”
“Do you think he’d want you to stay away now?”
“No. But he always was a selfless bastard like that. If he’d spent less time worrying about others maybe he’d still be alive.”
“Then he wouldn’t have been Sean.”
A small smile tugs at the side of Ethan’s mouth as he nods a small acknowledgement. He’s silent for a minute, then his expression once again turns playful just as I’m taking a drink of my hot water. “So do the readers think I’m irresistible?”
I choke, my eyes watering as I try to manage the logistics of not spraying the water everywhere with laughter. “I’m sure they wouldn’t kick you out of bed for eating a pack of crisps.”
