The Latent Sentinel

CAUGHT RED HANDED 2

Ethan POV:

I know that if she is approached, she will run, and I will never see her again. After what feels like hours, Luke breaks the silence.

“Ethan, you have one week to come clean to the alpha. I don’t care who you talk to, but if you don’t inform someone about this, I will. I understand your situation, trust me, I do. Oliver and I had a rough start. I had stayed away from him thinking he wanted that. So I know how hard it is to do. But if there is a threat, we need to know about it. I will change the patrol, so Ella could be guarded as well. We can’t let her be harmed. She is under our protection.” He says, breathing heavily.

“Also, just so you know. We knew something was bothering the girl who was staying in the abandoned cabin near the lake. She has been guarded by an extra patrol ever since we spotted her, but I will increase the patrol just to be safe. If there is someone after her, they could attack the pack too. We need to be ready for that.” Luke finishes saying everything he wants to say and looks at me exponentially. He is looking at me strangely but gives me another hug. Stacey comes forward and hugs me as well. I am a little taken aback by it because she doesn’t show so many emotions normally. She is crying as well. Usually, she gets mad at people and yells at them. I have never seen her cry.

“I don’t think you know, but Diana and I had to take things really slow too. As she couldn’t trust anyone after what the hunters did to her and Dimitri. So I know your pain. Seeing your mate hurting but being unable to help is torture,” She says quietly.

“Also, you haven’t lost her, not completely at least. She rejected you, but you never accepted or denied her rejection, so you are both still connected. I don’t know how you never noticed that, but the pain you felt was because of your animal counterpart hurting thinking of the possible rejection. You both are still fated and destined to be together just like you were when you met.” She says, looking at me. She looks sad, it hurts to look at her. All of us have gone through a lot, in one way or another. But her words give a ray of hope which was diminished a long time ago.

“Now, I would suggest that you get an idea regarding how to convince your mate to come to the pack. You can ask Blaze and Connor for help. They know more about this kind of situation than you think they know.” Luke says, looking away from us.

“I can have Diana talk to Ella. She will be able to get through to Ella. She might relate to her situation. I will say Oliver too, but he might make the situation worse by coming on to her too strongly. And I don’t want you to murder my mate. I have seen Ella hiding in the trees like a damn squirrel when Diana shifts into her Fae form and goes to the lake.” Luke adds, looking at me as if he is trying to find something in my eyes. Stacey looks red as soon as he says that and hides behind me. Is there something we don’t know? They must have been fooling around the lake if she looked like that. She looks pretty covered in blush, not Ella pretty but pretty, nonetheless.

“Only mate is pretty to us,” Argus growls, reading my thoughts.

“Where were you? Why didn’t you notice them?”

“I am not at my full strength Ethan, you know that. I can barely breathe thinking about our past. But we have hope now.”

“We have hope,” I said to myself, feeling the warmth running through my veins.

That gives me some sense of reassurance and peace. The feeling of peace and tranquility is a foreign concept to me. For the first time in a while, my soul is at peace. I don’t understand how I never realized the difference between rejection and one-sided rejection. I center my breathing and focus on my soul. I try to feel the part that belongs to my mate. I feel her presence in my heart and my soul. I feel a faint presence of her consciousness deep in my heart. We are bonded. She is still a part of me. Tears of joy fall freely through my eyes as soon as I feel her deep within me. The sheer relief knocks me off, and I fall to the floor crying in joy and relief.

“I feel the bond. I thought I had lost her. I mourned the future we could have had. I don’t know how I will ever repay you, Stacey. You gave me my life back. I will do anything it takes to convince Ella to give us a chance.” I said, still crying with joy. She hugs me tightly and after that smacks me right on the back of the head. For a tiny person, she has way too much strength.

“That’s for being stupid. We are a pack. We are all there for you. Stop thinking, you are alone.” She yells, hugging me hard. She mutters something under her breath. And smirks at me. Luke just shook his head. He is trying hard not to smile, but when I look at him, he loses his battle. He coughs and covers his face, hiding his smirk.

“You would have heard me, if not for your dulled senses. You have been punishing yourself far too much. You can trust us; we would never betray your trust, Ethan. You know that.” She whispered, looking down at the ground.