The Latent Sentinel

CAUGHT RED HANDED 4

Ethan POV

“Diana informed them before you woke up. We didn’t know. It's better if you talk to them now. Don’t overthink it.” Luke whispers while hugging me.

“You were murmuring in your magic-induced delirium. Stacey must have told Diana something important if Diana called them here. You should come clean to them,” Luke whispers before walking away. He pats my back and gives me a reassuring nod before leaving. I feel my heart clench when I look at Blake standing tall on my porch with a deadly expression.

Ritz smiles at me, waving her hand happily. She is pregnant with their third child, Hope and Aiden are all grown up, and they were ready for another addition to their lovely family. Aidan is Four and Hope is two. Ritz wants her kids to be close in age so they can grow up together. She believes it will form a strong familial bond between them. She is due any day now. Annoying a pregnant Ritz feels like a bad idea already, her mood swings have been awful but I don't have an option. I don't what she will do to me once I come clean. She might just kill me.

I keep my head down and unlock the door, it’s been years since I felt like I am being reprimanded like a child but today sure seems like it. But I remind myself that they are not like my family. They won’t use the same methods to punish me or reprimand me.

As soon as we are inside, Blake tells me that Ray and Dia are on their way with Blaze and Connor. They work with rescue missions so it’s understood that they would like to know why I didn’t talk to them regarding this. They all have been so good to me, yet I betrayed their trust.

We sat down on the sofa surrounded by an awkward and unbearable silence. Ritz is sitting on Blake’s lap trying to hold him close; she does this when he is too agitated and angry. She is definitely trying to calm Apollo down. Argus and Apollo have always been close. We have had a strong bond since I first met him. Blake has always treated me like an older brother. So him being angry with me or on my behalf is understandable. He is also an Alpha and leader for the cat shifters in the pack. He feels betrayed by my behavior. I think my guilt and pain have overshadowed all my decisions for the past year. I have isolated myself. Now that I think about it clearly, I can analyze myself and my situation as a doctor. I should have done things a lot differently but it's too late now. I have made a mistake, there is no need to cry over spilled milk. I need to do better in the future.

Ray and Dia give me a warm hug taking their places on the chairs while Blaze and Connor squeeze my shoulder before standing next to their mate. They have a look of remorse and almost pity on their faces. I feel intense anger snap inside me, I don’t want their pity. Why am I feeling like this? Why am I this agitated suddenly? Even Argus barely talks to me. I have isolated myself from my soul.

I look past my emotions and focus on the meeting. Dia is the first one to talk.

“Ethan, how could you be so careless? You could have gotten seriously injured or killed being alone and vulnerable in an abandoned cave. I understand you want to avoid people but this is not the right way. Is it that difficult to share your pain with us? Aren’t we friends? Do we mean nothing to you? You could have trusted someone with your pain. Do you not trust anyone here?” She is shouting at the end, I can see and feel her pain. Her words are heavy, and tears escape her bright eyes at the end. I look down not knowing what to do. I am the reason for this, nothing I say will make a difference.

Ray whispers something hiding her tears. I don’t know what I can say to that, so I just keep quiet. Ritz is next to reprimand me, saying she thought we were friends but clearly I don’t think so as I haven’t trusted her enough to confide in her. A look from Blake is enough to explain his state of mind. Blake and Connor both look mad but they just hold their mate close without a word.

After everyone reminds me that I am not alone, and I have family and friends. They remind me that I have people with whom I can talk and share my pain. I have people to discuss my situation and find a reasonable solution. They will help me keep her safe if I talk to them. Connor and Blaze told me that they will see what they can find regarding Ella from other survivors. They can find something about her situation from someone as they have rescued a lot of people in the past few years from the hunters and other supernatural’s. Someone might know something or have heard something while they were prisoners at the hunter's den.

I retold my story, and my heart felt a little lighter. It hurt me but after I narrated the story, the pain reduced just a little bit. They all had tears and hugged me after I was done, and a weird sense of calm settled in my mind. Nobody said anything after that. They just hugged me and cried with me. For the first time, I felt like I could finally breathe.

I am hopeful that we can find whatever she is afraid of and deal with it. I can’t have a hanging sword on our heads for the rest of our lives. When everyone takes their leave Blake stays behind.

“Let’s go for a run Ethan, I am sure Argus will appreciate it.” I don’t argue or question him. We change in different corners of the house and shift. Making a run through the back door towards the dense forest.