Page 28 of Ruined Wolf

Inside was a collection of copied letters signed by Ethan. Each document contained detailed instructions on setting up secret offshore bank accounts and transferring funds. It seemed that Ethan had been using his financial resources to help fund various criminal activities. I noticed several of the letters were addressed to my father. I skimmed them quickly. They talked about the union between Maverick and Tessa, which were clearly written before I’d come on the scene, and then Ethan’s plans for Maverick to take over as alpha, including a proposed date for Ethan to step down. I frowned. This seemed like strange information to pass along to the alpha of another pack, and why on earth would my father have a say on what date Ethan stepped down as alpha?

I quickly went through the rest of the letters, finding another one that made me pause. It was a proposal to Ethan, as trustee of the Sea Wolf Pack, to sell a large portion of the pack lands to a logging company based in the city for a seven figure sum. I flipped the letter over, looking at the map on the back that showed the portion of land concerned outlined in red, and my mouth fell open in disbelief. The enclosed area covered almost two-thirds of the island, including the land where the claiming was run and a vast part of the interior. The place where Asher and I had gone to see Standing Bear was included, and I took a shaky breath at the memory of all those beautiful ancient trees being razed to the ground.

Surely Ethan hadn’t considered the proposal. As alpha, he did control the pack finances and have the power to sell off land, but this was nearly everything except the land on which the town and nearby villages were built.

I turned the letter back over. The proposal included a substantial commission for Ethan himself if he agreed to the deal. Was this what Jaxon had discovered? Did Ethan mean to sell the pack lands before he stepped down and then disappear? There was nothing to suggest he had agreed though. Ethan had printed out his own responses, keeping everything together, but there was nothing to suggest he’d even replied to this offer. Maybe he’d just kept it as a last resort in case anything went wrong with the pack. Maverick had said the pack finances were struggling, so perhaps Ethan had thought he might be able to make a counteroffer for a small part of the land that might ease things financially for the pack. It was a possibility.

I returned the letters to the file, keeping the one about the logging proposal. I folded it and slipped it into the waistband of my jeans with a grimace. My jeans were starting to get too tight, so I undid the top button, hoping to loosen them a little. I closed the file and returned it to its place in the filing cabinet before heading back out into the hallway. This was the proof that could expose Ethan’s crimes, but Maverick was already aware of Ethan’s less than moral dealings, so he might even know about the folder. He was planning to clean things up when Ethan stepped down, but he hadn’t wanted to cause waves in case Ethan decided to remain as alpha longer and continue his schemes. Maverick’s main worry was protecting the pack. As far as he was concerned, what Ethan got up to with his own money was irrelevant, or, at least, he could put up with it for the short time that remained.

There was clearly something Ethan was keeping from Maverick, but I wasn’t sure if this was it. I went back to the desk. I had already searched it to no avail, but it occurred to me that Ethan probably kept important things secure, so maybe something password protected. I started up his computer, and although the main desktop was instantly accessible, I still couldn’t find anything that he kept protected. So far, Ethan seemed clean.

I sighed and shut down the computer. I headed back out into the hallway and contemplated searching the bedrooms. This might be my only chance, but I had already been here over half an hour, and Eleanor might be wondering where I was. As a last attempt, I flipped through the books on the small bookcase in the hall. They were mainly coffee table books about the wildlife and sights on the island and looked like they’d never been opened, but as I lifted one of the heavier ones, a couple of sheets of paper dropped to the floor with a rustle. I flipped through the rest of the book to make sure there was nothing else, then replaced it on the shelf and picked up the papers.

My heart stopped as I read the name at the bottom of the letter.

“That can’t be right,” I murmured. “Doctor Harold Smith... It is. What the fuck?”

Doctor Harold Smith had been Jaxon’s doctor. He’d been the one who had originally diagnosed Jaxon’s condition—a rare disorder starting with generic symptoms of gastro problems, which were inevitably incurable, and had led to a long, slow, and painful death as his organs had shut down. Doctor Smith had been a lifeline for me over the months of Jaxon’s illness, constantly visiting the apartment to deliver pain relief, and sometimes even sitting with Jaxon so I could get some sleep or a shower. I had hardly dared to leave his side, and the doctor’s help had been a godsend.

I scanned the letters, wondering if Jaxon had asked the doctor to notify his family of his illness, but this didn’t seem like a letter breaking the news of a loved one’s sickness. It informed Ethan matter-of-factly that Jaxon was deteriorating steadily, and only had a few months to live if the deterioration continued at this pace. The second letter confirmed that Jaxon’s internal organs were shutting down, and he didn’t have much time left. He was delirious part of the time, but even then, the doctor hadn’t been able to get any information from him. Searches of the apartment had failed to turn up any storage device.

I laid the letters on the shelf and stared at them, suddenly feeling very sick. Ethan knew. He knew where Jaxon was the whole time, which I knew, but he had known that Jaxon was seriously ill and had hired the doctor to find whatever information Jaxon had on him. He knew he was dying and hadn’t told his brothers. Ethan could have told them, and they could have come to the mainland and found him. They could have had a short time together before he died, and it would have fixed everything between them. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into the soft skin of my palms, and inside, my wolf snarled and spat at the thought of what Ethan had done. If I hadn’t already hated the man, this would have been the last straw. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to rip him apart and taste his blood in my mouth as I tore out his throat.

I took a shaky breath and picked up the letters. I pulled the logging company letter back out to fold them together and stared down at the logo on the letterhead—Alliance Logging Logistics. I felt cold seep through my body. That was the company Jaxon had worked for in the city, the one he’d said he’d hated but we needed the money. There was no way that could be a coincidence. Jaxon left the island and went to work for the same company that the alpha was in correspondence with about possibly selling pack lands?

Thoughts and memories and suspicions danced around in my head in deafening chaos, and I closed my eyes, feeling pain increasing behind my eyes. I needed to get out and get someplace where I could sit and think.

I folded the letters and tucked them back into my jeans. Glancing around to make sure everything was as it had been, I opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch, right into Ethan.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

ASHER

By the time my fourth coffee kicked in, I was starting to feel more human, or more wolf—I wasn’t sure anymore. I hadn’t been able to sleep after I’d gone back to my room the night before. All I could hear were Nova’s cries of pleasure as Lucas stepped in and did what I couldn’t bring myself to do. I’d switched on my computer, loaded up a particularly violent shooting game, and blasted loud music through my noise cancelling headphones so I couldn’t hear her calling his name, when only minutes before, she’d been begging me to take her. I didn’t blame her. I could see how much she’d wanted me. My fingers still smelled and tasted of her, and it was driving me crazy.

I was insane, absolutely insane. Who the hell turned down a gorgeous woman who was practically begging for your cock? Only an idiot. I’d ripped off the headphones, listening for the sounds of her moans from the hallway, and closed my eyes, imagining it was my cock impaling her against that wall and making her scream like that. I’d jacked one out under the desk, angry at Lucas for barging in and irritated with her for letting him, but mostly, I was mad at myself for being such a coward, because that was what I was—a coward. I was so scared of going all the way with Nova. Not because of how my delightful big brother had put it, but because I knew once I took her, I’d be hers completely, and right now, I still had a shred of self-respect. Not much, granted, after last night, but a shred.

If I gave in to Nova, I’d be the third choice for the rest of my life—the brother who got mated because the woman felt sorry for him. It felt so good to be with her and so right. She’d said we were meant to be together, but that was wrong. We weren’t. If we were, I’d have been marked, just like she had marked Maverick and Lucas. I wasn’t meant to be hers, and she would never be mine.

I sighed, downing the rest of my coffee. My anger at her had faded as soon as my climax had. I’d felt how ready she was and how much she needed me, and Lucas hadn’t exactly given her much choice in the matter. Yes, she could have pushed him away and come after me, but I remembered the look on her face as he’d taken her, almost pleading with me to stay, and I’d left. I’d walked out, I’d rejected her, and I knew I’d hurt her by doing that. Shame filled me, and I crushed the cup in my hand before throwing it into the nearby bin.

Lucas had been a dick, literally in this case, but what was new? He was always a dick, so I shouldn’t expect him to change just because he was mated. As long as he was good to her—and by the sound of her cries through my door, he definitely made her feel good—then I was content, because despite everything, I just wanted her to feel good, loved, wanted, and taken care of. It wasn’t hard to see she hadn’t had much of that in her life.

I needed to see her. I needed to apologise and set boundaries again. I needed to make her realise she’d done nothing wrong, and she deserved to be happy. I was going to stay out of their way and let them be happy. I pulled out a scrap of paper from my pocket and dialled the number written on it.

“Bailey? Yeah, it’s Asher. Yeah, I’m good, thanks. You? Awesome. Listen, mate, that apartment you showed me in town the other day... Is it still available? Great. I’ve decided to take it as soon as possible. Appreciate it, mate. Thanks.”

I hung up, feeling calmer and more in control than I had been before. The apartment would be mine, and I could get out from under their feet. With some space between Nova and me, we could be friends again, and I didn’t want to lose that—if I hadn’t already.

I slipped my phone back into my pocket and started walking, intending to head over to the tourist office and see if I could persuade her to have a coffee with me. I prayed I hadn’t cocked it up completely, but Nova was sweet, so there was still a chance she’d forgive me.

I didn’t quite reach the tourist centre. As I got to the square, I caught sight of Nova coming out of Ethan’s house just as Ethan walked up the steps. I frowned. What on earth was she doing in there? I was pretty sure the council had business over at Falling Waters this morning. She turned and saw Ethan, and something about the look on her face had me picking up the pace.

“Hey, Nova, what’s up?” I asked as I jogged up to them.

She looked at me, shock spreading across her face, and I realised with a jolt she hadn’t expected me to talk to her. Shame filled me again for the pain I’d clearly caused her, but I turned to Ethan.

“Hey, Ethan, what are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to be over at Falling Waters this morning?”