Page 7 of Ruined Wolf

“You’re worried Ethan might sell off some of the land?” I surmised, and she jerked around to look at me.

“Oh, no, no, he’d never do that. This land is important. It’s part of our history, and those companies would decimate any land they bought. No, Ethan wouldn’t even consider it, but they might try to meet with him and put pressure on him. It’s better if he’s conveniently out of the way when they come calling.”

“Ah, I get it,” I said, though I wouldn’t have thought Ethan was that sentimental, even with his homeland.

Eleanor grabbed her coffee from the desk and headed into her office, shutting the door behind her. I settled into my own chair and reached for my coffee.

“What?” That strange sensation happened inside me again, and then again, and my mouth fell open as I finally realised what it was. My baby was moving, and I could feel it. I laid my hand gently on my stomach, feeling the gentle rise under my jeans. I couldn’t feel it with my hand, but there it was again, that flutter, like bubbles or butterfly wings.

I smiled.

“Hello there,” I murmured. Another flutter, and then there was no more, even though I waited for a few minutes. I reached for my coffee, smiling to myself. He moved. He actually moved, and he was real. Joy raced through me, and my smile morphed into a full-on grin.

“You look very pleased with yourself.” I looked up and found Maverick standing by the door, smiling at me. I opened my mouth to tell him, and then reality hit, and my smile faded. I couldn’t tell him. I couldn’t tell anyone. I swallowed down the lump in my throat and smiled up at Maverick, trying to hide my sudden sadness.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Eleanor wants me to go on a boat tour to research it for the website, and it sounds amazing.”

“That does sound good, but do me a favour and take Lucas with you.”

I frowned. “Why?”

“I’ve got a lot going on this week with Ethan, and I’d rather have someone with you just to be on the safe side.”

I started to say it wasn’t necessary then decided against it. It was just Maverick being protective, and I knew he was still worried about the fact that my room was searched by some stranger. To be honest, it felt nice to have someone looking after me, and I smiled gratefully at him. “I will. I’ll ask if I can bring him along. Do you think he’ll mind?”

“No, desolate coastlines and wildlife are just his thing, and if he tries to get out of it, tell him it’s my special request.” Maverick grinned at me, and I laughed, picturing Lucas rolling his eyes at the statement.

“So are you here to see Eleanor or me?” I asked, looking up at him through lowered lashes and flashing him what I hoped was a flirtatious smile and not something that made me look as though I should be committed.

“Oh, I’m definitely here to see you,” he murmured, bending down to kiss me.

My stomach fluttered, but despite me hesitating a moment, it was only the normal butterflies I got when he did that and not the baby this time.

He sighed, pulling away. “I’m lying. I do need to talk to Eleanor, but I probably could have got her on the phone. This was a good excuse to see you.”

He smiled at me and then walked into Eleanor’s office. I looked back at my computer screen, trying not to smile too widely in case he caught me. He kissed me again on the way out, trailing his hand down my arm in an affectionate gesture, and my heart warmed at his touch.

Eleanor came out of the office and smiled at me. “You look all loved up,” she commented, and I blushed. “You just mated,” she continued. “You’re supposed to look like that. Now, I’m popping out to talk to a couple of reporters about the festival. They want to interview me about it, and it’ll be good publicity. Actually, you should come.” She looked me up and down to see if I looked professional enough, and I glanced down at my jeans and hoodie.

“Maybe just you,” I suggested with a grin.

“You should be there. You’re the one who came up with the whole idea, and you organised most of it. I feel like I’m taking credit.”

“You’ve done a fair bit of work yourself, Eleanor, and you are the boss. I really don’t mind. I’ll just have a day off after the festival.”

“You can have a week off,” she replied and waved as she exited the shop. I smiled at her as she left, but my heart sank. I was starting to realise that despite having mated Maverick and Lucas, I would still end up leaving the island alone. There was no way they’d let me stay once they realised I’d lied to them, and when my father found out Maverick had blown off Tessa for me, he’d be furious. I wouldn’t put it past him to come after the pack just to hurt me. Being in the newspaper was probably a really bad idea anyway. If my father or one of my old pack saw it, it would lead him straight here.

Sighing, I turned back to the computer and began to type, then I changed my mind. I suddenly felt caged, hemmed in on all sides. I had a really strong urge to get out and feel the fresh air. I picked up the phone and searched for a number. It rang a couple of times, then a woman’s voice answered.

“Hi, this is Nova from the tourism centre. Eleanor said you wanted me to get in touch about a tour...”

Two hours later, I sat on the back of a speedboat, the wind whipping around my face as we sped out past the bigger waves to the open sea. Lucas sat next to me. He’d been moderately put out at having to come with me, and even more so when I’d said it was this afternoon, and yet I noticed he didn’t hesitate to cancel his plans for me.

I smiled across the boat at him where he sat, looking ridiculous in the bright orange life jacket the tour operator had insisted we both wear. He didn’t smile back, just lifted his chin slightly, but I did notice his hard gaze soften a little as he looked at me.

The boat slowed as it got past the rougher waves, and the driver took it around in a large, sweeping arc as we cleared the rock outcroppings near the small fishing harbour we’d set off from. We sped along the coast, and I watched as the few houses and shacks faded away, leaving only unspoiled scenery.

As we moved into the cluster of smaller islands, the driver slowed the boat to a gentle cruise. I took a deep breath, drinking it all in. The island truly was stunning. Dark green hills rose up from the island, leading down to thick forests and stony beaches. Here, the island broke away into smaller islands and outcroppings of rock known as the Broken Isles. I smiled at the thought that Desolation was like a giant cake and the smaller islands were crumbs left behind after someone had taken a bite. Many of the islands were covered with sea birds, and several of them soared over us. The rain had died down recently, and today was warmer with clear blue skies and sunshine I could actually feel on my skin.