Page 16 of Burning Embers
I should be the one providing for my mate.
Me.
Not Hale. Not Jake. Not anyone else.
How barbaric can I possibly be? This is the twenty-first century, for fuck’s sake. I don’t need toprovidefor Izzy. She’s a strong, independent woman who can take care of herself. And yet…
Fuck my wolf.
Seriously, fuck him and his primitive tendencies.
“There’s…um…actually a sale going on today,” I lie, keeping my head lowered so no one can see my expression.
Emery once told me I was an open book. It’s nearly impossible for me to lie without the truth splaying across my face.
“A sale,” Hale repeats dryly, not buying my bullshit for even a second.
He doesn’t call me out on it, however. He couldn’t possibly know the truth. More than likely, he thinks that I’m hypnotized by a pretty face—which I am.
He can’t ever know the full story, though.
“Yes. A sale.” I rack my brain for something reasonable. “Half off.”
“Half off?” Izzy flashes me a confused look, and my heart beats like a war drum in my chest.
My hands are suddenly clammy, then sweaty, and then clammy yet again.
“Yup.” I hurriedly swipe Hale’s credit card and then plug in the machine half the total. “Just for these two…um…products.”
Can I be any more stupid?
Hale continues to eye me strangely, but he doesn’t mount a protest as he signs the receipt.
As soon as they leave the store, I’ll have to grab my own credit card to finalize the payment. I could use the pack credit card that Ashton set up, but that would lead to questions.
And I’m not quite sure I’m ready to reveal the truth to my packmates yet.
God, I feel like a selfish asshole for admitting that out loud, but a part of me fears how they’ll react, especially once they discover she’s human.
And then there’s Desiree to consider…
No, it’ll be best if I keep this to myself, if only for a few more days. I can look more into Izzy and discover where she came from, why she’s here, and how she fits into this fucked-up puzzle. She’s obviously a missing piece, but what that means for all of us eludes me.
“Thank you, Hale.” Izzy flashes the older man a timid smile, and envy shoots through me like lightning.
I want her to be smiling at me like that—all flushed cheeks, batting lashes, and plump, pink lips.
Focus, Ethan. You can’t lose control.
I grip the countertop so tightly that my knuckles bleach white.
“I’m assuming this means I’ll see you at school on Monday?” I query, grateful when I don’t growl the words out like an animal.
Izzy smiles at me shyly and tucks a strand of golden hair behind her ear. “Yeah. I’ll be there.”
“Maybe I can sit by you at lunch?”
The smile slips from her face, and she begins to blink owlishly at me. Her perfect pink lips open, shut, and then open again. She seems at a loss for words.