Eric stared down at Jane in abject shock, trying to process her words as he took in all the changes she’d manifested in a little under a week. She reeked of Ethan and his mark flared red around the curve of her neck.

Her skin was glowing with health, and her cheeks were flushed with color. She was angrier than he had ever seen her, but he also immediately recognized that she hadn’t gotten through her heat on her own. Jealous anger flooded him, rising up to meet her own flaring temper, even though he knew he was in the wrong.

Glancing down at the papers she was forcing against his hard ch3st, he pried them free of her clenching fingers and flipped through them, quickly putting together the pieces of the story.”So,” He mused aloud, “Ethan stopped rutting you long enough to have me investigated?”

“Excuse me?” Jane snarled, “how dare you speak to me that way?”

“l asked you if you needed relief, Jane.” He reminded her, “l offered to help you with anything you needed”

“Don’t try to change the subject.” Jane hissed.

This isn’t about Ethan and I, or my heat, this is about you lying to me – for years!”

“And don’t you go making this about you!” Eric replied tersely. “Nobody in the Dark Moon pack knows who I truly am, for precisely this reason.” He explained.

“l wanted a normal life, but the only way to achieve that when you’re the son of the king is to disappear, to hide in plain sight in a place where no one knows you.”

The investigators had gone above and beyond looking into his past. Somehow they managed to do what all the paparazzi in his home nation had not, and Connected Dark Moon businessman Eric Danvers to Prince Henry of the Midnight Pack- a tiny island empire in the south seas. He was the youngest son, one of five children with no hopes of ever inheriting his father’s title, but a prince nonetheless.

“But we’ve been friends for years.” Jane insisted, “I opened up to you, I told you my deepest, darkest secrets and all the while | didn’t even know the most basic information about you. I didn’t even know your real name.”

“But you understand trying to protect yourself at all costs.” Eric – or Henry, argued. “You understand putting on a mask for the sake of leading the life you want”

“Not with my friends!” Jane argued. “I trusted you,

Eric. Henry – whatever your name is!”

“My name is Eric – same as it’s always been.” He insisted. This is who l am, and this is the life I want. I’m the same person I’ve always been, just with a fancier title.”

you tell the pups what happened between Ethan and 1?”

his expression closed off completely. “Jane,

“You told my babies

worse than him making you a slave in the first place?” Eric demanded in return. “Why is it you can forgive him enough to sleep with him over and over again, but I simply bring what he’s done

he’s their father! Children shouldn’t have people unloading their baggage about their

was trying to protect you!”

tell them the details, I put

me. Don’t you understand that if you hurt my children

what you mean?” Eric

seem all that hurt Jane. Are you sure you don’t mean to say I can’t hurt your mate

shaking her head as tears burned in her eyes. “I thought you were on my side. But you’ve only ever been on your own

that.”‘ Eric begged. “I’ve been on

was playing a part then too. Maybe that was our mistake. We were both playacting instead of being honest, and we never saw the real

Jane.” Eric professes, reaching

and kind and generous, you’re smart, ambitious and strong. I love you. I’ve been

she’d had any idea he felt that strongly she

began hesitantly, trying to find the right words to let him

like that. Don’t end this before it’s even begun. Just give me a chance, one

aren’t meant to be. We aren’t a good fit. You may think

what I do, I can’t seem to escape my past. It keeps hanging over me like some terrible spectre and all the while I’m just fighting for the

make it clear.” Eric

us to be safe, and sure, one day l’d like to be loved if l can,

demanded, “When you go home tonight and he crawls into your

you this much: when it comes to mates, my

I trail off, his face falling as my unspoken words land in his

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