3rd Person

Paisley huddled behind Riley, Ryder and Parker, a deep frown tugging on her young features.

When the pups woke from their nap, they initially jumped out of bed to rush out and see their parents, but the sounds of tense voices stopped them short.

Indulging their Goddess-given talents for eavesdropping, the pups listened as Ethan insulted Jane and confirmed he didn’t want to be a father. Of course, Paisley knew the truth behind these lies. She knew her father was pushing away Jane and his children for their own good, but her siblings did not.

I don’t unders’and.” Parker whispered, looking thunderstruck. “Mommy said it was her ‘cision to leave Daddy.”

Why is he being so mean?” Riley whimpered in reply.

Paisley kept her mouth tightly shut. She might know her father’s motivations, but she didn’t find it any easier to hear him speak that way than her brothers and sister did. Ethan had explained he had to pretend to be mean, but it was one thing to know that, and another to hear it happen with her own ears. It was too confusing. Questions swirled through her mind, every bit as urgent as the ones Riley, Ryder and Parker were asking. Could a person really make up such horrible things? Could they inflict so much pain and still be nice- as nice as her Daddy? Or was the niceness the lie? Was it possible for cruelty to ever be the right thing to do?

Why didn’t Mommy tell us?” Ryder inquired, his voice very small.

Cuz she didn’t want us to feel bad.” Paisley supplied gravely, feeling a lump in her throat.

They’d all been so angry at Jane, they’d made it so hard on her. “She was trying to pwotect us.

what she believed was best for them, that she loved

open, and then Ethan was there, looking down at them. They turned their faces up to their father, wearing identical glares. Ethan’s expression was carefully blank, as if he’d been preparing for this – as if he’d schooled himself not to react when the time came to reveal himself as a villain. Behind him, Jane’s eyes were wide, her hand clasped over her mouth. Her green eyes were shining with tears, and her free hand was pressed to her belly, as

back, looking frantically back and forth between him and her babies. When she saw the looks on their faces, she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to attack Ethan or weep. Jane had been through so much effort, struggle and heartache trying to prevent this exact scenario. She’d never wanted the pups to know he didn’t

happen eventually, Jane.” Ethan

didn’t have to!” Jane exploded, tears streaming down her cheeks. They’re too little, Ethan! This is going to affect them for the rest of their lives, don’t you

pups pushed past Ethan and ran to

cuddle her properly, climbing into her

would make her laugh. So she did, hiccupping a chuckle and trying to slow the deluge of

face. Ethan studied her, letting his

– who had never even raised his voice at her; who was always calm, always kind, even when he was angry; who had always been her fiercest protector. Even so, she could sense how badly it was hurting him too. She didn’t want to leave him all alone. He might

cheek to his thigh, closing her eyes and squeezing with all her might. As soon as her warm little body connected with his, something broke in Ethan, and suddenly he was fighting back

intuition detecting the change in his energy. See, she wanted to say, mean Daddies need cuddles too. Instead she simply held on tighter, pouring all her love out through her

a tense and prickly place to live. Everyone walked around

passed, Jane felt more and more confident about taking the pups home in the new year. With the exception of Paisley, the children were refusing to speak to their father, and all the playful energy which

returned to the Dark Moon pack she would take them to Dr. Nora to immediately begin working through this newest trauma, and with any luck she could make them feel so loved and wanted that they would never feel abandoned. She

friend. She caught herself wondering about Devon, her mind wandering to the beta over and over throughout the day. She was even thinking about him as she went through her emails, so preoccupied wondering what he’d been up

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