3. Twenty- five

It all happened so fast, that I barely had any time to blink. I stood stunned in the backyard, while everyone started getting up from their bowed positions. Murmurs and whispers started in the crowd and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. 

I tried to make my way through the throngs of werewolves to reach Ethan but when I reached the place where I had last seen him bowing down to Harper, I saw no one. 

Great, it looked like he had taken off too!

I could feel everyone's blatant stares at the back of my neck, their fingers pointing at me, and I could already imagine that by now everyone in the pack must have known what happened between me and Ethan. 

I sighed and slightly conscious of everyone's eyes on me, walked into the pack house and out towards Ethan's car. I had picked up Ethan's car keys on my way out of the pack house and I knew it would kill him to know that I had driven his car. I couldn't care less about that right now. I got in the car and sat in the car for a while.

How had everything become such a mess? I had a feasible and we'll think out a plan to handle everything and everyone and it had all blown up in my face during a practice session. 

I groaned out loud in frustration, comfortable in the fact that I was alone and no one could listen to me screaming my brains out. I pulled my phone out of my track pants and dialed Harper. I dialed again and again when I realized that he wasn't going to pick up my call anytime soon. 

I changed tactics and called Ethan after that. I called him three times but only got voicemail which was the final nail in the coffin of my mood. I huffed and threw my phone on the passenger seat.

I turned on the ignition and drove in the direction of the hospital. I grumbled on my way to the parking lot and took a couple of deep breaths to calm myself down. No one inside the hospital needed to see me all high-strung and so off my game. 

I quickly got out of the car and after confirming that Sebastian hadn't been moved from his room, went to see him. 

It had only been a couple of days but with everything going on in my life, I had forgotten to check up on Sebastian. That man never failed to check up on me when I was living with my sister and I wasn't going to let him hang. He had a big decision to make and I had made a mental note to go see him after going to practice. 

I had hoped Ethan would be with me but that was definitely off the charts right now. After losing his wolf, Sebastian wouldn't be able to link with the pack members, but I had a feeling that he would already know about what happened during the practice session. So, I paused when I reached his room and took a deep breath before opening the room.

Sebastian was awake and sitting upright on the hospital bed, flipping through the channels on the television. I gave him a smile, which he returned and hesitantly entered the room. 

"Ah, Zara. I didn't expect to see you right now." He switched off the television and watched me as I sat down on the couch beside his bed. 

"What do you mean? I always try to come visit you." I joked and he laughed in return. 

"I don't know. With everything that just happened in the backyard during the pack training sessions, I just didn't think you would be sitting here right now." I flushed under his scrutiny.

"You heard about that, hun?" I asked, embarrassed.

"I mean, I have given up my wolf, sure but I still got my ears." He said pointedly and I gasped at the way he had slipped in such important information so casually. 

"You're letting go of your wolf," I confirmed and he nodded. 

"I already have." He looked somber and almost lost his composure for a moment. "I realized that I had so much to live for right now. My son has become a capable and responsible alpha but he will require guidance and advice. My daughter has just entered this world and will need her father to ward off creepy boys who are not her mate and most importantly, I want to stay alive for my mate, Zara. I don't want to leave her alone here. I want to be with her, that's all I want. Everything else is secondary." 

I smiled at the way he talked about his mate and I remembered my own mate's problems. I sighed as I recalled the incident in the backyard. "Now that you mention mates." 

"Harper?" Seb questioned. "Has he done something because if he has, he will have to answer to me." 

I shook my head and looked down at the starched bedsheet of the hospital bed. "Harper has been the most agreeable and understanding person. I never thought he would be so accommodating. He's giving me the space I need and he's changed so much. You know, one of the main reasons I left was because Harper was so protective he wouldn't have given me time to sort out my feelings. I thought he would crowd me so I went away to live with my sister. But now, he is giving me the space to think and sort out my thoughts but even then, I have never been so confused." I groaned at the end of my rant and put my head in my hands.

"You need to stop overthinking one of these days." Sebastian chuckled and I swatted his hand. 

"Hey, come on! I'm serious. I need some really good advice." 

"You don't need my advice, Zara." 

"I don't?" I leaned back. What the hell was he saying?

"No, you already know what to do. You already know what you want to do. So why are you cross-checking the pros and cons again and again? Why don't you just do what you want to do? Why don't you just do what needs to be done? It would be easier for everyone, not just you. A lot of people have their stakes on you."

"They do?" I asked, surprised that my decision would affect anyone other than the immediate people involved. 

"Of course. I, for one, will lose a hundred bucks if I bet wrong." I laughed at his attempt to lighten the mood and was glad that it worked. E sobered up and added gently. "But seriously, Zara, I don't care that Harper's my son, I will support you whatever decision you take. I know you can't tell your father about all of this and so he can't guide you like a father would, but I'm there for you." 

I nodded and smiled at him, grateful that Sebastian was there for me. I had come so close to losing him. "I can see why Harper comes to you for advice." 

"I am an intelligent man." Seb smiled and flicked his hand towards the door. "Now go and do the right thing."

I nodded and stood up. I bid him a good day and walked out of the room. I quickly walked out of the hospital building and reached the parking lot. I pulled out my phone from my jeans pocket and dialed Ethan's number again. I leaned on the car as I waited for the call to go through and for him to pick it up. I sighed in dismay when I got his voicemail. 

I got in the car, leaned back against the seat, and took a deep breath. I had no idea meeting with Sebastian would throw a new light on the situation. I turned on the ignition and drove towards my home.

I greeted my mom in the kitchen and my father who was watching some sports channel in the living room. I didn't need to ask about Cody, he was probably playing video games and was holed up in his room. 

Too tired to socialize and still sweaty from the infamous practice session, I headed straight to have a shower. The hot water soothed my cramped and overworked muscles and I felt energized after my bath. 

I went downstairs after dressing up to find Cody grudgingly setting up the dinner table. I smiled cheekily at his foul expression. All of us sat down for dinner when I noticed that Ethan was not there yet. 

Mom followed my gaze to the empty chair and smiled at me. "Ethan called to tell me that he will be a little late for dinner."

"Oh." That was all I could say because Ethan had found the time to call my mom and inform her that he would be late for dinner while he didn't even leave me a message saying he was all right or something of the kind. 

My mood soured from that point. I tried my best to hide my irritation but I knew I wasn't doing a very good job at it because I noticed my parents sharing concerned glances. 

I plopped down on my bed after dinner, wondering what to do with Ethan. I checked the time to see that it was 8:30 p.m. I sighed, mentally adding a note to visit Aiden in the hospital tomorrow.

I have no idea how Harper survived these last few weeks when at least one of his loved ones was stuck in the hospital about one way or the other. He must have practically lived in the hospital at one time, all the while taking charge of his pack during a rogue attack. 

I immediately sat up as I heard the front door of the house opening and closing. I heard a few voices whispering and I pressed my door to the ear to see if it was Ethan who had finally decided to grace me with his presence. 

I heard heavy steps climbing up the stairs and I realized that it was indeed Ethan. I opened the door as soon as he walked past my room and looked at him. I was going to talk to him no matter what happened. 

Ethan didn't look surprised to see me because he must have heard my erratic heartbeat, all thanks to his crazy werewolf senses. He looked okay, no scratches or welts on him as far as I could see. 

"Ethan, we need to talk," I said, opened my door, and motioned for him to get in. He looked at me for a few seconds, his expression inscrutable, and then entered my room.