Love, Always, Promise [Wolf Creek Pack 5] (6 page)

“I don’t know what happened to him, Jace. He won’t tell me,” Joe said quietly.

“Fuck, Joe, what’s going on?” Jace said, looking at him desperately. “Did my father get to him? Is that what happened?”

“Your father? Why would he want to hurt Ethan?”

Jace ran his hand through his hair as he sat down on the couch. “He got really angry when I left. When I got home, he’d found me a bride and moved her into my house. I took one look at her and knew my life was here with Ethan. So, I packed up, sold my house, and here I am.” He looked over at Joe. “Now, tell me what happened to Ethan.”

Joe sat down in a chair across from the couch, shaking his head. “I’m not really sure. He won’t talk about it. About two days after you left, I got a call from the hospital. Ethan had been brought in, and he was calling for me.”

Jace watched Joe clasp his hands together. Joe rested his elbows on his knees as he looked back at Jace. He seemed nervous but concerned. It didn’t reassure Jace at all. He braced himself for Jace’s words as the man began to speak.

“It’s his back, Jace. One of his vertebrae was compressed or broken or some such shit. I don’t really understand it all, but the doctors said he’d never walk again.” Joe chuckled. “Damned if he didn’t walk right on out of there two weeks ago. Since then, he’s been living here with Nate and me.”

“He broke his back? But he’s a werewolf,” Jace replied in horror.

“I know, but some things can’t be healed.”

“Why doesn’t he just shift? That would heal him.”

“He can’t. The doctor said he will probably never shift again. It might kill him if he tries. Because of that, he also can’t heal properly. You need to be prepared for that, Jace. He’s probably going to need those crutches for the rest of his life.”

“I don’t care about that. I just want to know what happened to him. Hell, Joe, I came back for him so that we could be together, and I don’t care how we’re together as long as we’re together.”

Joe nodded. “All right, but you need to be aware that something happened to Ethan. He’s different now, more solemn. He doesn’t laugh like he used to or smile very much. The smile on his face when he saw you was the first one I’ve seen in weeks.”

Jace’s heart ached with each word out of Joe’s mouth. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Ethan must have gone through, and all by himself. He had been all alone while Jace tried to get his shit together. If Ethan didn’t kick him to the curb at the first opportunity, Jace would consider himself lucky.

“Look, I need to go see him, talk to him,” Jace said as he stood to his feet. The palms of his hands suddenly sweated. He couldn’t believe how nervous he felt about seeing his mate. He needed to explain a lot, though, and he hoped Ethan would give him the time.

“Why don’t you take him his lunch?”

Jace turned to see Nate standing in the archway, a tray of food in his hand. “Hey, Nate,” Jace said as he walked over to take the tray. He smiled when he noticed enough food on the tray for two people.

“Jace, you want me to go take care of those horses of yours?”

Jace lifted an eyebrow, wondering for a brief moment how Nate knew about his horses, then laughed it away. Of course Nate knew. He was Nate. “Thanks, that would be great. And maybe you can talk to your mate about helping me find a place for Ethan and me to buy while you’re at it.”

Nate smiled. “Already done. I’ll show it to you and Ethan tomorrow. Right now, though, you need to go get your little mate to agree to talk to you before you start planning his future. He’s pretty upset. I can feel it from here. His room is right over there,” Nate said, pointing to a room across the way

Jace nodded, a little confused at how Nate could feel Ethan’s emotions from here when he couldn’t but more concerned with what upset Ethan. Jace thought Ethan would be thrilled to see him. He certainly seemed that way the last time they met.

As Jace took the tray and started toward Ethan’s room, he winced a little remembering the last time he saw Ethan. He had been pretty mean to him. Could that be what upset Ethan? Was he waiting for Jace to reject him again?

Jace paused outside of Ethan’s room, talking a deep breath. Okay, he just needed to go in and explain to Ethan why this whole situation was so screwed up and how much they were meant to be together.

Chapter 4

Ethan threw himself down on his bed, grabbing a pillow and wrapping his arms around it. He couldn’t believe Jace was here. He hadn’t seen him since he walked out of his apartment several weeks ago. He felt like he lived in hell since then.

He missed Jace every second of every day. It created a huge, aching hole deep inside of his chest Ethan knew would never be filled. No matter what he said, Jace was his mate. And no matter what Ethan felt, Jace made it more than clear that he didn’t want him. The proof lay in the pain that radiated through Ethan’s back as he pulled his knees up.

Ethan couldn’t stop the tears streaming down his face as he thought about all that he lost. He mated a man that despised him. The doctor told him that he could never shift again, and now he had to be in the very same house with the one man he couldn’t have. He wondered how long Jace planned to stay and how hard it would be to avoid him.

Hearing someone at the door, Ethan turned his head, expecting Nate. Fear filled him when he saw Jace standing in the doorway. As Jace walked toward him, Ethan scooted back on the bed trying to get as far away from him as he could.

“Hey, Ethan, I brought you something to eat,” Jace said as he set the tray on the nightstand and sat down on the side of the bed, looking over at Ethan.

As he reached out for him, Ethan shrank back in fear. Jace paused, his hand half way to Ethan’s face then slowly lowered it back down to his lap. “Ethan? Is something wrong? Are you hurting?”

Ethan quickly shook his head, afraid to speak.

Ethan shook his head again. No, he wasn’t hungry. He doubted he could even eat a bite right now. He’d probably throw it right back up. He just wanted Jace to leave, to go away. He wanted to not feel afraid anymore.

“Well, I am. Do you mind if I eat here with you?”

Ethan’s eyes widened. Jace wanted to eat in here with him? He didn’t think he could take it. As much as he was afraid of Jace, the mere scent of the man aroused him. He knew that if Jace stayed in the room, he’d smell it.

“Please, go away,” he murmured softly.

“I can’t go away, Ethan. This is where I belong,” Jace replied almost as quietly.

Ethan quickly shook his head. “No, please,” he cried out, almost sobbing when Jace leaned down and wrapped his arms around him. He put his hands on his chest, trying to push him away. Jace seemed to ignore his struggling. Ethan felt the warmth of Jace’s body as the man picked him up and cuddled him closer.

“Oh, sweetness, please calm down. No one’s going to hurt you, I promise. I won’t let anyone hurt you,” Jace crooned against Ethan’s head. “Tell me who did this to you and I’ll make sure that they never hurt you again.”

Ethan stared up at Jace in shock. He didn’t know. “You—you did this. You hurt me,” he whispered.

Jace just stared at him. Ethan watched his mouth open as if he wanted to say something then closed it again. When he did finally say something, Ethan wasn’t surprised at his denial. He expected it. Jace wouldn’t want to admit he wasn’t perfect.

“No, Ethan, you must be mistaken. I wouldn’t do this to you. You’re my mate. I would never hurt you,” Jace said heavily, his voice filled with dismay.

“You did do this to me. Do you think I’m lying? You told me that you would never be my mate, that you could never love me, and then you threw me across the room.” Ethan yelled by the time he finished.

“Ethan,” Jace replied in a low, tormented voice.

Ethan started to hit Jace on the chest and shoulders, all of his grief and anger over the last couple of months suddenly came free as he cried. “I hate you. You did this to me. You’ve taken everything from me, and I hate you!”

* * * *

Jace cried as he wrapped his arms around Ethan, pinning his arms against his chest. Never could he have imagined that he could feel the level of pain he did when Ethan said he hated him. He felt ice spread through his stomach as he considered that he could have hurt Ethan.

He swallowed the despair in his throat as he whispered to Ethan, his hands gently rubbing Ethan’s back as he tried to calm him. “Shh, sweetness, it’s going to be okay. Shh.”

A deep, unfamiliar pain filled his chest as Ethan’s cries quieted down to the occasional hiccup. Jace just held him as he fell into a fitful sleep, his hands gripped in Jace’s shirt. Every time he started to move, Ethan cried out, clenching his hands tighter.

Jace just stayed where he was, savoring the feel of Ethan in his arms. He knew this would be the last time that he would hold him. Jace could never ask Ethan to accept him after what he did, no matter how much he might want to.

For once in his miserable life, he needed to put someone else ahead of himself. He wasn’t sure how he would accomplish that, but he would if it was the last thing he did. Ethan deserved at least that from him.

It was clear to Jace now that Ethan deserved much more. He deserved things Jace would never be able to give him. He could never take Ethan’s pain away, never go back and undo what he did. But he could ensure that Ethan’s future was better.

That included Ethan not having to be afraid of his mate. If he left, Ethan wouldn’t be afraid anymore. Jace never felt so ashamed of himself as he did when Ethan shrank back from him in fear. He never wanted to see that look in his mate’s eyes again.

Jace turned his head when he heard the door open, watching Joe walk in. He gestured toward Ethan’s sleeping form, holding his finger up to his lips to tell him to be quiet. Carefully extracting himself from Ethan’s grasp, he rolled from the bed.

Jace grabbed the folded blanket off the end of the bed and covered Ethan up. He stared down at him for a moment, trying to memorize his beautiful features, then turned back toward Joe and pointed toward the door.

Jace gazed at Ethan one last time before quietly shutting the door behind him. Walking into the living room, he headed for the door. He stopped just before he reached it, taking a deep breath.

“I’ll send you some money for Ethan’s medical bills and whatever else he needs,” he said softly, unable to keep the tremor out of his voice. “If you would look for a nice place for him to live, someplace that he can maneuver in easily, I’ll arrange to send you some funds to buy it and a nurse to help him out. I’d also like for you to arrange for him to get some physical therapy. I’ll pay for it, of course.”

“Jace, where are you going?” Joe asked as Jace reached for the door handle.

“I’m leaving. It’s what Ethan wants, what he needs,” Jace replied, feeling tears form in his eyes at the very thought of leaving his mate. No matter where he went or where Ethan stayed, they were still mates and always would be.

“You can’t just leave. He needs you. You’re his mate,” Joe argued.

“I’m the last thing that he needs, Joe.”

“He hates me, Joe.”

“No, he doesn’t. He’s just mad at you right now. You did leave him with no explanation, remember?” Joe reminded him. Jace knew Joe just wanted to reassure him but nothing would at this point. Everything Ethan went through was his fault.

“No.” Jace laughed bitterly as he turned to look back at Joe. “He hates me, and he has every right to hate me. I would.”

“Jace, you’re his mate. He—”

“I did it, Joe. I’m the one that hurt him,” Jace said quietly.

As Joe just stared at him, his mouth hanging open in shock, Jace dropped to his knees, his grief overwhelming him. His hands clenched into fists. He pounded them against his thighs as tears fell down his face.

“I did this to him when I was here last time. I was so busy trying to deny him, I pushed him away, and he got hurt. Is there any wonder that he hates me? I’m his mate. I’m supposed to take care of him. Instead, I’ve caused him unimaginable pain.”

Joe knelt on the floor next to Jace, rubbing his back. “Jace, it’s going to be okay. We’ll get past this.”

“How can we get past this, Joe? He hates me,” Jace cried. “First, I claimed him then left him. When I do come back, I don’t remember him and I deny him, hurting him in the process. What’s to get past? He’s better off without me.”

“Jace, did you explain to him about the silver poisoning? I know it’s not an excuse, but it does explain why you didn’t remember him. And I’ve known you for nearly twenty years. You would never intentionally hurt anyone. If it did happen like you say, it was an accident.”

“And that makes it all better? That makes it all okay?”

“Jace? I need to get ready for bed. Do you think you could come help me?”

Jace looked up to see Ethan standing in the doorway. An anxious frown covered his lips. Worry made the lines around Ethan’s eyes seem darker.

“Of course, Ethan,” Jace replied quickly as he wiped the tears from his eyes, jumping to his feet to cross the room to Ethan. He heard Joe’s soft chuckle as he followed Ethan into the bedroom.

As Ethan sat down on the side of the bed, propping his crutches against the wall, Jace knelt at his feet, pulling his shoes off and setting them beside the nightstand. “What else can I do?”

“I need those bottles over there on my dresser,” Ethan said as he pointed toward his dresser.

Jace got to his feet. He could feel Ethan’s eyes on him as he grabbed the three bottles of pills and a bottle of lotion. He quickly turned to go back when he saw Ethan standing in front of him in nothing but a pair of boxer briefs.

Swallowing hard at the sudden lump in his throat, he walked over and handed Ethan the bottles. He closed his eyes briefly, praying that Ethan wouldn’t notice the hard ridge in his pants or smell the scent of his arousal.

Opening his eyes, he saw Ethan gazing up at him still. He held up the bottle of lotion. “I need you to rub this into my back. The doctor says it will help with the swelling.”

Yeah, he just bet it did
.