Three Alphas, Three Mates

Chapter 56 - Origins and Intentions

"And you've just been lurking around here ever since?" Aiden asks once Shen's done telling him what she told us.

"Exactly," I say much to everyone's surprise. "She's been lurking around for days, but you know what?" I look at her. "She hasn't killed anyone."

She nods, quickly.

Aiden scoffs. "Is that all it takes these days? How low have our standards fallen?"

"Aiden," Ethel says.

Aiden glares at the wall.

I keep talking. "She hasn't injured anyone either... At least not seriously." I heard the workers are okay. "And she hasn't tried to let anyone else in."

"That we know of," Onai mutters.

I sigh, forcefully. Ethel does too.

Onai waves us off. "I'm just saying, I could probably do that in Bloodmoon territory. It doesn't mean I care about them."

"That's true," Carson says.

Dr. Janice and Aiden agree. Where's Krys when you need her? I know she'd be on my side right now. But then again, Bri would just side with Aiden and Onai, which means their votes would cancel out.

"You know what I'd like to know?" Aiden opens his mouth—again. His bitter stare turns to me. "What was the plan here?"

"There was no plan," I scream.

Everyone jumps.

Yeah, that's right. Now I'm pissed. "This is the last time I'm going to say it." I point at Shen. "Ethel's imprint had the opportunity to kill me, kidnap me, or use me as collateral against the pack. She didn't, even before she knew she was bonded to him." I point at myself. "I'm here, I'm fine, and I actually think she's a decent person, so I'm going to defend her. That's all there is to it."

"There's a little more to it," Aiden says matter-of-factly.

I'm gonna kill him. I fall back against the couch, massaging my temples. I can't do this anymore. I'm done. If he wants to argue with himself, go ahead, but it's not going to affect me. The only person I need to convince right now is Carson.

He's the swing vote—assuming Axel is on my side. He sits back in his chair, staring at Shen. His eyes are hard, arms crossed, but I don't think there's any animosity in it. It just seems like he's questioning her.

"Maybe we should see what happens with the doctor first," Axel offers.

We all nod—except Aiden.

Dr. Janice picks her things up to move them to the back room. Ethel helps.

"I don't need everything right now," she says to him. "Just that bag. And that one... And that one and, yes, that."

"That's all of them, Auntie," Ethel huffs.

Fei stays quiet, even when Shen starts moving. Ever since Aiden and Carson showed up, she's barely said a peep. I remember that Shen said the other refugees told her to be quiet. I wonder if Fei gets that same vibe from the triplets. Is she scared?

I watch her blue eyes follow her caretaker as Shen pushes up onto her feet. Shen makes sure she's stable before trying to lift the little girl, but Fei's not having it. At last, she speaks. "Mommy." She raises her hands, hopping up and down. She doesn't want to be forgotten, but with that one word, half the room freezes.

Mommy.

If Ethel's breathing, I can't tell.

Shen gives the little girl a look. "Stop crying. I've got you." She pulls Fei into her arms, lifting her. When she takes a few steps to follow Ethel, she limps. I knew about her limp, and I know it was mentioned in the conversation, but I guess seeing is believing.