Etti

“So you don’t have any idea where he might have gone?” Cali asked.

“No. I’ve checked all his usual spots,” Etti replied. “And Grey even asked around at work. No one’s seen him.”

It’d been almost a week since Wes took off and Etti was starting to worry. He’d never done anything like this before. At first she thought he just needed a day to cool off . . . but a week?

Etti could see how worried Cali was about Wes, so she tried not to make things worse by voicing her concerns. Cali already thought it was her fault for telling Wes how badly he’d upset Etti the last time they’d spoke.

“I’m sure he’ll turn up once he stops pouting.” Etti muttered. “It just sucks he’s going to miss the wedding.”

“I’m sorry, Etti.” Cali replied. “I know you were hoping he’d be here.”

“I look better in a tux than he does anyway,” Marc called from his booth.

Etti laughed. “Best man of honor in town,” she called back.

“Damn straight!” Marc shouted.

Etti smirked at Marc’s enthusiasm. She was glad at least a few things still felt the same. She was currently sitting behind the counter at the Painted Wolf with her feet propped up while she and Cali split lunch. It had become their routine ever since Wes took off. Plus, it gave them time to go over the wedding details.

Etti and Cali needed to put their heads together if they were going to pull off a wedding and a baby shower in the short time that remained before baby Izzi arrived.

“So, are we all set for the shower tomorrow?” Etti asked, turning her attention back to Cali. Etti was hoping party details would distract Cali from worrying about Wes.

As usual, Cali perked up. “Yes!” she said, her blue eyes gleaming with excitement. “The baby shower is all set! I’ve confirmed the catering headcount and have a car scheduled to pick up Grey’s family from the airport.”

A nervous flutter rippled through Etti’s stomach and for once it wasn’t the baby. She was more than a bit anxious to meet Grey’s family. His mother, Sarah, and younger brother, Ethan, had only been able to fly in the day before the wedding, due to their busy work and class schedules. And that was fine by Etti. She was already a ball of nerves about the whole thing. “I think Grey wants to pick his family up himself,” Etti added trying to keep her nerves from her voice.

“Right!” Cali said. “I’ll cancel the car.”

“And what about my dress?” Etti asked looking at her round belly. It looked like she was smuggling a motorcycle helmet under her shirt. She’d finally given up her old shirts and started wearing Grey’s t-shirts and flannels. “Do you still think I should wear white? I mean I don’t really look like a bride. Maybe I could just wear my usual—”

“You are not wearing motorcycle boots and a leather jacket to your wedding, Etti,” Cali practically growled. “The dress is beautiful, you look beautiful, everything is going to be beautiful. I just have to reconfirm some things with the florist, but otherwise everything is set for the wedding. Just sit back and relax.”

“Fine,” Etti muttered chomping on another bite of her burger.

Cali was insanely bossy, but frighteningly good at party planning. Etti was grateful to have her. She never could have pulled everything together so quickly, or elegantly. She wasn’t good at that kind of stuff. Now give her a motorcycle or tattoo . . . that was a different story.

Marc poked his head out of his booth again. “So, still no to the bachelor party?”

“No!” Etti and Cali shouted at him in unison.

Marc shrugged. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”

Grey said he didn’t want one and Etti decided that ship had sailed when Cali brought up a bachelorette party. They were already cramming a baby shower and a wedding into the next two days. There really wasn’t time for anything else. Especially since Wes had made it painfully obvious that he wasn’t around to help.

Etti tried to hide how much it hurt her feelings when she was around Cali and Marc, but Grey saw right through it. She’d spent more than a few tearful nights over it. She thought Wes would eventually change his mind and except her decision to be with Grey. But with his disappearance and the wedding two days away, it seemed less likely every day.

* * *

Etti was going over last minute details with Cali when Grey busted through the door looking frantic. Despite how slow Etti was moving these days, she was on her feet in an instant. “Grey? What’s wrong?”

He ran to her, wrapping his arms around her, touching her all over like he was trying to make sure she was real.

“Grey, you’re freaking me out,” Etti warned trying to get his attention.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re okay.” Disbelief still shone in the silver of his eyes, his wolf close to the surface.

“Of course I’m okay,” Etti replied.

“You didn’t answer your phone.” Grey’s voice was clipped.

Etti glanced down at the desk to her phone’s black screen. She’d killed the battery with all the wedding planning and forgotten to plug it in. “It’s dead. I’m sorry. What’s wrong?”

“I even tried the office,” Grey muttered, still breathing heavy, like he’d run all the way from work.

“I’m sorry, Grey,” Cali replied sheepishly. “I was using it to confirm wedding details.”

“Grey,” Etti led him to the couch. Even Marc curiously poked his head out to see what all the commotion was about. “Tell me what the hell is going on,” Etti urged. “Why do you look like you saw a ghost?”

“Because I did,” he replied and Etti’s skin stippled with a fear.

Her voice was barely a whisper. “The hunt?”

Grey nodded.

“Who?” she asked fearing the worst.

“Jaxon.”

At least it wasn’t Derik, but then again, the ruthless Alpha never did his own dirty work. “Did he get away?” Etti asked already calculating how much time they had.

Another nod.

“Shit,” Etti whispered.

Jaxon was the fastest in the pack. He was probably halfway back to wherever Derik was hiding out by now. Or had at least relayed the info that Grey was still in Blue Creek. They shouldn’t have stayed. They should have left Blue Creek and kept running the minute they were free of the hunt. But no, Etti had wanted to stay. She didn’t want to leave her shop. She wanted to be around family and friends when she had her baby. All of that sounded so stupid now. Because if Derik came after them now . . . A chilling thought lanced through Etti, making the fear more real than it had been a moment ago.

“Does he know?” Etti asked, voice trembling.

Grey didn’t answer, but his head hung in defeat.

“Does he know about the baby?” she demanded.

At last, Grey lifted his head and Etti knew the answer before he even opened his mouth. The silver of Grey’s wolf shone in his eyes, heavy with shameful despair. She could feel her wolf pushing to the surface, wanting to defend her mate. Etti pushed back against the shift, fearing it would rush her due date and that was the last thing she wanted with the hunt nearby.

“What happened?” Etti asked in a voice much calmer than she felt.

“I was talking to a customer,” Grey muttered. “I shouldn’t have been, but I couldn’t help it. She was showing me photos of her kids and I started talking about you and Izzi and how excited I was about getting to meet her in a few weeks.”

All the color leeched from Etti’s face.

“I’m so sorry, Etti. But he knows. Jaxon knows and that means Derik will know soon too.”

Etti only stared at Grey in utter disbelief as her fragile world crashed down around her.

Cali stepped in, breaking the silence. “There’s no time to beat yourself up over this, Grey. If Jaxon was here, it’s because Derik sent him. And that means the hunt probably got wind of the baby already. And even if you hadn’t been talking about it, Jaxon could have scented the baby on you if he’d known what to look for.”

Grey only blinked at Cali—her words couldn’t seem to penetrate the guilt he felt.

Cali continued. “The point is the hunt was going to find out eventually. The best thing we can do now is alert the Wolfe clan and set up a perimeter.”

Etti erupted. “We can’t stay here!”

“You won’t be any safer on the run,” Cali argued. “Think about it. At least here we have help and the hunt has lost the element of surprise.”

Etti turned to Grey. She wanted a different answer. Something that sounded better than waiting for the hunt to come back and finish what they started months ago. There was so much more at risk now. “Grey, what do we do?”

“The only thing we can do,” he replied. “Stay here, prepare and keep living our lives.”

“Keep going with our wedding plans? Just pretend we’re not being hunted?” Etti couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You can’t be serious, Greyson?”

He blinked the silver from his eyes and focused on Etti’s face. “This doesn’t change anything. I love you and want to marry you. And this baby is coming whether the hunt knows about her or not. If they make us put our lives on hold, they win. And I won’t allow it.”