Chapter 22

Erin’s POV

The rest of the car ride home was quiet; I couldn’t tell what Henry was thinking but I knew what I was feeling.

Gavin was an arrogant man, but I don’t believe he would be a member of the Killer Organization.

I had a knot formed in the pit of my stomach at the very thought of Gavin betraying his kingdom. I shook my head; the thought was ridiculous.

“I know you don’t want to believe it,” Henry said, breaking the silence. “But he might very well be a member of the Killers.”

“You’re right; I don’t believe that,” I say in return. “There’s no proof to say otherwise.”

“I don’t think he’s part of the Moonshadow…”

“We don’t know that.” I glanced over at him as he parked the car in our driveway. “We can’t jump to accusations.”

“I don’t trust him, and I think we should go to headquarters to explain to them the situation.”

“What?” I gasped, meeting his eyes. “You can’t be serious, Henry.”

“I’m serious about protecting this world from monsters like Gavin Pierce…”

“Gavin is hardly a monster.”

“I disagree,” Henry said, raising his brows. “You don’t know what Gavin would do, Erin.”

“I think I know him a little better than you do.”

“You haven’t known him properly in years. You have no idea what he is capable of,” Henry said in return. “He has a power that he’s not even hiding. He could be incredibly powerful and dangerous.”

“We are all powerful and we aren’t dangerous.”

“Because we are part of an organization that fights for peace. We protect those against those like Gavin. He’s an Alpha with far too much power and he’s going to get someone killed if he hasn’t already,” Henry argued.

“Please, Henry,” I pleaded, touching his arm. “Don’t say anything to headquarters. Let me at least talk to Gavin first. Maybe I could—”

“Do you even hear yourself?” He asked, cutting off my words. I could see the aggravation on his face. “He’s not your friend, Erin. At least not anymore.

“You aren’t being rational…”

“Why are you defending him so much?” Henry asked, folding his arms across his chest as he glared at me. “Is it because you are still in love with him?”

“Of course not,” I say in return. “I just don’t want you to get hurt…”

“If you are worried that he could hurt me, then that means you agree that he’s dangerous.”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” I argued. “I don’t want to argue about this.”

“Reporting suspicious behavior is part of my job. You know more that more than anyone.”

He was right, but I couldn’t stand the thought of Gavin getting in trouble for crimes he didn’t commit.

“Gavin is not a monster and I’m not saying that because I’m in love with him,” I say. I push the car door open and slam it shut behind me. I hear Henry leaving the car as well and following me toward the front door. “He’s just my friend…” I added in a murmur.

“Since when are you two friends? I thought you wanted nothing to do with him. He was a one-night stand, remember?”

“That’s not what I meant…” I muttered.

“Then what exactly did you mean, Erin? Because from where I’m standing it seems you’re either in love with him, or you aren’t. I don’t think it has anything to do with friendship.”

“If this was anybody else, I would say the same thing. We can’t report them without having a logical reason…”

“Our logical reason is that he is a wolf with powers and he’s not in the Moonshadow!” Henry shouted.

“He could be,” I said with a shrug.

We both fell silent as we entered our home. He was taking in a deep breath, trying not to lose control. I knew he was angry, and I hated making him this way.

I turned to face him, trying to soften my gaze and peer up at him.

“Please, just trust me,” I said to him. “Let me talk to him before you do anything.”

He didn’t respond; he just looked defeated I felt awful about that.

“Why do you argue so heavily against Henry to defend Gavin? Could it be because you are still in love with Gavin after all?” Emily asked, her tone almost mocking.

I ignored her; not wanting to get into it.

Of course, I wasn’t still in love with Gavin. I loved my husband. What I felt for Gavin was nothing more than lust.

“Henry… I love you…”

“Do you though?” He asked, shaking his head in disbelief. “I mean you must admit, we only got married because you wanted to have a normal life. We aren’t even legally married.”

“It’s only a piece of paper,” I reminded him, as I often did. “The vows we made are real. The commitment I made to you, was real…”

He sighed and wrapped his arms firmly around my waist, pulling me close to him.

“Okay,” he finally breathed. “I just hope that you see that Gavin isn’t good for you and he never will be. You left him for a reason, remember? Because he was poor. Don’t fall for his charm, Erin.”

My heart ached at his words; I had told Henry what I told Gavin. That I left Gavin because he was a poor boy, and he didn’t meet my standards. It was easier to say that than to tell anyone the truth. Even though those words hurt to speak.

“Or is it because he’s a big Alpha now…? Is that what makes him charming suddenly?” Henry asked; his tone was now lowered I could hear the pain in his voice.

“You know that’s not true…”

“Then convince me otherwise. Let me mark you.”

“You’re being ridiculous,” I said; my jaw tightened as I took a step away from him.

His eyes showed a sudden wildness, and it was making me nervous. I have never been nervous around Henry before. I have worked alongside him for many years, and this was the first time that he’s ever made me genuinely nervous.

“I don’t trust him, Erin,” he said. “You say you want me to trust you, and I’m trying. But I need you to trust me too.”

“Of course, I trust you,” I tried to reassure him.

“You broke his heart, that has to count for something,” he said, meeting my eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, why do you think he’s trying to get you back after you completely broke his heart? It doesn’t make sense…”

Now that he’s mentioned it, he was right. I did shatter Gavin’s heart all of those years ago and now it seemed he had forgiven me and wanted to start something new. It wasn’t making much sense.

“I’m not sure,” I admitted, staring down at the ground.

Henry stepped closer to me, cupping my chin in the palm of his hand and bringing my gaze upward to meet his. He was calm now and that made me calm.

“I don’t trust him, and I think I know why,” he said, keeping his tone low.

“Why?”

“Because I think he’s after you, Erin. I think he’s looking for revenge.”