All Chapters of Echoes of Hate: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

FINCH. I followed Aria at a distance when she left the office. I had an inkling of where she was heading, or should I say who she was heading, to see.There were two reasons for this. One, I didn’t want her to be alone. Two, because I didn’t trust Dane. Not after hearing about what he’d done. It was only a drop in the bucket. That was an understated certainty. I couldn’t remember a time when I didn’t trust Dane as my best friend or as my Alpha. That just went to show how fucked-up this entire situation was.I knew that he was hurting because of his father’s words – which, still shocked me by the way – and knew that he was unpredictable when he was hurting. I had no idea if he’d lash out at her, so I wasn’t taking any chances.Don’s words and accusation were really fucking harsh when he heard that Sam had attacked our pack. Don even accused Dane of making all of this shit up without even hearing his son out. I knew how hard it was for me to accept it when I first saw him, and that was

ARIA.I felt lighter than I had in a long time. There had been this tight band around my heart, constricting it ever since I was given the contract to sign. The expectations, pain, and lying weighed heavily upon my shoulders. It made me feel like I was drowning.Lying by omission was still lying. Pretending that everything was A-Okay when, in reality, I felt like slowly dying was still in a way lying.I’d honestly thought that Bex would’ve hated me if she ever figured out the truth about what was going on between Alpha Dane and me. She, however, just reminded me that she was here for me. Day or night, come rain or come shine.The same went for Adam and Finch. It was still very awkward to forgo using their titles. It did, however, make me feel like I was actually wanted here.It was a nice change of pace after the past five years.All three of them were easygoing. Adam was a sarcastic flirt but knew boundaries that he would never cross. He was able to bring a smile to your face without

ARIA.The pack meeting last night went as well as could be expected.Shock, confusion, and wariness were the primary emotions being felt by our pack. All of it was tucked neatly inside of a wrapper of uncertainty. This was more than just the rogue attack that occurred. It was a targeted attack on the pack.Despite the uncertainty, determination swept over the crowd. No matter what the threat was, they’d stand firm and fight against it.“Please tell me what the surprise is,” Piper begged me. “I’ve waited and waited and waited.” She sighed dramatically, arms going in an arc.I could’ve told her that Jory was coming here, but I wanted it to be a surprise.“A little bit more patience,” I said, holding my fingers just inches apart. “I promise that it’ll be worth the wait.”She pouted when she realized that I wasn’t going to cave.‘Juan and your brother just got here. They’re in the dining room. Damn. Your brother looks like a beast,’ Finch mindlinked me.I thanked him and told him that we

ARIA.I excused myself from the office, needing a moment to myself. There was so much confusion swirling around in my head right now.Mom had been framed. I had suspected that much, but I never had any proof of it. It would appear that my instincts were correct regarding my father’s involvement. There had just always been that small part of me that was focused on the fact that he had to be involved.She’d been gone for five long years. I cried and prayed to the Goddess that she was okay. At least my prayers were answered. I was certain that there was an interesting story about how she and Gambit met up and worked together.I hated the fact that a small part of me felt betrayed that someone so close to me never mentioned that Mom was okay. It was ridiculous for me to harbor those ill-feelings because Gambit never would’ve done it had it not been important. Taking a moment to truly think about it, it was probably important for my father or anyone else watching me to believe that I had n

ARIA.A part of me hadn’t expected Alpha Dane to actually show up for the run. So, imagine my surprise to see him leaning against the wall as I left the suite.I tried my damnedest to keep my eyes on his face, but I failed. He was attractive in whatever he was wearing. It didn’t matter if that was a pair of shorts for training or a suit with tie and all. Right now, he was wearing a pair of shorts and a white tank that showed off his muscular physique and numerous tattoos. This was the first time that I’d seen him like this outside of training. I saw him in jeans and a t-shirt just once, which was the night of the rogue attack.Alpha Dane was a stickler for appearances, so it was a surprise to see him like this.His eyes swept over my outfit as well. It was nothing special, just a pair of high waisted shorts, a sports bra, and a cropped jacket. I wasn’t used to the way that he was looking at me. This time, he didn’t hide his reaction from me. His eyes darkened with a hunger that I hadn