Chapter 17: Chapter 17

ETHAN

The afternoon sun casts a golden glow over Crescent City as we step outside the pack house. I glance at Scarlet, her eyes reflecting a mix of curiosity and wariness.

“Follow me,” I say, my voice firm yet gentle.

Scarlet hesitates for a moment, then nods. I start to transform into my wolf. It’s always a rush, a wild release that sets every nerve on fire. My bones crack and reform, fur sprouting as I drop to all fours.

Free at last. I shake out my fur, relishing the primal power coursing through me. Turning, I watch as Scarlet follows suit. Her shift is seamless, a graceful dance. When she stands before me in her wolf form, she’s breathtaking.

We sprint into a nearby forest, paws thudding against the earth in a rhythmic beat. The wind rushes past us, carrying the scent of pine and damp soil. This is where we belong, in the wild, unshackled by our recent burdens.

After a while, I lead her to a secluded spot. A thick cluster of bushes provides cover. I slip behind them and shift back to human form, grabbing the hidden set of clothes I keep when I like to go on runs.

I pull on the pants but leave the shirt for Scarlet. “Scarlet,” I call softly. “You can put on this shirt.” I toss the shirt near her wolf form. “I’ll turn around.”

“Okay, I’m done,” she says.

I turn around. The shirt is big on her, the hem just barely covering her butt. The sight of her in my clothes drives me wild.

We sit together on a fallen log, the forest enveloping us in its quiet embrace. Scarlet looks happy, her earlier tension melted away. I can tell she feels free, her wolf’s spirit finally sated by the run.

“So, about Nicole?” she asks, cutting to the chase.

My eyes shoot up to her, and my mouth goes dry.

“Listen, Scarlet… I haven’t been completely honest with you…,” I begin before explaining the situation with the Silver Shadow Pack, Nikki, and the alliance treaty. She listens silently without interrupting.

I keep anticipating her getting mad, yelling, or crying, but instead she sits there calmly until I’ve finished talking.

She stays quiet for a second, waiting to make sure I’m done. She then sighs and shakes her head before meeting my gaze. “I know.”

I pause as my eyes widen in confusion. “You know? All of it? How?”

“Yes, all of it. And…I have my sources,” she responds, seeming to enjoy the shock displayed on my face.

Finally, I manage to gather my thoughts. “You mean Isa and her big mouth blabbed,” I grumble as I reposition myself next to her.

“I didn’t say that,” she remarks though I’m sure I’m right. Isa’s never been good at keeping secrets. “I just wanted to see if you’d tell me the truth,” she adds with a shrug.

“So, that was just a test?” I question, surprised she would pull that on me.

She quirks her lips into a devilish grin and shrugs again innocently. I laugh and shake my head. “How very devious of you,” I exclaim with a chuckle.

“I have my moments,” she teases. Being with her like this somehow makes me feel lighter. Seeing her joke around, smile, laugh…it’s the best thing in the world.

I let out a chuckle before heaving a sigh. Shaking my head, I look up again to meet her mesmerizing violet eyes. “I seem to be making one mistake after another with you, Scarlet, and every time you manage to show me how amazing you are. I just…I am sorry that I keep hurting you.”

My eyes drop to my hands in my lap as a wave of shame washes over me, thinking of everything I’ve done, agreeing to take Nicole as my luna, not being able to announce to my pack that I found my true mate, lying to her about it…her stay in the dungeons… I gulp as my eyes suddenly sting.

I’ve never been a crier, but just remembering the state of my mate when I finally went down to retrieve her is enough to break me. Scarlet reaches out and takes my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. I look up at her again. “I… I never really apologized before… I think I was just too ashamed and didn’t want a reminder.”

She tilts her head questioningly at me. “What are you talking about?”

“Scarlet,” I begin, the words catching in my throat. I know I need to apologize. But apologizing isn’t a strength of mine. It’s generally better to stand by your actions as an alpha. To show your strength to the pack. But she’s different. I want her to be my luna.

I inhale deeply before letting it out in one big puff as I steady my nerves. Suddenly, it seems as though I should be apologizing for everything. “I’m sorry about your treatment when we first brought you here. You’re my mate, and I should have trusted you from the moment I met you. I shouldn’t have thrown you in the dungeons to be questioned the way that I did.” I stop and take a shaky breath.

She stares out in front of us, silent. My heart thumps erratically as I await her response. After what seems like an eternity, she exhales slowly and turns back to me.

“I forgive you,” she begins, and a smile spreads across my face. She quickly holds her hand up so I don’t interrupt her. “But I’m not a doormat, and I can only take so much. You need to do better, Ethan.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” I feel the urge to touch her, and I grab her hand. I take it as a good sign she doesn’t pull away.

“For what it’s worth, I do understand you thought you were protecting your pack. It’s the same reason I didn’t tell you about Ray, to protect the packless.”

“So maybe we’re more alike than we thought?” I ask. “Also, in case it wasn’t clear, Nicole doesn’t mean anything to me,” I say firmly. “You’re my mate.”

“I understand,” she says as she squeezes my hand.

My heart swells with the love I feel for her. My mate has a big heart and a beautiful soul. She’ll be such a perfect luna and mate, so sincere and understanding. “I will. I will do anything for you,” I remark softly as I hesitantly dip my head down to meet hers, pressing feather-light kisses to her lips.

When she kisses back, I wrap my arms around her waist as I pull her onto my lap so that she’s straddling me. I’m reminded that she doesn’t have underwear on when I feel how bare she is against my crotch.

Her hands hold my neck as she kisses me back, deepening the kiss. Her body moves against me, and I feel myself hardening underneath her.

My tongue slips into her mouth and begins dancing with hers, tasting every inch of the warm orifice. She tastes sublime. My hands slip under her top, feeling her smooth skin underneath my fingertips.

She moans against my mouth, and I take it as a sign that I can continue the exploration of her perfect body. My lips begin kissing down her neck as I embrace her, never allowing my mouth to leave her soft, sensitive flesh. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of her.

My kisses make their way down to her chest as they move along the swells of her breasts. Her fingers dig into my hair, and she arches her back, enjoying every second of my lips on her. My lips work their way back up as my fingers move down to the hem of her shirt.

I begin pushing it upward until her breasts are exposed. I tweak one of her pretty pink nipples causing her to gasp. While my hand continues to massage and tease the one breast, my mouth finds the other, sucking the nipple into my mouth.

She moans and mewls as she writhes. I love seeing her like this, so sexy, so out of control and all because of me. After a while, my hand moves down her front, and starts to explore.

“Ethan…,” she murmurs, and I look up at her. She crawls off of me and sits back beside me on the log. “I—I don’t think we should be doing this…”

I raise myself up a little as I cock an eyebrow at her. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, we still have a lot of things we need to talk about and sort out before we throw sex into the mix.”

“Like what?”

She smooths her shirt back down, and I try not to think about her perfect breasts. My whole body is aching to feel her in every way imaginable.

“I’m going to continue going back to the Scourge to help at the shelter.”

My eyes narrow at her. “No,” I state plainly.

She grabs my arm and forces me to look at her. “I’m not asking, Ethan.”

“It’s not safe there.”

“It’s plenty safe. I survived that place for twenty years. Except for the occasional rogue attack, the only thing to worry about is starvation or dehydration. That’s why we work so hard to provide what we can for everyone else.”

“Why is this so important to you?”

“Because they are important to me. Those people took me in. They helped raise me. They’re my family,” she explains earnestly. “And, well, I kind of have a leadership role with them.”

I look at her confused.

“We don’t have a hierarchy like a pack does. But there are a group of us that help keep things organized and help make decisions if tough things arise. I’m not giving that up.”

I sit there silently for a moment, contemplating. “Fine. But I want at least five guards with you at all times.”

“No. Just one,” she counters.

“Four.”

“Two.”

“Two and a driver. Final offer. Take it or leave it,” I remark.

She smiles sweetly before holding her hand out to me. “It was good doing business with you,” she remarks playfully. I roll my eyes and try to hide the smile on my face as I take her hand to shake it, sealing our agreement. Then, I pull her over to me and steal a quick kiss from her.

Suddenly, Caleb’s voice enters my head, and I stand, anxious for news. “~We found one of Ray’s thugs, the one Scarlet called Frank. What do you want us to do with him?~”

“~Take him to the dungeons. I’ll meet you there.~”