Chapter 19: Chapter 19

SCARLET

Ethan remains busy over the next few days, interrogating Frank to find the rest of Ray’s gang and checking on the ill she-wolves, which leaves me plenty of time to explore the pack house and go back to the shelter to help out.

One evening while Ethan is out, I wander into one of the dining rooms. It has nice decor and doesn’t seem to be used often. I’m looking at some of the china pieces on the shelves—something long gone from the Scourge.

I’m interrupted when someone clears their throat, and I jump. I didn’t hear anyone come in. I turn to the man with a large pizza box in his hands.

He gives me a mischievous smirk before walking over to the dining room table and setting the box down. He looks very similar to Ethan except that his hair is shaggier, and his eyes are dark brown.

I slowly walk over to him. “So, you must be Scarlet. My brother told me I’d recognize you from your hair.” His chocolate eyes are gorgeous.

“Brother? Xander?”

“The one and only,” he exclaims as he holds his hands out to the side.

“Now sit. Eat.” He motions for me to sit across from him.

“Nice necklace. Where’d you get it?” He looks at the diamond necklace from Will around my neck.

“Umm…just a friend,” I state vaguely, hoping that he’ll just drop it.

But of course, I’m not that lucky. “And who is this friend of yours?”

“Just someone I grew up with…”

“Hmm…,” he begins, the devilish grin still plastered on his face, and his eyes twinkling brightly. He opens the pizza box and offers for me to take a slice first. “And this person you grew up with…does your mate know about them?”

“He’s met him,” I reply. It’s not exactly a lie.

“Oh! A ‘him’ is it? I’m surprised this friend of yours is still alive and well if my brother has already met him,” he replies teasingly.

“We’re working on that whole trust thing. You know, after we got off to a rough start.”

“I’ll say. Ethan can be an idiot sometimes, so don’t take what he does so seriously all the time.” He smiles.

I continue to dine with Xander and notice that all three brothers seem to have very different personalities.

Ethan is always very serious. Alex seems incredibly kind. And Xander, well…he acts like the wolf that got into the chicken coop—mischievous, proud, and a whole lot of trouble.

After about twenty minutes of him grilling me about Will and me repeatedly insisting there are absolutely no romantic feelings involved, he finally agrees not to say anything to his brother unless the topic comes up.

Then we chat about the pack house, and I tell him about my work at the Scourge.

After dinner, my curiosity gets the best of me, and I want to see if Ethan is back yet. I head to his office and find him completely focused on whatever he’s working on. I lightly tap on the open door, alerting him to my presence.

His head quickly snaps up, and when he sees it’s me his face breaks into a grin.

“Hey, beautiful,” he says as he rises from his seat and strolls over to me. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me to him, pressing a sweet kiss to my forehead.

I can’t help but to feel shy as my cheeks warm up. This relationship is still new, but it seems to be moving forward in leaps and bounds. Regardless, I know this is typical for fated mates. “How was your day?” Ethan questions tenderly.

“It was great, I met Xander today,” I reply as I place my hands on his neck, my thumb lightly stroking his jaw.

He grabs my hand and nuzzles into it before turning it to kiss the heel of my palm. My heart flutters inside my chest, and I must admit that I really like his affectionate side. My wolf purrs. Clearly, she likes it too.

“Ah…did you? Well, that could either be good or bad. So hopefully it was good.”

“Yes, it was good. We had pizza together, just kind of hung out.”

“Well, good. Hey, so I’m just finishing up a report. Meet me in the media room, floor twelve in ten minutes, okay?”

“Okay, what do you have planned?” I ask.

“You’ll just have to find out, won’t you?” He smiles and turns me around, giving me a small shove out the door.

***

“I think we should play a game,” Ethan says as he enters the media room, only a few minutes late.

“A game? What kind of game?”

He grins mischievously. “Pool. For every ball I get in the pocket, I get to ask you a question about yourself, and you have to answer it honestly and vice versa.”

I giggle internally…little does he know that I have a lot of practice with pool.

The smile he gives me causes warmth to spread through my body like it’s been ignited. I can’t help but wonder if my feelings for him are because of the mate bond or if I would feel this way about him regardless.

There is no denying that he’s utterly gorgeous with his perfectly sculpted muscles, tall stature, and dark hair. I would certainly be attracted to him regardless. I don’t know how any woman would not be drawn to this Adonis.

He’s like a work of art. His facial hair that is just slightly more than a five o’clock shadow gives him a somewhat rugged look, but the rest of him is always so put-together and intimidating. He has an air of mystery about him that makes you want to be the one to discover all his secrets.

But that smile… Goddess, it could melt the Antarctic. It almost seems to make him a totally different person, one who is fun and carefree.

We head over to the billiards before he hands me a stick and a small cube of chalk. “So, have you ever played pool before?” he questions as he racks the balls.

“Yeah. One of the abandoned buildings in the Scourge has a billiards table that is usable. It certainly isn’t in the same condition as this one, but it worked,” I respond, unable to hide the nostalgia in my voice. The material had been worn and faded, but we were used to that.

None of us ever got anything that wasn’t old or used. Will and I, along with several other packless, would spend time playing pool and darts at a place that used to be some sort of bar. It was the only fun we could have without getting into any kind of trouble.

“Do you want to break or should I?” he inquires as he grabs his own stick.

“I will,” I state before taking position at the end of the table. I pull the stick back and aim before sending the white ball sailing toward the triangle of colored orbs. They burst apart and begin bouncing along the sides in every direction before the purple one falls into the corner hole.

I pump my fist excitedly and turn to Ethan who is looking at me with an amused expression, trying not to laugh at me.

“All right, Alpha Kane…,” I begin as my eyes roll up toward the ceiling, and I tap my finger on my chin in thought. There are so many things I want to ask him, so many things I want to know. “What exactly do you do?”

He raises his eyebrows at me before letting out a chuckle as he scratches the stubble along his jaw. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you work all of the time. So, what are you doing all day? What keeps you so damn busy?” I ask, my tone light but curious.

“I dabble in a lot of things. Between me and my brothers, we own most of the city. Alex deals a lot with real estate and finances. Xander focuses on entertainment and leisure. I spend most of my time with technology. I like to make things that better our lives or make them easier. I invented drones that allowed all of the different packs or clans to import and export without shipping costs, which helped all of the territories to grow and flourish. The crops that are grown and harvested for the city are all done by my own inventions too.”

His features light up as he talks about this, and I feel my smile growing as I watch him speaking so animatedly.

Once he’s done, I take another shot and miss. He takes position and easily knocks one of the striped balls into the side pocket before turning to me.

He just stares at me for a moment as he contemplates, and his jaw twitches a bit as he displays a serious expression. I start to feel a bit anxious about what he’s thinking of asking me.

He walks over to me and whispers into my ear, “Where is your favorite place to be touched?”

My breath catches in my throat. Heat rushes to my face, and I struggle to maintain my composure. He’s really not holding back.

I try to shake off the nervous energy, thinking back to the times I’ve felt his touch—gentle, yet electrifying. “My hips,” I whisper, my voice barely audible. “Right on the side. I love being grabbed there.”

His eyes darken with an intensity that sends shivers down my spine. He nods slowly, as if committing this piece of information to memory.

He misses his next shot. “Your turn,” he says, stepping back and gesturing to the table.

I take a deep breath, focusing on the game to steady my nerves. I line up my shot, but my mind is still reeling from his question. My fingers tremble slightly as I take aim and strike the cue ball. It glides smoothly, but the shot is off, missing the intended ball by inches.

Ethan smirks, clearly pleased with himself. He circles the table, eyeing his next target. “Looks like I get another question.”

He pockets a ball effortlessly and then turns to me with that same mischievous glint in his eye. “What’s your biggest fear, Scarlet?”

The room feels suddenly colder. My biggest fear… This question cuts deeper than the previous one.

“My biggest fear?” I echo, buying myself time. My voice is steadier than I feel. “Losing the people I care about. Being alone.”

He nods, his expression softening. There’s understanding in his eyes, a silent acknowledgment of shared burdens and fears.

Before I can dwell on the intensity of the moment, Ethan makes his way back to the table.

Ethan leans over the pool table, eyes narrowing as he lines up his shot.

“You’re going to miss,” I tease, leaning against my cue stick.

He smirks, not looking up. “Keep dreaming, Scarlet.”

The clack of the cue ball hitting another ball rings as I look over Ethan’s shoulder and see a human shape beginning to form behind Ethan. It’s a faint outline, translucent but becoming more defined with each passing second.

“Ethan,” I whisper, not taking my eyes off the figure.

He frowns, turning to follow my gaze. The shape solidifies into a woman, her features sharp, and her eyes are filled with urgency.

“Who are you? And what are you doing here?” Ethan demands, stepping protectively in front of me.

“I’m Cassia,” she replies, her voice echoing strangely. “I’m a witch, and I don’t have much time because I’m projecting. I’ve come to warn you. My coven is after your pack.”

Ethan’s jaw tightens. “What is the meaning of this? We’ve never had a feud with the witches.”

Cassia’s eyes flick to me, and I feel apprehension. “They want something she has,” she says, pointing at me. “But I don’t know what it is.”

“Me?” I say, bewildered. What could I possibly have that a bunch of witches want?

“Yes, you, Scarlet.”

~She knows my name. Shit.~

Ethan tenses. “Tell us what you know. How are they going to come for us?”

“They were allied with a wolf named Ray to help dwindle your numbers. They were disappointed with his performance.”

~Ray was working with a coven? I bet he was easy to bribe…~

“Why are you telling us this?” Ethan asks skeptically.

Her expression darkens. “I’m tired of being used for my coven’s evil schemes. They make me use my powers to hurt people. I’m done being abused.”

Something wasn’t adding up to me. “Why wouldn’t they have just come directly for me before?”

“Witches all have special gifts, and one of mine is that I can see people’s past, present, and future. My master’s future didn’t look good when that was his plan. So he switched tactics.”

Cassia’s projection starts fading.

“What’s he planning next? How do I protect my people?” Ethan calls out in desperation.

“I’m sorry, I can’t hold this any longer. Stay vigilant. I’ll visit when I can. Don’t come looking for me, it’s too dangerous,” her voice fades as her projection disappears.

“What do we do now?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

Ethan’s eyes are hard, his mind clearly racing. “We prepare. We warn the pack. And we find out what it is they want from you.”

I nod, feeling a mix of fear and determination. The game of pool is forgotten, the weight of Cassia’s warning hanging heavily over us.