Chapter 40: Chapter 40

SCARLET

Andromeda looks at me with a shocked expression for a second before Lucien yells, “You promised me the wolfsbane would restrict her powers! Hurry! Finish the job!”

~Finally!~ I force my power to the surface, and I focus with all my might. Another burst of light shoots through me, shattering the windows and my restraints.

Immediately, I yank my limbs away from their bonds and leap from the bed while Lucien and the witch are still stunned and on their asses.

I move to stand before them, still controlling the power that is desperately trying to break free from me. My mind quickly wades through my options for dealing with their treachery.

My body feels like it knows what it can do, like a sixth sense. I move instinctively, holding my hands out to my sides. A glowing orb appears in each, almost like stars.

The witch is the bigger threat, but my eyes shift between both of them, staying on my guard.

Andromeda slowly stands up as she keeps her eyes on the orbs.

“How are you that strong?” she asks, her voice both soft and curious.

I can’t say I know the answer to that.

“It doesn’t matter what I am but who I am. I am Scarlet Denton. Mate to Alpha Ethan Kane. Future Luna to the Crescent Moon Pack. And I’m your worst nightmare,” I state before chucking one of the orbs at her.

She quickly dodges as a purple light shoots out of her fingers. I swiftly dodge before sending another orb at her. She ducks, and I hurl a wave of light that pushes her into the wall. She collapses again as the door behind me crashes open.

My captors’ eyes dart in the direction of the noise. Lucien’s wild eyes flare as I’m surrounded by the familiar scent of citrus and vanilla.

I catch sight of Andromeda’s worried expression before my head whips around to see Ethan standing in the doorway. His hulking figure fills the space with his rippling muscles. His jaw and fists are clenched while his eyes are narrowed at Lucien.

His rage and hatred are radiating off him in waves. The alpha aura that he possesses is vibrating powerfully around him making Andromeda cower. Even Lucien seems to be affected despite his own alpha position. I’ve felt Ethan’s aura before, but never quite like this.

While distracted, Andromeda flings a purple light at a beam above me, and the loud burst of splintering wood fills the room.

“Look out!” Ethan yells as he quickly reaches out and wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me into his hard chest. The beam comes crashing down in front of us, right where I was standing a second before.

Debris and dust fly up around it, and as it settles, I spot the witch. Violet smoke begins circling the floor around Andromeda before wrapping around her, and then she disappears.

Everything happened so fast that I stand in a moment of shock. Ethan releases me and throws the heavy timber aside as he pushes his way through the mess. He’s trying to chase after Lucien as I notice the hidden passage behind a bookcase. It’s cracked open, and Lucien is no longer cowering on the floor.

While I was focused on Andromeda, he must have made his escape. Ethan shoves the bookcase away and looks into the dark tunnel.

He lets out a frustrated growl that thunders around us as he sends his fist into the frame, sending fragments of wood and stone scattering. His eyes turn glossy as he uses his mind-link.

I’m startled by a crash behind me, and I turn to see that we aren’t alone. Several other members of the Crescent Moon Pack are standing there, though they all have their heads bowed with their faces tinted pink.

They seem to be afraid to look up at me. Ethan comes up along my side. I look over at him and see his eyebrows furrowed as he seems to notice his men’s weird behavior. Then he turns to me.

A low, threatening snarl rumbles through his gritted teeth as his eyes roam my body. I look down and remember what I’m wearing. I feel incredibly exposed. You can see literally everything through the sheer gown that Lucien put me in while I was unconscious.

The thought makes me feel nauseous again as Ethan moves to stand in front of me, blocking me from view. “Jonah, pass me a change of clothes,” he demands, his voice controlled and husky.

It’s clear that he’s trying to control his anger as he holds out his hand toward one of the warriors, presumably Jonah.

Jonah quickly drops a pack onto the floor and squats down to rifle through it before pulling out a T-shirt and sweatpants. Ethan gruffly takes the clothes and orders them to wait in the hallway before closing the door.

“Hurry up and put these on. Lucien has probably already alerted his guards of our presence, so we need to leave,” he says as he shoves the outfit into my hands.

I hastily begin dressing as he lets out another growl, drawing my attention to him.

“What did he do to you? I could feel him…,” he continues, before drifting off as he gets choked up, unable to continue. There is pain in his eyes, and I can tell he feels guilty.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m safe now. Let’s just get out of here while we still can,” I mutter after getting the pants pulled on underneath the gown. I don’t want to talk about Lucien. It will just make me feel sick again, dirty. I hate the way he looked at me, the way he touched me.

I look up at Ethan. His eyes are opened wide with horror as he looks around the room. I follow his gaze and see that it’s landed on the painting I spotted when I first woke up.

His eyes travel across the other pieces and land again when he sees one that seems to be an aerial view of the bed I was strapped to.

In it, my wrists and ankles are bound just like they were in real life. However, in the portrait I’m completely naked and writhing in ecstasy. I feel my stomach drop. Tears sting my eyes, and I quickly pull the sheer gown off and replace it with the T-shirt I was given.

Ethan turns to me, barely controlling his anger as his eyes turn black, his wolf right at the surface. His eyebrows pull together, and he slowly reaches out, pushing the neck of the T-shirt to the side as his fingers rub over my mark.

The expression on his face is full of confusion, and I do my best to see what he sees. My mark, that was mostly healed, now looks fresh again as though only a few hours old.

When I look back to him, his gaze comes up to meet mine, and a low growl spills out of him as he asks, “What the fuck did he do to you?”

I shake my head as I feel my tears finally begin to leak from my eyes. I honestly don’t know what he did to me. That is one of the worst parts of all.

I have no idea how long I was unconscious for. There is no way for me to know what might have happened when I was out. The more I think about it, the sicker I feel, and I protectively wrap my arms around me, hugging myself.

Suddenly, the sounds of thundering footsteps can be heard approaching us and Ethan immediately takes my hand in his as he goes to drag me out of the room.

“Wait!” I screech as I yank my hand away.

“Scarlet!” Ethan hisses as he turns to me. I know we don’t have a lot of time, but I can’t just leave all of Lucien’s vulgar paintings of me behind. Without another word, I turn to face the bedroom and close my eyes, trying to call on the power that I know is somewhere inside me.

It starts as just a small center of energy in my chest and starts to grow, filling me with a delicious warmth. “Scar… how are you…” Ethan trails off as he looks down at my hands.

They’re holding glowing orbs again. I look down in amazement, surprised that it actually worked.

The pounding footsteps of soldiers grow closer, and I send the orbs toward the walls of the bedroom. They immediately spread along the paintings as the material splits apart and sparks fly.

When I turn to leave the room, Ethan grabs my hand and darts for the stairs, pulling me along with him. It’s the only available exit. Just before we reach the top step, several armed guards show up, blocking our path.