Chapter 39 — Ethan
The fortress buzzes with controlled chaos as the wolves prepare for the confrontation with Holden. Guards sharpen weapons, check armor, and exchange terse instructions. I weave through the activity, heading toward Thea’s chambers.
I find her in the sitting room adjacent to her bedroom, a cup of tea steaming on the table beside her. She looks up when I enter, a grin spreading across her face.
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite human.” She sets down the book she was reading. “Xander told me you’re going with them today. It’s going to be dangerous, you know.”
“I couldn’t stay behind.” I drop into the chair across from her. “Not after everything Holden’s put Jayme through.”
Her blue eyes study me with that knowing look she’s always had, even when it was just us back at the diner. “You look better than the last time I saw you.”
I smile. “Yeah, Rhiannon and I...worked things out.”
Thea’s eyebrows rise. “Worked things out as in...”
“As in we’re together. For real this time.” The words feel strange and wonderful to say aloud. “We’re not exactly telling anyone yet, but yeah. We talked. We yelled. We said things we probably should have said a long time ago.”
“Oh, Ethan.” Thea reaches across to squeeze my hand, her smile genuine but tinged with worry. “I’m happy for you and scared for you all at the same time.”
I exhale. “Me too. There’s something I want to ask you about.
” I shift in my seat, suddenly unsure how to explain.
“Last night, when we were...together, she almost bit me. Here.” I pull my collar aside to show the small nick on my shoulder where it meets my neck.
“She stopped herself, but I don’t really understand what happened. ”
Thea straightens, her expression turning serious. She leans forward, examining my shoulder. “Wow. She almost marked you.”
“Marked me?” I remember reading about this in the Lycan books, but there was a lot more on wars than relationships.
“It’s a Lycan thing. When mates claim each other, they leave a mark— a bite — that never fades. Xander marked me on our wedding night.” Thea pulls her collar down to show a scar at the base of her neck. “It creates a permanent bond between mates.”
My stomach does a strange flip. “How permanent?”
“Permanent as in forever, Ethan. Once a Lycan marks their mate, that bond can’t be broken. Not by distance, not by time, not by anything. Sometimes, not even by death.”
There’s a pause. The information churns in my mind but doesn’t quite stick.
“So, if she’d bitten me...”
“You’d be bound to her. Officially her mate in the eyes of every Lycan in Clarion, and in the eyes of the Moon Goddess.
” Thea’s voice is gentle, but firm. “It’s not like human marriage.
This is really forever. There’s no divorce after being marked.
The fact that she stopped herself tells me she’s thinking about what’s best for you, not just what her wolf wants. ”
“She pulled back so fast. Like she was scared of what she almost did.”
“She probably was.” Thea picks up her tea, cradling it between her hands. “I’ve never heard of a female marking a male. It’s usually the other way around, but obviously you wouldn’t have the urge to mark her since you’re not Lycan.”
She takes another sip of tea before continuing. “Rhiannon knows what both of you would face if you become a human marked by a Lycan: the laws, the prejudice, the constant scrutiny. She saw it happen to me.”
“What do you mean?”
Thea laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “You think everyone welcomed me with open arms when I first arrived? The mysterious human who somehow ended up mated to their Alpha?”
“But you’re the Luna. You’re—”
“I’m a half-Shaman hybrid who grew up in the Outer Lands serving coffee and pancakes.” She sets her cup down. “When I first came here, half the pack thought I’d enchanted Xander with magic. The other half thought I was a Shaman spy. People whispered wherever I went, if they acknowledged me at all.”
I didn’t know this. Thea always seems so confident, so assured in her position. “How did you deal with it?”
“I proved myself to them. Every day, I showed them that I earned my place here, that I wasn’t just the Alpha’s mate.
I am someone worth respecting on my own merits.
” She rests a palm on her belly. “It took time. I’m sure some of them still don’t fully accept me.
But enough do that I can ignore the rest.”
“And you think it’ll be worse for me and Rhiannon.”
“I think it’ll be harder.” She tilts her head, choosing her words with care.
“I had Xander’s protection from day one.
The Moon Goddess chose me as his Luna, which gave me legitimacy whether people liked it or not.
The pack understood that Xander would crush anyone who showed me disrespect.
But you and Rhiannon...” The unfinished sentence hangs between us for a beat.
“There’s no divine mandate protecting your relationship.
And she’s not the Alpha. Her position as Commander gives her authority, but it also makes her a target for anyone who thinks she’s gone soft. ”
The guards who confronted me in the training yard come to mind, their snide remarks about Rhiannon protecting a human replaying in my head. So do Councilwoman Thora’s pointed warnings, and the way some wolves still look at me like I’m something they found stuck to their boot.
The realization sits on me like a stone. Rhiannon almost eternally bound herself to me — a human, an outsider, someone who could destroy everything she’s built: her career, her reputation, her place in this world.
“I don’t want her to throw away her life for me.” Emotion threatens to spill out with my words. “Do you think I should leave?”
“Only you can make that decision, Ethan.” Thea reaches for my hand again.
“But I want you to have all the information you need before you choose. And my promise still stands. Whatever you decide, I’ll support you.
If you want to leave after all this is over, I’ll make sure you get back to Creek Falls safely.
And if you want to stay...” She squeezes my fingers.
“I’ll defend your place here with everything I have. ”
Some of the weight lifts with her reassurance. “Thank you, Thea.”
“You’re my friend, Ethan. My family.” She smiles. “That doesn’t change just because we’re in a different world now.”
I squeeze her hand. “I’m glad you’re here. I mean, I’m not glad that you being here means a cosmic disconnect from where we both came from, but I’m glad I found you happy and safe. And I’m glad I’m not alone in all this craziness.”
“You’ll never be alone as long as you have me.” She pulls me into a hug that’s awkward with the size of her belly, but warm and comforting all the same. “Now go save the pack with your sexy Commander.” She giggles a little, but then pulls back, meeting my eyes. “Come back safe. All of you.”
“We will,” I promise, hoping I can keep it.