Chapter 18 #2
Ethan turned. His gaze promised the end. He stood over the struggling Shane, the moonlight catching the iron spikes of his mask until he looked less like a savior and more like a god of ruin.
Ethan’s shoulders rose and fell, his breath plumed as blood dripped from his knuckles.
As the Enforcers pinned Shane’s face into the wet stone, Ethan turned toward me.
The moment his gaze snagged on my torn dress, his nostrils flared, and he inhaled the scent of Shane on my skin.
All that aggression was now directed at me.
His control was nowhere in sight. He was in front of me in a blur—there was no hesitation.
The harsh metallic bite of his zipper echoed in the courtyard as he freed himself.
My eyes dropped and my lips parted as his cock sprang free, the thick length slapping his abdomen.
I gasped, my eyes widening as I glanced at the spiked mask.
From my knees, I felt the displacement of the air—the heavy suffocating weight of a beast unleashed, his power pressing down on my shoulders, refusing to let me move.
He offered his palm. “Spit.”
I swallowed then did as he said. When his hand didn’t move, I repeated the action.
Then he fisted the base angrily. His chin dipped, his eyes on me as his hand moved, positioning himself so he hovered over me.
His thumb swept over the crown, smearing the moisture.
I wet my lips and he growled. This wasn’t Shane’s cruelty; this was the burning heat of a mate who snapped.
His breaths came out in hungry bursts his gaze feeding on mine.
My mind screamed and my soul rumbled in a way I didn’t know was possible. The tether between mates made the hair on my arms stand. I should have looked away, but nothing could have made me tear my gaze from him.
“Let him watch as I mark you as mine,” he growled, his hand a blur of desperate motion between us. “Let them all see.”
Shane had tried to break me; Ethan was showing the world I belonged to him. The humiliation I expected to feel was drowned out by the terrifying relief. My body knew his and in that, I felt safety.
I turned and looked to find Shane, bloodied, but eyes filled with hate as he still fought beneath the Enforcer’s boots. My heart lurched as fingers found my chin and jerked me back.
“Look at what’s yours, mate.”
His fist rushed down, hitting a velvety bulge, then tugged. The veins protruded from his arm stretching up his forearm as he slid off the crown before slamming down. He jerked the bottom, slamming against his knot.
“I’m going to mark you as mine. No one will question who owns you.” My eyes flickered to the slits in his mask. He groaned as warmth coated my face, hair and chest.
The world narrowed down to the scent of him—musk, alpha, mine, and it made my head reel. I felt the weight of his brand and it burned hotter than the bruises on my neck. I was shaking, my breath coming in shallow hitches, but for the first time the void within me was filled with him.
When he was done, he tucked himself in with a quiet calm. His hand slid to the back of my neck as he pulled back enough to look at Shane.
“Look at her,” Ethan spat, his voice dripping with malice. “Breathe in. That’s mine.”
Shane’s eyes darted to mine, filled with desperation.
“Take him away,” Ethan snarled. Odis, the man I’d met yesterday, appeared out of thin air, and pulled Shane to his feet. Ethan glared as they ushered him away.
My mate’s attention returned to me. His knees hit the dirt so hard the earth rumbled. His hands were everywhere—checking my wrists, my ribs, his fingers ghosting over the purple handprints Shane had left on my throat. A low, wounded sound—half-whimper, half-snarl—tore from his mask.
I’d been cold, my mind trying to protect myself. Frantic need took over as he pulled me flush against his blood-spattered chest. His palms were rough against my skin as he rubbed over where Shane’s mouth had been, a desperate attempt to scrub me clean until I smelled only of him.
Gabe stepped in front of me, blocking my view, his chest rising and falling with each breath.
His eyes filled with concern as he yanked off his gray jacket.
As Gabe’s jacket touched my shoulders, Ethan let out a sound that was pure animal.
He ripped the gray fabric off me before Gabe could even tuck it around my arms, flinging it away.
Gabe flinched, his hands hovering mid-air as his jacket slid across the dirt.
Ethan’s fingers dug into the silk of his heavy maroon jacket, and warmth dropped around my shoulders. He was reclaiming the space Gabe’s scent had touched, leaving no room for anyone but him.
“With all due respect, Alpha, I think my friend needs tending to,” Gabe said in a low, protective voice. “Her girlfriends and I will take her to her room, while you clean yourself up. She’s like my little sister and I think your appearance right now would do anything but settle her.”
“What she needs is me.”
Gabe swiped away a tear. I looked up at my best friend. His clothes were disheveled and his hair was a mess.
I opened my mouth and closed it again, finally finding my voice. “I’m sorry for worrying you, Gabby.”
A mix of guilt and agony filled his eyes.
“You don’t apologize,” my mate growled as he pulled me to my feet. “To no one.”
“He’s right, Ady. I told you I’d stay by your side and I…” he trailed off, his eyes filling with tears.
My mate pulled me into his side. “We leave now.”
A low horn call rolled through the canyon, answering him.
Somewhere behind the shattered fountain, the first howls began, low and scattered, then rising into a chorus that swallowed the last of the music.
The moon had reached its peak and every unmated wolf still standing was released into the dark to hunt for their mate using base instincts.
Ethan scooped me off the gravel, my cheek falling against his jacket.