Chapter 21
“My Gamma has been fussing over the menu since dawn,” Ethan murmured, his voice losing its gravelly edge. “I had the owner of The Sweet Note bring the kitchen to us. A favorite in town.”
We stepped through a pair of arched oak doors onto a sun-drenched terrace nook that smelled of buttery goodness and expensive espresso. Two people stood by a side table, lost in their own little world.
These were the King’s people.
Standing ram-rod straight by the stone railing was the Beta I met when I arrived with Gabe.
He looked more relaxed today, but no less intimidating in a three-piece suit.
His blond hair was slicked back with military precision, and his corded arms were crossed over his chest. He stood with a dry, practiced stillness—bored and lethal all at once.
Beside him, a woman with midnight hair tucked into a messy bun was meticulously arranging waffles on a silver platter. Stray strands framed a face far too innocent for a third in command.
They both looked up as we entered. The air shifted as her eyes landed on me. Her face transformed from irritation to pure warmth. She clapped her hands together as she moved toward me.
She stopped just short of a hug, sensing my hesitation, and gave a bright smile. “Good morning. Oh right—we haven’t officially met yet. I’m Olivia.”
Her eyes dropped to my neck and there was a flash of fury before it smoothed into something sly and pleased.
“Good morning, Gamma,” I said, forcing my voice to match her energy while my heart hammered against my ribs.
She winced, a playful grin tugging at her lips. “None of that ranked business in here. It’s Olivia. Only Odis uses the titles, mostly because he likes the way the syllables sound in his boring voice.”
Odis didn’t move, but his voice bounced off the walls of the terrace. “The titles are there for a reason—they were earned.”
Olivia rolled her eyes at me. “See? Boring.” She turned to Ethan, her hands on her hips. “Sabine’s offended you turned down her chicken and waffles, by the way. She’s currently taking it out on the sourdough in the kitchen. Put her in her place, Ethan.”
My stomach turned at the casual mention of another woman. Was Sabine a fixture in his life, or just another who’d filled my place? I’d be a fool to think the mate I’d never wanted wouldn’t have a trail of broken hearts—or willing backs—behind him.
“I’ll handle that later,” Ethan rumbled, leading me toward the table.
“Good choice,” Olivia said, nodding at me with a strange, knowing twinkle. Her shoulders dipped slightly. “Odis, stop acting like a gargoyle. You’re scaring her.”
The Beta finally turned, giving me a short nod, but there was a flicker of something respectful in his eyes. His gaze flicked to my lip and cheek, but like Olivia, he didn’t say anything about it—though his jaw tightened. “My apologies, Adea.”
“If you need anything—clothes, a weapon, someone to hide a body—you come to me,” Olivia added, sliding a plate toward me. She smiled, reminding me of a mischievous cat. “Clear?”
I nodded, her smile contagious as a strange warmth spread in my chest. “Clear.”
“Good. Three’s a crowd, but four?” She shook her head. “We’ll see you later.”
She grabbed Odis’s arm, and for a second, I saw the mask slip.
He leaned into her as they walked toward the hall.
Ethan chuckled as they disappeared, leaving us in the sudden, quiet of the nook.
He slid into the seat across from me, his presence filling the quiet.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, finally leaning back in the chair as my shoulders dropped.
We sat in silence, but it was comfortable. He grabbed a waffle, covered it in sliced strawberries, zigzagged it with Nutella, and picked up a small glass pitcher. “This is their special syrup. It’s pure bliss.”
My gaze dropped, my lips parting. This was the first time someone had fixed me a plate since I was a child. My throat tightened. “I’ll take your word for it.”
I couldn’t help but laugh as the Mad King poured a healthy dose before sliding the food in front of me.
Next, he poured liquid gold into a mug. The sharp, bitter scent of dark espresso making my eyes roll—the perfect contrast to the heavy sweetness.
He slid the cup over to me and I wrapped my hands around it immediately, bringing it to my lips.
I took a sip of the espresso and for a second, everything else melted away.
I smiled, placing it back on the table before I picked up my knife, hyper-aware of Ethan as he leaned forward, his green eyes locked on my face.
I took a bite, the sweetness exploding on my tongue, and a small moan escaped me before I could stop it.
My toes curled as my eyes rounded. Ethan stopped moving, his gaze dropping to my lips.
My face burned at the sound I’d made, my eyes rounding as his darkened with a look that made my skin pebble.
“Told you,” he said huskily.
My face heated as I nodded.
“How long have you known Gabe?” he asked as I bit into a strawberry.
“Ten years,” I answered. “He had already been at Half Moon for two years when they took me in at ten. We grew up together.”
He was silent for a moment, his fingers drumming the table. “He’s loyal to you.”
I smiled at that. “He is. He’s family, Ethan. You don’t have to worry about him.”
I swallowed, my heart racing. I needed to know where I stood in the wake of the women Olivia had mentioned. I glanced at the door, my jaw tensing. “My turn. Have you… been with a lot of women?”
He didn’t flinch. “I won’t lie to you. I’m no saint.”
A sharp pang of jealousy hit me—ugly envy rivaled any wolf’s possessive instinct. I looked at the waffle he’d zigzagged with Nutella just for me. The care in the gesture made the last ten years feel… wrong.
“And you?” he asked, his voice careful.
My chest tightened. I tried to think of an answer, but the memories were a tangled web. I thought of the way Shane used to look at me, the way his touches always confused me, and the times I had with him when no one else saw. Dealing with Shane was my normal.
But looking at the way Ethan sat across from me—giving me space to breathe—wasn’t lost on me. I saw the differences between them clearly.
“There’s only been one,” I whispered.
Ethan’s jaw clenched so tight I heard his teeth click.
He reached across the table, his hand covering mine, his thumb tracing my knuckles.
He held my gaze, his green eyes acting as a tether, holding me fast against the current of memories threatening to pull me under.
We sat like that for a long minute, the sound of birds chirping and the occasional breeze, until I pulled my hand back to finish eating.
The sweetness of the moment lingered until Ethan straightened, the morning warmth in his eyes morphing into a violent promise.
Ethan reached for a side table in the stone wall and brought back the spiked mask. The corner of his lip twitched when he saw my confusion. “The Alphas hate it.”
I laughed and set my fork down. “I think we’ve kept them waiting long enough.”
Ethan cracked his neck. “If you’re ready. It’s time I reminded these men that my mercy has limits.”
The peace we’d had been a fragile bubble, and as we stood, it popped. Ethan’s expression hardened.
He reached for my hand, interlacing our fingers. We moved toward a private elevator; he pressed an unmarked button, and we descended. With every floor we dropped, the air grew colder, until the scent of espresso and strawberries was replaced by the smell of old stone and earth.
The iron-bound doors groaned open, revealing a chamber that felt like a tomb. Ranked men and women stood against the stone walls, and I finally knew what Olivia meant by gargoyles. It must be a Beta thing. Hushed whispers drifted from the shadows behind them, cutting off the moment we entered.
Twelve Alphas sat around a circular stone table that had sprung up out of the ground, their combined power poked and scraped at my skin. They looked at me with cold dismissal.
One Alpha jumped to his feet, slamming a fist on the stone. “This is who you declare war over?”
“The Half Moon heir overreacted. She’s a member of their court, despite being Giftless. She’s theirs to punish.” Another Alpha, this one a wall of muscle and gray-streaked hair down to his shoulders, spoke. His violet eyes flickered from me to the Alpha standing.
Ethan’s arm heated my back, his hand gripping my waist. There was a shift and the already cold room dropped.
“Adea is my mate,” Ethan said, his voice quiet, yet multitudes more terrifying than the other man’s shout. “And you’ll address her with the respect of a Luna.”
I took a breath, the cold air stinging my lungs. Despite that, warmth spread to my fingertips.
The silence in the room was suffocating. I felt the words bubbling in my throat, sharp and angry, until they finally overflowed.
“He didn’t overreact,” I said, my voice shaking but holding a weight I hadn’t known I possessed. Eyes locked onto me. I forced myself to look at the Alpha standing—and then at Jaxon. He sat rigid at the far end of the table, his expression a neutral mask.
He wouldn’t meet my gaze. The man who had been my Alpha for ten years was now just another juror—thankfully, just one voice, rather than the God of my small, miserable world.
I lifted my jaw, exposing the ugly bruising on my throat.
“This wasn’t my first disagreement with Shane. This time, he intended to break me. His thirst for blood was fueled by the fact I found my mate.”
A strangled sound erupted from Jaxon’s throat.
He surged forward, his hands gripping the edge of the stone table.
He looked ready to kill me for the public humiliation.
But then Ethan’s hand settled on the back of my chair, his presence a warning that silenced the Alpha before he could manage a word.
His jaw worked, his face furious even as he sank back in his seat.
I continued. “He saw me in Ethan’s arms and went berserk. Ethan stopped him. If you want to stand behind a coward who uses rank to leash a woman who doesn’t belong to him, then that says more about The Table than it does about my mate… or me.”
The Alphas shifted, a few of them looking away. I turned to Ethan, my chest heaving, the adrenaline finally overriding the fear. “I’ve told them why. Do they need anything else from me?”
Ethan looked down at me, his green eyes searching mine. He saw the cracks and nodded. “No. A deeper recount will be needed at the trials. You’ve done enough.”
He let go of my waist, the loss of his heat making me shiver.
His focus shifted, pupils dilating as that milky white haze covered green, leaving his body behind as he spoke to someone.
He was silent for a beat, his expression unreadable as he coordinated with someone on the outside.
When they cleared, he reached out, his thumb grazing my cheek.
“The first time I left you…” he trailed off, the memory of finding me broken in the garden playing behind his eyes.
“I’ll be fine,” I promised.
I didn’t wait for him to change his mind. I turned my back on The Table and disappeared behind iron doors.