chapter 89
Ethan's POV:
I took another swig from my glass, relishing the burn of whiskey as it traveled down my throat.
The private room at Gold Moon buzzed with celebration around me—my old college roommate James had just won a major lawsuit, and everyone was in high spirits.
"Ethan! Come join us!" James called from across the room, waving enthusiastically.
"I need some air," I muttered, raising my glass in acknowledgment before slipping through the glass doors onto the rooftop terrace.
The cool night breeze was a welcome relief from the stuffiness inside.
I leaned against the railing, looking out at the city lights of Moonhaven.
These escapes had become my lifeline lately—any excuse to get away from Fiona and her suffocating presence.
Business meetings, pack duties, friends' celebrations—I'd grab at any reason to be somewhere else, anywhere else. Even a few hours of freedom felt like coming up for air after nearly drowning.
I closed my eyes, trying to push away thoughts of Tori's silver eyes and the way they used to light up when she smiled at me.
"Just a little longer," I whispered to myself, taking another sip of whiskey. Soon everything would fall into place. Soon I could be with Tori without hiding, without pretending.
The plan was coming together—I just needed patience.
As I tilted my head back to finish my drink, I caught sight of a familiar silhouette on the far end of the terrace.
My uncle Alpha Lucas was standing at the nearby terrace, his powerful frame silhouetted against the night sky as he smoked a cigarette, the ember glowing bright with each inhale.
I hesitated, unsure whether to approach and greet him. Our relationship had been strained lately, and I wasn't in the mood for another lecture about responsibility and bloodlines.
Deciding against it, I turned to head back to the private room for another drink.
That's when I saw her.
Tori stepped onto the terrace, her silver-gray dress catching the moonlight as she approached Lucas. My breath caught in my throat. What was she doing here? With him?
Before I could process what I was seeing, Lucas extinguished his cigarette and pulled Tori into his arms in one fluid motion.
My stomach dropped as I watched her not only allow it but lean into him, her head resting against his chest with a familiarity that made my blood run cold.
The implications were unmistakable.
I stood frozen, unable to move, unable to breathe.
I should look away. I should return to the party. But I couldn't tear my eyes from them.
"What the fuck?" I whispered, my glass nearly slipping from my fingers.
They disappeared inside, and I stood frozen, trying to process what I'd just witnessed.
My initial shock quickly gave way to a burning rage that surged through my veins. Without thinking, I lurched forward, intent on following them.
"I need to go," I announced, returning to the party just long enough to grab my jacket and keys.
"But we haven't even cut the cake!" James protested.
"Family emergency," I lied, already heading for the door.
I took the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator, my heart pounding in my chest as I raced down to the ground floor.
Bursting through the exit doors, I scanned the parking lot frantically, just in time to see Tori sliding into the passenger seat of Lucas's sleek black Aston Martin.
My uncle closed her door with a gentleness I'd never seen from him before, then walked around to the driver's side. Neither of them noticed me standing there, half-hidden in the shadows.
As their car pulled away, something inside me snapped.
Without conscious thought, I found myself jogging to my own vehicle, fumbling with the keys as I slid behind the wheel. Some force beyond reason compelled me to follow them, to see where they were going, to confirm what I already feared was true.
"What are you doing, Ethan?" I muttered to myself, even as I started the engine and pulled out of the parking space. But I couldn't stop. I had to know.
The drive was a blur. I followed Lucas's car at a distance, my mind racing with possibilities, each more painful than the last.
They turned onto the private road leading to Lucas's residence, but his personal property where he lived alone. I pulled over before the security gates, watching as they drove through and disappeared up the winding driveway.
"This can't be happening," I muttered, gripping the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white.
I sat there for what felt like hours, memories flooding back.
"The Grayson bloodline cannot be tainted by an Omega who might end up in prison,"
"A Grayson cannot mate with someone who has been incarcerated,"
These phrases had become like a mantra in our family, repeated so often they might as well have been carved into the walls of the Grayson estate.
And I had listened. God help me, I had listened and stayed away from the only woman I'd ever truly loved.
Every time I tried to reconnect with Tori, someone from the family would remind me of the "Grayson standard." My father. My grandmother. Lucas. Always Lucas.
And now, watching his car turn onto the private road leading to his personal residence, a horrifying thought struck me.
Had Lucas wanted her for himself all along? Had he deliberately kept us apart, waiting for his moment? The betrayal cut deeper than any wound I'd ever suffered.
"Why her?" I whispered, gripping the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. "Why Tori? Of all the women in Moonhaven, why did it have to be her?"
My vision blurred with rage. I slammed my fist against the dashboard, accidentally hitting the horn.
The sound blared through the quiet night, startling me back to awareness. Before I could think better of it, I drove through the open gates, following the driveway to Lucas's house.
I parked haphazardly and stormed up to the front door. I pounded on the door hard enough to hurt my knuckles.
The door swung open, revealing Lucas in just his shirt and pants, his normally perfect hair slightly disheveled.
"Ethan," he said coolly. "What's wrong with you."