Chapter 8 pAINFUL BETRAYAL
Amanda did not stop walking until she reached the gardens outside the fortress. The morning air was sharp with the scent of pine and earth, but it did little to calm the storm in her chest. Angela's words from the hall echoed in her ears.
How the Alpha's mate seems more comfortable with his brother than with him.
She hated how true it sounded. Ethan's presence was easier, gentler. But Andrew... Andrew's presence ignited something she could not control, something that frightened and thrilled her all at once. The bond was a fire that burned her alive, while Ethan's affection was like a soothing stream.
She sank onto a stone bench and covered her face with her hands.
She had wanted freedom her whole life. Now she was caught in chains forged not only by Andrew's claim, but by Ethan's longing too. And somewhere in the shadows, Angela waited like a serpent, ready to strike.
Amanda shivered.
Back in the fortress, Ethan stormed from the dining hall and into the training yard. He seized a wooden staff and began striking the practice post with relentless force. His wolf raged within him, torn between loyalty to Andrew and the undeniable hunger for Amanda.
Every strike sent splinters flying. Sweat soaked through his shirt, but still he did not stop.
"Frustration does not vanish with broken wood."
Angela's voice slithered across the yard. Ethan froze, turning sharply to see her leaning against the stone wall, her arms crossed, her crimson gown replaced by a simple black dress that somehow made her seem even more dangerous.
"Why are you here?" he demanded.
Angela walked toward him, her steps slow and deliberate. "Because you need me."
He scoffed. "I need nothing from you."
"Liar," Angela said smoothly. "You need someone who understands. You need someone who sees how cruel fate has been to you. To love a woman who is chained to your brother, to watch her suffer while you stand powerless... Tell me, Ethan, how much longer can you endure it?"
Her words struck deep. Ethan clenched his jaw, but his silence betrayed him.
Angela circled him like a predator. "You are strong. Braver than Andrew in some ways. You could give Amanda what he never can: choice. Freedom. Safety."
"She is not mine to give anything to," Ethan said through gritted teeth.
Angela stopped before him, her eyes gleaming with venomous satisfaction. "She could be. If you help me."
Ethan frowned. "Help you with what?"
Angela's lips curved in a wicked smile. "With destroying the bond. With making sure Andrew never marks her."
The thought hit Ethan like a blow. To sever the bond? To tear Amanda from Andrew's fate? It was unthinkable... and yet, the image of her trembling under Andrew's fire, the image of her smiling softly under his own gentle teaching, rose in his mind.
His wolf growled, divided.
"You hesitate," Angela said softly. "That means you want it. That means you know I speak the truth."
Ethan turned away, his hands trembling. "If I betray Andrew, I betray the pack."
Angela's laugh was cold. "And has the pack not betrayed you? They see you as nothing but Andrew's shadow. Always the second son. Always the one left behind. Do you want Amanda to be left behind too? To be broken by him because you were too weak to act?"
The words cut deeper than any blade.
Ethan's breath came heavy, his body taut with conflict.
Angela leaned closer, her whisper sharp as a dagger. "You love her. Then fight for her."
Amanda returned inside later that afternoon, still unsettled. She found herself drawn to the library again, hoping the quiet would soothe her. She wandered through the aisles of books, running her fingers across the spines, though her thoughts were far from the words on the shelves.
She did not notice Ethan enter until he spoke her name.
"Amanda."
She turned, startled. "Ethan. I... I did not hear you come in."
He stepped closer, his expression shadowed. "You left the table so quickly this morning. Angela's words... they wounded you."
Amanda lowered her gaze. "She speaks poison, but poison spreads easily when people are ready to believe it."
Ethan's voice softened. "Do not let her hurt you. You are stronger than her venom."
Amanda met his eyes, and for a moment, she saw only sincerity. Yet there was something else there too, something restless, almost desperate.
"I wish..." Ethan began, then stopped.
Amanda tilted her head. "You wish what?"
He stepped closer, so close she could feel the heat of his body. His voice dropped to a whisper. "I wish things were different. I wish you could choose. That you were not bound by fate to someone who frightens you."
Amanda's heart stumbled in her chest. "Ethan..."
His hand hovered near hers, trembling as though he fought himself. "If there was a way to break the bond, would you take it?"
Amanda froze. The question shook her to the core. She had thought of it before, in the quiet of her mind. To be free. To choose her own path. But to hear it spoken aloud was dangerous.
Her lips parted, but no words came.
Ethan's eyes searched hers, desperate, aching. Then he pulled away abruptly, as though afraid of what he might do if he stayed longer. Without another word, he left the library, leaving Amanda trembling with confusion.
That night, Ethan stood in the shadows of the courtyard, waiting. He hated himself for it, but still he waited.
Angela arrived, cloaked in dark silk, her smile triumphant.
"I see you are ready," she said.
"I am not ready," Ethan snapped. "I am desperate."
Angela's grin widened. "Desperation is the beginning of power."
He glared at her. "If I agree, if I do this, it is for Amanda. Not for you."
Angela's eyes glittered. "Of course. You will save Amanda, and I will destroy the woman who stole what was mine. Together, we both win."
Ethan's chest tightened. "Tell me how."
Angela stepped closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "There are rituals, old magic, older than the packs themselves. Magic that can sever bonds. Dangerous, forbidden... but effective. With it, we can break Andrew's tie to her before he marks her. Then she will be free. Free to choose you."
Ethan's heart pounded. "And what is the cost?"
Angela's smile turned sharp. "Every power demands a price. But do not worry, brother of the Alpha. The price will not be yours to pay. Amanda will bear it."
Ethan flinched. "No. I will not harm her."
Angela's eyes narrowed, calculating. Then she softened her tone. "Not harm. Protect. Once the bond is gone, Andrew cannot cage her. She will be free, Ethan. She will thank you."
Her words slithered into his mind, feeding his hunger, twisting his resolve.
After a long silence, Ethan nodded, though his heart screamed against it. "I will help you. But if you betray her, I will end you."
Angela's laugh rang cold and sweet. "Agreed."
She extended her hand. Slowly, reluctantly, Ethan clasped it.
At that moment, the moon slipped behind the clouds, and the courtyard darkened as though the heavens themselves disapproved.
A pact was sealed.
And Amanda, asleep in her chamber, stirred restlessly as if her soul had felt the chain being forged around her.