Ethan.
“Get off me,” I growled angrily as a muscle ticked in my jaw. Inside me, there was a storm raging, a tempest that threatened to burst me open.
When she didn’t move, instead continued to drag her wet lips over my neck and chest, I pushed her off me. “Alison, I said stop!” She fell to the bed in a heavy thud, her gasp of surprise echoing through my room. I got to my feet and headed to the table housing a mirror that faced my bed, placing my palms on it to stare into the mirror.
“What’s wrong, Ethan? You haven’t touched me in two months. I’m beginning to think you’re not much of a man,” Alison whined.
I was in front of her before she could blink, my hand gripping her chin in a tight lock. “You want to say that again and see what I’ll do?”
I saw the defiance in her eyes, saw the anger swirling in them. Chest heaving, she made no move, only held my gaze.
With a sigh, I left go of her chin. “Get out.”
“No.”
I sighed again, going back to the mirror. I knew what plagued me so. My frustration surged like a tidal wave, and I slammed my fist against the mirror, the sound of the glass breaking resonating in the room. Blood spilled down my hand but I took no notice of it. The rejection still stung, and my wounded pride demanded retribution.
She’d run. And no body seemed to know how it had happened or where she was. A pathetic little nobody. Arya Shelby. She’d run from me, Ethan Locke, the fucking Alpha of the Crests.
Retribution. Revenge. No one ran from me. Especially not a witch who’d tried to get me to mate with her.
Oh, she had no idea what was coming. I would find her and I would make her pay. I would make her rue the day she even thought of escaping. And I always got what I wanted. Tyler was evidence enough.
“You’re thinking about her, aren’t you?” Alison’s whiny voice came from the bed. “You’re thinking about my sister.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Alison.”
“Don’t try to act like I don’t know what I’m saying. Is she the reason you put off the wedding?”
If I was being honest, I didn’t have much interest in Alison. While some people would consider her the epitome of beauty, to me she was just another desperate good-looking girl trying to sink her claws into heights she never would have dreamed of otherwise.
Alison's presence served as a bitter reminder of what I had lost. As Arya’s sister, it was all I could see when I looked at her, though they looked nothing alike. It certainly helped that her father was my Beta. Alison was only here because of that reason.
Either way, I didn’t owe her any explanation. “Yes, I’m thinking of her. Do you know where she is?” I asked.
“Why do you want to find her?” Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me you’ve had a change of heart and you want to marry her.”
I gave her a wry smile I knew would drive her crazy. “And what’s wrong in that? She’s my mate, isn’t she?”
Just like I expected, anger flashed across her eyes. Then, it disappeared almost as quickly as it came, followed by a pleading look. “Ethan, I love you. Can’t you see that? Can’t you see I’d do anything for you?”
I almost melted. Almost. “Alison, you may be Arya's twin, but you are not her.”
It might have been cruel for me to mislead her like this, but it was also entertaining to watch her beg for my attention. As she should. I could have any woman I wanted and yet here she was. In my bed. Willing to spread her legs the second I asked her to. It couldn’t get better than this.
Yet I could not stop thinking about Arya. I wanted to make her suffer. I wanted to watch her bleed. She was my mate and yet she’d chosen to run from me. Dared to defy me, reject the bond we had. As my mate, she was mine to do with as I pleased. I won't let her escape the consequences of her actions What she didn’t know was that I hated to lose.
My brother had known that, which was why he’d chosen to leave. To prevent bloodshed. I’d always wanted to be Alpha. Screw primogeniture. And when my father had died, the opportunity had presented itself. I would have been a fool not to take it.
And I had. Just like every other thing I’d wanted in life, I’d reached out and I’d taken it.
“Ethan, please. You can't keep chasing Arya. She made her choice. Choose me. Marry me. We can build something stronger together.”
Alison's eyes, glistening with unshed tears, betrayed the vulnerability beneath her plea. The complexity of emotions hung heavy in the air as she reached for my hands, holding them to her chest. I was unmoved, only stared at her with a stoic expression. I didn’t care much for tears.
“You’re embarrassing yourself, Alison.”
“I don’t care!” she cried. “I want you. Can’t you see that?”
“Everyone can see it. You shamelessly threw yourself at me the second your sister was arrested. Did you even feel sorry for her?”
“Oh, please,” she scoffed between tears. “I don’t care about Arya. She’s always attracted nice things. Why can’t I have a piece of the cake?”
I laughed. Alison was as twisted as her father, Robert. It was the only reason I even gave her the time of day. I liked my women meek and malleable, but twisted was always welcome.
“She made a mockery of me,” I said. “I can’t forgive that. I will find her and I will bring her home to face the consequences.”
And that was the end of the conversation. Alison stared at me stubbornly, obviously swallowing the rest of what she wanted to say. I didn’t care much anyway. All I cared about was revenge. No one made a laughing stock of Ethan Locke. I was the Alpha of one of the most powerful packs in the world and rightfully so.
My brother had been weak, too nice, too… kind. I was the only one with the wherewithal to rule this pack as it deserved. And after I made Arya pay for her disobedience, no one would ever doubt my power again.
Everyone would know. Ethan Locke was not a pushover.
She was mine and I wanted her back. I didn’t care where she was; I was going to find her and bring her home.