Tyler.
"On that," he replied, his voice dripping with malice. "We can both agree. You're not my brother. You're just an obstacle. One I'll soon get rid of."
"You?" I chuckled. "You really think you can get rid of me that easily?"
"I did it before, Tyler," he sneered. "What makes you think I can't do it again?"
He still believed I left out of fear? How arrogant had he become?
"You have gotten pretty stupid since the last time I saw you." My voice dripped with contempt. "You really think I left because of you?"
"Don't you dare insult me in my house!" he roared.
But beneath the facade of anger, I sensed something else – fear. Fear of losing control, fear of being exposed for the coward he truly was. And in that moment, I realized that Ethan's greatest weakness was not his strength, but his arrogance.
Yes, I needed his focus to be on me, not on Arya. I wanted him to believe that I had no idea where she was. This would give my men enough time to find her.
"It's hardly yours, Ethan." I chuckled. "I just let you have it to avoid bloodshed."
"Oh really?" he replied, trying to hide his wounded pride. "Explain to me then, brother mine, why you ran as my men chased you out of the pack like a fucking coward."
My jaw clenched as I fought to keep my temper in check. Ethan had always been an ambitious child, going to great lengths to impress our father. With Father's passing, he had seized the opportunity to claim what he believed was rightfully his – the title of Alpha.
"Immediately Father died, I became Alpha," I growled. "But you were not satisfied with being Beta. Then you plotted to overthrow me with strangers, people that don't understand what loyalty meant."
Ethan's smirk only fueled my anger. He prowled around me like a predator, his gaze calculating, his movements deliberate. "What do you think?" he taunted. "I'm destined for great things, Tyler. I am Alpha. Get used to it."
His arrogance was like a slap in the face, a reminder of everything I despised about him. "Trying to convince yourself of what you're not?" I shot back, "Because honestly, you're not doing a good job at it."
Ethan's laughter echoed off the walls, mocking and cruel. "I don't need to do that, Tyler. Look around you. The Crest pack warriors answer to me, and me alone. I command them. I don't need any bloody convincing. Besides, you attacked them to get here."
His words stung, each one a reminder of the rift that had torn us apart.
As Ethan's gaze bore into mine, I saw a flicker of doubt, a hint of insecurity hidden behind his mask of confidence.
"They answer you out of fear," I retorted, my voice tight with anger. "What good does that do to anyone? If I wanted to, I could've paid your men to get me Arya and kill you. But I wanted to fight you with honor. Like a fucking man!"
Ethan's laughter rang out, harsh and grating. "And what has your bloody honor gotten you, huh?" he jeered. "A fucking foreign pack? A lost wife?"
"You think you're so fucking superior, don't you?" I snapped, my voice rising with each word. "But you're just a coward hiding a pack you took by force. A pack you rule with fear."
"At least I got things done. I have your Crest pack, because you're weak. And you even had the gall to take my mate. But unlike you, I get what I want exactly when I want it."
"You've always been jealous of me, haven't you?" I snarled. "Jealous of my strength. Jealous of the fact that I had something you never could."
My words hung between us, charged with an intensity that crackled in the air like electricity. For a moment, Ethan's mask slipped, revealing the raw vulnerability beneath his bravado.
"Jealous?" he spat. "You think you're better than me? But you're nothing. You're weak, Tyler. Weak and pathetic."
The tension between us simmered, the air thick with unspoken words and unresolved grievances. I knew that this confrontation was long overdue, that I needed to tell him why he was still alive and not dead by my hands yet.
"We both know this isn't just about weakness," I replied. "Somehow, you've made yourself believe that I left this pack because I was afraid of you. But I made a promise to our Father, to protect you."
"Is that another lie you tell yourself?" Ethan chuckled.
As much as he hated to admit it, he'd looked up to our Father. It had amused me at first, until I realized that he was trying to show him that he was better than me—even at succeeding him as Alpha.
"He knew how ambitious you were, Ethan," I continued, ignoring his outburst. "He knew how far you would go to get what you wanted. He knew you would kill to get what you wanted. That's why he made me promise not to hurt you. And that is why you are still alive, Ethan."
Ethan's nostrils flared with indignation, his fists clenching at his sides. "Lies!" he yelled, his words cutting like a knife. "You don't deserve to be the alpha of the Crest Pack. You never did."
I felt a surge of anger bubbling within me, my control slipping as I struggled to keep my emotions in check. How dare he question my worth, my right to lead?
"You always did have a twisted view of reality, Ethan," I shot back. "You think strength is measured by brute force alone. But true strength comes from here." I placed a hand over my heart. "And that's something you'll never understand."
"You can speak to me about strength after I show you how weak you are," Ethan growled lowly.
The memory of our childhood flashed before my eyes, a blur of laughter and competition. We had once been close, inseparable even. But as we grew older, jealousy and resentment crept in, poisoning our bond until it was unrecognizable.
Ethan had always been envious of me, resentful of the attention I garnered as the heir to the alpha of the Crest Pack. And now, facing him, I could still see that resentment burning brightly in his eyes.
"I'm not weak," I growled, the words ringing hollow even to my own ears. "I let you live, trying to honor a dead man, at the risk of losing my home. Not anymore, Ethan."
Ethan laughed, a harsh, mocking sound that grated on my nerves. "You're delusional, Tyler," he sneered. "You've always been delusional. But don't worry, brother. I'll put you out of your misery soon enough."
Changing my stance, ready to attack him, I said, "Come on, let's see how weak you think I've gotten, you coward."