Chapter 32 — Ezra
Chapter 32 — Ezra
The chill of the night seizes my bones as I step into the shadowy hollow of the den that now serves as home, before we return to our pack. The stench of fear patiently hangs in every crevice, thick enough to almost taste but it's not what sends my senses spiraling.
Lurking patiently in the murky darkness is Lucia. Her silhouette stark against the faint moonlight leaking in from the entrance, she turns, her golden gaze flaring at my abrupt appearance.
There's a sudden hush, the wind itself seems to pause, holding its breath for a moment I wish could last forever. But life doesn't cater to the romantic musings of brokenhearted Alphas.
"Finally, Ezra," she says, her voice honeyed mischief flirting with the chill in the air. I remain silent, my jaw clenching at the sound of my name on her lips, so close to a whisper. It's an insidious echo of Katina. A ghost of a love I want to forget, of a control I crave, of a jealousy I can't quench.
The anger, masked as a pained memory, is a fervent storm within me, like a hurricane gathering strength, swirling around the idea of another male wolf touching Katina, of controlling her life, the way I once did.
I’m lost amidst the chaos of my thoughts when Lucia eases closer, the soft patter of her feet muted by the bristle of my escalating heartbeats. Her arm brushes mine, igniting a carousel of emotions within me.
"Ezra," she speaks again, softer this time, treading my boundaries as if she could guess the turmoil raging within me.
I brace myself as she arches her neck, aiming for a loving brush of our lips together, the hint of affection I know I should reciprocate, but I turn away, because it's not her lips I desire and the sensation sends a shudder through me. It’s jarring enough to prompt a swift push, releasing her from my agonizing grasp.
"No!" I yelled, refusing to allow her any closer.
"Ezra," she repeats, her voice brittle, wounded. "What's wrong?"
As though she’s thrown a bucket of ice water over me, I feel the hair at the back of my neck stand on end. The gut-wrenching guilt is swiftly replaced by a surge of authority, a fierce reminder of who I am.
An Alpha.
Her Alpha.
"Who was it, Ezra?" The anticipation is palpable as she probes further. Her nostrils twitching in agitation from an unnoticed scent. "You smell of her, another female."
A growl of defiance rumbles unbidden within my chest, my eyes flashing dominantly under the pale moonlight.
As an Alpha, I am not required to answer to anyone, to justify my actions or decisions, especially not to her.
"No more questions, Lucia," I snap, my patience waning, my voice echoing around the confines of our shared den. My words hang heavy in the air between us, underlining the finality of the matter.
An icy silence shrouds the den as the night drifts on, soured with hurt and laced with confusion. The scent of another female wolf lingers in the air, an invisible specter casting a forbidding shadow over Lucia's unspoken inquiries. The ghost of Katina is still haunting me, manipulating my emotions, regardless of the present situation. The latter remains as is, unresolved and disconcerting.
Serviceable memories weave their way into Lucia’s mind, bringing with it an echo from the meeting earlier today. Something about Katina, Marco’s Luna, something about my curiosity, and I feel the moment she makes the connection in her mind.
She lifts her eyes to face me, a question reflected in the depth of her gaze. “Is Marco’s Luna… Katina, our former Luna?” she breathes out the question.
I, Ezra, the Alpha, the wolf, find myself trapped in her stare. And I confess with a heavy sigh, “Yes, Lucia, it’s her.”
My words hang in the air; a raw confession dressed in honesty. I can feel the tremor that runs through her as she swallows my revelation.
Katina was our Luna, an anchor that held us together as a pack. To hear she now belongs to another, even though my actions are the reason why she’s with another; it’s a wound too raw, too fresh.
The silence that follows leaves room for another question to be asked, another shadow needing light.
“Ezra… do you plan to fight Marco for her?” Her question manages to bridge the abyss that has formed between us.
There are multiple ways to respond: a quick yes, a firm no, maybe even an indifferent shrug. But my wolf offers no answer.
The Alpha gleams like frost under a winter moon, indecipherable. The weight of my silence, the hymn of my dominance, meets Lucia’s question but offers no solace. It hangs, unresolved, festering in the quiet.
Suddenly, there’s a flurry of movements. In the span of one sigh, Lucia pivots, and exits the den. She doesn’t look back. She just leaves, and I don’t go after her.
She would come back, she always did.
I’m left alone. In that moment, Alpha or not, I feel the emptiness stretch out in her departure, and it gnaws at me.
A whirlwind of ‘what-ifs’ and ‘should-haves’ plague my thoughts – a toxic mix of guilt, regret, and a strangely hollow victory. The lines have been drawn; the truth has bared its fangs today, unveiling old wounds and carving new ones.
Something rings in my ears, an echo of Lucia’s departure, mixed with the biting chill of the cold night outside.
Do I intend to fight Marco for Katina?
I mull over Lucia’s questions in the silence, as I get ready for bed. There is no decision to be made. After all, I was within my rights as Katina’s former mate and Alpha to challenge Marco because of the law that bans other packs from granting safe haven to excommunicated wolves.
Alpha Marco hasn’t only given her safe haven, but he has made her his Luna and from the look of things, the two have mated already.
My nostrils flare with irritation and disgust, as I begin to picture the two of them together, their sweaty bodies in perfect alignment with each other.
Fuck!
Why am I even thinking that right now?
I had plans for Marco’s park, and those plans do not include fighting over my ex mate, no matter how much it irks me. That will have to wait.