Chapter 13

Ethan's POV

My eyes shoot up as I register the sound of my sister's voice as she barges in unannounced to my office. I instantly shove Nikki away from me, but the damage is already done. I'm sure the surprise and confusion is evident on my face, especially when my gaze lands on the horrified and hurt expression that is displayed on my mate's face. I can see tears forming in her eyes, but it only takes a second before she turns on her heel and dashes back towards the elevator. Isa gives me a withering look before turning to chase after Scarlet. I immediately follow as panic clenches my chest. "Scarlet!" I yell as I run after her. "Scarlet! Wait!"

Unfortunately, I'm too late. I only catch a glimpse of my mate with silent tears streaming down her rosy cheeks as the elevators shut her away from me. I let out an angry growl as I slam my fists against the doors as though it is their fault she got away. "Levi, Tony, stay with Scarlet no matter what," I quickly mind-link her guards before repeatedly jamming my thumb into the up button.

"Yes sir," Tony instantly replies.

"Baby, where are you going?" Nikki's whiny voice sounds from behind me as I hear the clacking of her heels approaching me. Another low growl comes out of me. This is her fault. My wolf is going crazy inside of me. He wants to rip her to pieces, but then the alliance that I've been working so hard to secure would die along with her. I clench my fists as I try to gain control of my temper. The moment her hand lands on my shoulder I turn and back away from her, holding up my hands up as if to ward her off.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!" I yell at her, barely able to keep my rage from boiling over. She shuffles away and her head bows down, my Alpha aura too much for her to stand up against. "I TOLD YOU THAT THIS WAS OVER! YOUR PACK IS COMING HERE TO RE-NEGOTIATE BECAUSE I WANT MY MATE! THERE IS NOTHING BETWEEN US! ACCEPT THAT OR GET THE fuck OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

Before she has the chance to respond or to even recover from my aura's effects, the elevator opens with a ding and I step inside. She tries to follow and I instantly stop her. I can't stand to be around her for even a second. I'm not sure if I'd be able to keep my wolf at bay if he was subjected to spending another moment with her right now. Right now, all I care about is finding Scarlet and making sure she knows how much I want to be with her. Goddess, I hope she'll give me a chance. Why do I feel like I've been making one mistake after another with her? "Maybe because you have been," my wolf growls irritably.

"Shut up. You aren't helping."

"Yeah. And neither are you. Maybe you should just let me take control. Maybe then our mate will stop trying to run away from us."

"Damn it. I said shut up! I'll handle this. You'll see. I just have to talk to her. Make her understand," I insist, the desperation clear in my tone.

"Good luck. You're going to need it."

I let out a growl and the elevator doors open to the foyer of my penthouse. My head whips around frantically as I try to figure out where she is. I perk up my ears and find my sister's voice. "Come on Scarlet. Don't do this. Just talk to him. There must be some sort of explanation," she pleads and I instantly start sprinting down the hallway as I continue to listen, wondering what I'm going to be walking into.

"What possible explanation could he have?!" my mate hisses back. "He was kissing another woman Isa."

"I swear he doesn't want that girl. She's a total slut. She's been throwing herself at him since she got here," Isa continues.

Levi and Tony are standing outside my bedroom with stony expressions. "Alpha," they both say with a salute and I nod to them before slowly pushing the door open. Scarlet is standing by the bed with a large suitcase open in front of her and an array of clothes and accessories spread over the duvet. She's packing.

My sister's eyes dart cautiously between the two of us before she takes a step towards the door. "I'm just going to give you two a moment," she remarks before quickly sneaking out of the room before Scarlet can protest. "You better make this right," her voice comes through in my head. I nod in determination as I set my jaw. I know she couldn't have seen it, but right now I need to worry about convincing my mate to stay.

Scarlet glares at me for a second before turning back to the suitcase and roughly shoving items into it, refusing to look at me. "Listen..." I begin, unsure of what to even say. It feels as though everything is riding on how this conversation will go and my heart is racing inside my chest. "I'm really sorry about what you saw, but it's not what you think."

She scoffs at me and her eyes narrow as she shoots me a disgusted look. "Seriously?! That's what you're going with?!" She continues to pack, seeming to take her anger out on the task at hand.

I cautiously approach her before lightly placing a hand on her elbow. "Scarlet..." She fiercely yanks her arm from my delicate grip and places both her hand on my chest as she shoves me away forcefully. I wasn't ready for it, so I stumble a step backwards and she turns away from me again. Once I've regained my balance I move over to her quickly wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into me.

"Ethan! What the hell are you doing?!" she gasps as she pushes on me and struggles in my grip. This time I won't let her get away from me that easily. "Let go of me!"

Her mesmerizing violet eyes meet mine and I stare into them. "Not until you listen to me," I state sternly.

"Listen to you?! Why the hell should I?! Just so you can lie to me some more?!"

I clench my jaw, as I try to control my frustration. Getting angry at a time like this won't help anything. "I'm not lying Scarlet. You are the one I want. It's always been you. Please, just let me explain."

"No! You kissed another woman Ethan! What is there to explain?! No matter what, I won't trust you!"

Ouch.... That hurts. "Do something. We're losing her," my wolf insists.

I do the only thing I can think of and drop to my knees in front of her. My arms remain wrapped around her as I look up at her. "What the hell are you doing?" she snarls as she looks down at me.

"Please, I need you to hear me out. Just let me explain. I'm begging you Scarlet. Please."

Her lips purse together as she scowls at me. I simply tighten my hold on her, feeling her body pressed against mine. The feeling of her being this close is amazing and I wish it was under different circumstances. "Fine. But hurry up," she orders and I can't help the smirk that appears on my face. I'm typically the one giving orders, but I find that I like her bossy side.

She raises her eyebrows at me and I clear my throat, returning from my thoughts as I realize that now is my chance to convince her to stay. "What you saw was... unfortunate, but it's not what it looked like," I start carefully.

She sneers at me. "Yeah right!"

"Ah ah. It's my turn to talk," I persist before she can continue to argue. "I was working in my office when Nikki came in. I had told her I didn't have time, but she didn't listen. She sat on my desk and came onto me for the umpteenth time." I let out a sigh as I shake my head in exasperation, thinking about what had happened in my office. "I had told her to get out and had stood up to escort her to the door. She suddenly grabbed me and kissed me. You and Isa walked in during that moment of surprise where I hadn't had the chance to push her away yet. That's it. Even if you hadn't come in, I would have stopped it. I didn't want it. I didn't want her."

"You expect me to believe that?! It certainly didn't look like you didn't want that kiss! You were holding her! I saw your hands on her hips!"

"Yeah! Because I was about to shove her away!" She gives me a disbelieving laugh and shakes her head at me as though she finds my explanation completely ridiculous. "Listen Scarlet. Mates can feel what the other is feeling. It's like a sixth sense. If I had wanted that kiss, if I had been a willing participant you would have felt it. What did your wolf feel? What is she telling you?"

Scarlet seems to relax in my grip as her eyes become hazy and I know she is talking to her wolf. Finally, she looks up at me, her gaze softer than it had been a moment ago. "She thinks you're telling the truth. She said that if you had wanted to be kissing that other woman she would have been in pain, like her body was on fire. Instead, she felt shock, anger, and disgust..."

A smile spreads across my face. "That's exactly what I was feeling when she kissed me. I swear to you Scarlet. You are the only one I want to kiss. No one else. I want you and only you. Forever."

I stand up and bring a hand up to her cheek, sliding my thumb across it as I wipe away a stray tear. My words seem to have moved her and she brushes her fingers through my hair as she stares into my eyes, searching them for the truth. Her warm body seems to melt into mine and without even thinking I bend my head down, placing my lips against hers.

The kiss starts out slow and tender and she reacts to it almost immediately. Her arms wrap around my neck and I lift her to be level with me as I deepen the kiss. She moans against my mouth and the sound is heaven to my ears. I can feel myself hardening, yearning for her. She is everything I want, sexy, fiery, compassionate. She will be an amazing Luna and I can't wait to make her mine.

In a heated frenzy I begin to kiss along her jawline and down her neck, down to the spot where I will one day mark her. She shivers as I nip at the spot and kiss it deeply as my hand comes up to cup her breast. She gasps and tightens her grip on me as though her body is begging for more and I'm happy to oblige. Without loosening my grip on her I back her up towards the bed before we topple onto it with me on top of her. One hand snakes behind her neck, holding it in place as I press another kiss to her soft pink lips. My tongue swipes across the seam of her mouth, asking for entrance which she immediately allows with a lustful groan. My other hand moves under the hem of her shirt, feeling her supple skin under my warm palm, my thumb gently stroking her.

Suddenly, Caleb's voice enters my head and I stop what I'm doing, lifting myself onto my forearms. "We found one of Ray's thugs, the one Scarlet called Frank. What do you want us to do with him?"

I roll off Scarlet as I answer, "Take him to the dungeons. I'll meet you there."

I stand up from my spot on the bed and Scarlet lifts her head and shoulders up as she reclines onto her elbows. "Where are you going?" she inquires, her voice coming out breathy and sexy.

"We caught Frank. I need to go oversee his questioning," I reply as I head for the door.

"Wait!" she calls as she gets up and comes over to me. "I need to talk to you about something." "I need to get going. We can talk tonight when I get home," I respond as I reach for the doorknob and she swiftly grabs my hand and stops me.

"No Ethan. Now. It's important."

I let out a sigh and turn to face her. "Okay. I'm sorry. What is it?"

"I want to continue working at the shelter."

My eyes instantly narrow at her. "No," I state plainly before turning to leave again.

She grabs my arm and forces my attention back to her. "I'm not asking Ethan. This is important to me. I can't keep spending all day doing nothing. I want to help serve meals at the shelter. I want to see my friends. I want to do my part to help the packless."

"It's not safe there."

"It's plenty safe. I survived that place for twenty years. Besides for the occasional rogue attack, the only thing to worry about is starvation or dehydration. That's why we work so hard to provide what we can for everyone else."

"Why is this so important to you?"

"Because they are important to me. Those people took me in. They helped raise me. They're my family," she explained earnestly.

I stood there silently for a moment, contemplating. "Fine. But I want at least five guards with you at all times."

"No. Just one," she counters.

"Four."

"Two."

"Two and a driver. Final offer. Take it or leave it," I remark. She gives me a triumphant smile before throwing her arms around my neck and kissing me deeply.

"Thank you Ethan!" she exclaims as she pulls away.

"You're welcome, but one more thing," I reply as I hold up a finger to her. She steps away and nods, waiting for my request. "Do not go anywhere without your guards. Do not run off. Do not put yourself in any unnecessary danger or I won't continue letting you go back there."

"Fine. You have a deal," she states with a smile.

"Great." I place a gentle kiss on her forehead before reaching for the door one more time.

"Ethan!" Scarlet calls out again as she steps toward me. I look back at her. "Thanks."

"Of course."

I finally leave the room, Tony and Levi still standing outside the door. I hope I made the right decision. My anxiety is already growing at the thought of Scarlet being in that place. I shake my head. There is nothing I can do about it right now. At the moment I've got bigger fish to fry. I open my mind-link to Caleb. "I'm on my way."