Chapter 4
1026 Words
Chapter 4: Mine to Protect
Ethan’s POV
Jealousy was an emotion Ethan despised.
It was irrational. Primitive. Weak.
Unfortunately for him, his wolf didn’t care.
Ethan stood silently inside his office while one of his men spoke carefully from across the room.
“She left campus around four this afternoon,” the man reported. “She’s currently at a café near the university.”
Ethan’s jaw remained tight. “Alone?”
A slight hesitation.
“No, Alpha.”
Something dark shifted in the room instantly.
“With who?”
The enforcer lowered his gaze slightly. “A male. Human. Around her age.”
Silence.
Dangerous silence.
Ethan slowly placed the file in his hand onto the desk with far more control than he actually felt.
His wolf was already furious beneath his skin.
Who was he?
Why was Sophia with him?
Why was she smiling in the blurry photo currently sitting on Ethan’s desk like she belonged there beside another man?
The scent of anger thickened the air.
“Name,” Ethan said flatly.
“We looked into him. His name is Ren. Childhood friend. Final year architecture student.”
Childhood friend.
That should’ve made Ethan calmer.
Instead, it made him worse.
Because childhood friends were dangerous.
History was dangerous.
People didn’t look at someone like that unless feelings already existed.
Ethan’s gaze hardened on the photograph again.
Sophia was laughing.
Actually laughing.
Relaxed.
Comfortable.
She looked softer with him.
And Ethan hated how deeply that bothered him.
“You placed guards around her for protection,” his beta said cautiously from the side of the office. “Not surveillance.”
Ethan finally looked up.
Golden eyes flashed briefly.
“She is being watched because she is vulnerable.”
His beta raised an eyebrow slightly. “Right. That’s definitely the only reason.”
A low growl nearly escaped Ethan’s throat.
His wolf was restless tonight.
Possessive.
Unstable.
Mine.
The thought hit him so hard his fingers curled unconsciously against the desk.
No.
Sophia wasn’t his.
Not officially.
Not yet.
And that somehow made everything worse.
Across town, Sophia had absolutely no idea a supernatural Alpha was one bad thought away from losing his mind.
“This place still has terrible milkshakes,” she laughed, pushing the menu aside.
Sophia sat across from Ren in their usual café booth, exhaustion from classes and internship finally easing from her shoulders.
Ren smiled at her warmly.
“You still order them anyway.”
“That’s because I believe in second chances.”
“You’ve been giving this café second chances for four years.”
Sophia grinned.
Being around Ren was easy.
Safe.
He was familiar in a world that lately felt strangely unfamiliar.
Especially after Ethan.
The thought appeared suddenly and annoyingly.
Sophia immediately pushed it away.
Unfortunately, her brain had developed a very irritating habit of remembering Ethan at random moments.
His voice.
His stare.
The way simply standing near him made her heartbeat act stupid and made her body shiver in ways she still doesn't understand.
It made no sense.
She barely spoke to the man.
“So…” Ren leaned back slightly. “You’ve been distracted lately.”
Sophia blinked. “What?”
“You drift off randomly now.”
“I do not.”
“You literally just did.”
She rolled her eyes lightly. “Internship stress.”
Ren studied her for a second longer like he didn’t fully believe her.
“You sure it’s not because of someone?”
Sophia nearly choked on her drink.
“No.”
Too fast.
Way too fast.
Ren laughed softly. “That sounded suspicious.”
“There is nobody,” she insisted quickly.
At least nobody she planned to think about.
Or want.
Or accidentally dream about.
Unfortunately, her traitorous mind immediately produced the image of Ethan looking at her through the observation glass earlier that morning.
That intense stare.
Like she was the only thing he could see in the room.
Sophia grabbed her drink again purely to avoid thinking about it.
This was ridiculous.
She needed to focus.
Her internship mattered more than whatever strange attraction was happening in her head.
“You know,” Ren said quietly, “you don’t always have to carry everything alone.”
Sophia looked up.
His expression had softened.
“You’ve looked tired recently.”
Something warm touched her chest briefly.
Ren had always been kind to her.
Always there.
Maybe that was why she felt guilty sometimes for not noticing the way he looked at her until recently.
Before she could respond, her phone buzzed suddenly against the table.
Unknown number.
Sophia frowned slightly before answering.
“Hello?”
A pause.
Then that voice.
Deep. Calm. Dangerous.
“Where are you?”
Every nerve in her body instantly reacted.
Her heartbeat stumbled hard against her ribs.
Ethan.
Sophia sat straighter immediately. “Sir?”
Across from her, Ren noticed the sudden change in her expression.
“You left the company grounds an hour ago,” Ethan continued smoothly. “Without informing security.”
Security?
Sophia blinked in confusion. “I didn’t know I had security.”
“You do.”
“What?”
“You’re still an intern under my company responsibility.”
The explanation sounded reasonable.
Something about it still felt… off.
Sophia glanced outside the café window uneasily.
“Are you watching me?”
A dangerous silence followed on the other end.
Then...
“No.”
Lie.
Even she could somehow feel it.
Her stomach flipped strangely.
Not fear.
Something else.
Something intense.
“You should head home soon,” Ethan said quietly. “It’s getting late.”
The line disconnected before she could respond.
Sophia stared at her phone.
Confused.
Flustered.
And very aware that her pulse still hadn’t returned to normal.
Ren watched her carefully from across the table.
“…Was that your boss?”
Sophia swallowed once.
“Yes.”
“And why did your boss sound like he wanted to kill somebody?”
Sophia didn't have an answer for that, all she knew was that whatever that's happening within her is something she's scared to explore but at the same time exciting.
- Writer
