Chapter Thirteen: The Wolf’s Bargain
1051 Words
Ethan’s POV
“Shut the door and relax,” I told Kai and Daniel as we stepped into the office.
“You going to tell us what happened?” Daniel asked, sinking into the leather couch.
Kai poured three glasses of whiskey, handing one to each of us. I loosened my tie, unbuttoned the top three buttons of my shirt, and collapsed onto the sofa. Exhaustion dragged at me, the mission had drained everything I had left. I hadn’t slept properly in days, and all I wanted was a few hours of unconsciousness before interrogating Paul and tying up the loose ends of the story Bartolomeu had spun for Andrew. The motives behind Rose’s k********g didn’t add up.
“What did you ask for in return for the mission?” Kai pressed, settling beside me. “Rescues aren’t really your style. You prefer destruction.”
“Did he give you the casinos?” Daniel leaned forward, his expression sharp. “Ever since the Tanorra Mafia was founded, families have fought for alliances to control those casinos and always failed.”
“The Valentines are firm in their territory,” Kai added, his beta instincts sniffing out irregularities like a wolf on the hunt. “For them to be attacked so carelessly? Strange.”
“The casinos will be mine once I take over as Boss,” I said, savoring the burn of whiskey down my throat. It soothed the growl in my chest, the restless wolf inside me still agitated from fatigue and from being too close to Rose. “I don’t need them as a prize.”
“Then spit it out already,” Kai demanded, eyes gleaming with that feral beta curiosity.
“Rose Valentine is my fiancée.” I raised my glass in a mock toast. “Rapunzel found her villain.”
“You’re shitting me,” Daniel said, jaw slack. Shock flickered in his eyes, the beta in him calculating the implications for the pack.
“No f*****g way!” Kai punched my arm, grinning wide. “How the hell did you pull that off?”
“Desperation’s a powerful ally.” I tipped my glass toward him before downing the rest. “Valentine wanted his daughter alive, and I wanted a fiancée with an influential father on the council. One who carries a bloodline strong enough to fortify our pack—hidden away like treasure.”
“As long as this one doesn’t kill herself,” Kai muttered, brows furrowing. His words hung heavy, dredging up the ghost of Aurora, my former fiancée, whose death still echoed through the pack like a mournful howl.
“That was an isolated case,” Daniel countered. “We all know Aurora was terrified of marriage. She was barely seventeen. The weight of uniting wolf bloodlines can break the weak.”
“You’ve always believed it was suicide,” I said quietly, hiding a smile behind the rim of my glass. But my wolf growled, low and bitter, recalling the stench of fear and despair that clung to that night.
“She tied a rope of bedsheets around her neck and jumped from the balcony. No signs of a struggle on her body or in the room,” Daniel said. “What makes you think it wasn’t suicide?”
“Because after we spoke, she trusted me. She was excited about the wedding.” I stretched out against the couch. “A bride eager to spend her life with me wouldn’t end it three months before the ceremony. Not with the bond already forming. The pack instinct should have anchored her.”
“Could’ve been an act,” Kai said, refilling his glass. “Like, ‘I’ll pretend I’m thrilled to marry this sadist, then kill myself later.’”
“Unbelievable,” Daniel muttered, rolling his eyes.
I laughed at Kai’s nonsense, but my wolf’s growl lingered, demanding justice left unresolved. The weight of tradition pressed down on us like the pull of the full moon.
“Are you going to let her keep studying?” Kai asked, his beta gaze assessing the stability of the pack.
“Haven’t decided yet.” I scratched at my beard, my canines tingling with the moon’s approach. “First, I need to know what Valentine offered Andrew in exchange for letting Rose go to college. I can feel it, her bloodline’s ancient, pure, coveted.”
“They’ve never revealed it.” I looked at Daniel. “My father tried more than once and failed every time.”
“If not even the Consigliere could find out, it’s probably something dirty,” Kai said, his instincts flashing warning.
“I have an idea,” I admitted, lowering my voice, “but I won’t say anything until I’m sure. It involves blood secrets, lineages that could tip the balance between packs.”
“Does it involve Emily?” Daniel asked carefully, his beta protectiveness sharpening.
I held his stare without answering. Silence settled heavy in the room, my wolf snarling at even the thought of threats tied to my sister.
“Things with Emily still bad?” Daniel pressed.
“Same as always.” I stood, fatigue and instinct twining together, pushing me toward duty.
“Why did the Tanorra Mafia assign her to care for Rose?” Daniel asked, pulling a cigarette from his jacket pocket.
“That was me,” I said flatly. “When we got back last night, after leaving Rose in the clinic, I asked Emily to stay with her. She’s a pack beta, she can help Rose navigate instincts I’ve already sensed in her, even if they’re still suppressed.”
“When are you announcing the engagement?” Daniel lit up, smoke curling through the air, blending with my own Alpha scent.
“Soon. I’m in a hurry to marry and claim my place. To stake my territory as Alpha, with Rose’s bloodline at my side.” I braced my hands against the desk, the exhaustion pulling hard. “Go rest. We’ll talk later.”
They left the office. I switched off the lights and stretched out on the couch, sleep overtaking me instantly.
But my dreams were restless, filled with howls, hunts, and Rose at the center, her pure lineage calling to my wolf like a destined mate.
- Writer
