"I'm quite surprised by you, Ethan. You actually made this happen," Amdis said as he sipped blood from his wine glass.
"You and me both," Ethan responded. "It is not over yet. We are going to have to be even more careful. If Victor was telling the truth, there are more factions out there that won't take this well."
"True, but we can worry about that another night," Amdis said. "You need to talk to your Luna. She has been staring at you for a while now."
"I know," Ethan said, "I'm not sure what to say to her."
"The truth. You can't run away from this not unless you want to make this work," Amdis stated.
"And what about you? Aren't your running to?" Ethan countered.
"I'm running towards my mate not away. She doesn't seem like she wants anything to do with me right now," Amdis argued.
"I am sure it is overwhelming for the both of them," Ethan added.
"Indeed. Well done, Alpha King Ethan," Amdis said, bowing slightly. "I will forever be grateful to you and your Luna."
Ethan nodded and watched Amdis walk away to continue to mingle.
As if sensing her gaze, Ethan looked up, his eyes meeting hers. Kasia's heart raced as Ethan began to make his way towards her, his movements slow and deliberate, as if he were fighting against an invisible force.
As he stepped closer to Kasia, a sharp pain lanced down his spine. His vision flickered- one second, he saw Kasia as she was, the next, he saw her as Aimee had forced him to see her that night. A cruel trick of his fractured mind. He clenched his fists, grinding his teeth, willing the hallucination away.
"Are you okay?" Kasia asked, noting the pained expression.
"Kasia," Ethan said softly. "Can we talk?"
"Of course," she said. "Let's find somewhere quiet."
They found themselves in the quiet of the woods, the sounds of the feast fading behind them. Ethan leaned against a tree, exhaling heavily. "I know what you want to ask," he said, breaking the silence. "And I owe you an explanation."
Kasia folded her arms. "Then give me one."
"That night… in the alleyway. It wasn't what you think."
She didn't flinch, but her fingers dug into her arms. "It definitely seemed like it was."
"Aimee used magic," Ethan admitted. "She made me think she was you. I swear, Kasia, if I had known-"
"That's not the point, Ethan!" Kasia snapped. "This never would have happened if you had just acknowledged our bond from the start."
Ethan's jaw tightened. "I was trying to protect you. After what the Elder Council did to Lily and Garrett-"
"That was an excuse," she cut in. "You didn't trust me enough to let me decide what risks I was willing to take."
Ethan looked away, exhaling sharply. "And you didn't trust me either, did you?" His gaze met hers, a flicker of hurt behind his stormy eyes. "You think I don't know about you and Amdis?"
Kasia stiffened. "You don't get to spin this on me."
"You slept with him," Ethan said, his voice controlled but heavy with unspoken pain.
Kasia's throat tightened. She could lie. Say it didn't mean anything. But what would be the point? He already knew.
Kasia let out a bitter laugh. "You have no idea how much I regret it. But Deva- my wolf- was fated to Amdis. That pull… it was impossible to ignore. She was in total control of my body when it happened."
Silence stretched between them, thick with unresolved emotions. Finally, Ethan sighed. "We hurt each other."
"Yes, we did."
He hesitated, then asked, "Can we start over?"
Kasia inhaled sharply, her expression wavering between frustration and something more fragile. "I don't know."
Ethan nodded, accepting her uncertainty. "Then I'll wait. I'll earn your trust back."
She didn't respond, but the tension in her stance eased- just slightly.
"Aimee challenged me for the position of Alpha Luna. I will honor the challenge not because I have accepted the position, but because we don't need someone like Aimee roaming around hurting more people," Kasia stated. "She'll lose, just like before."
Ethan shook his head. "It's different this time." He unbuttoned his shirt just enough to reveal Amdis' bite on his neck. Beneath it, dark markings stretched across his back like cursed veins.
Kasia inhaled sharply. "What happened? Where did that come from?"
"Aimee. She cursed me when I refused to choose her," Ethan explained.
Kasia clenched her fists. "That vindictive bitch."
He gave a dry chuckle. "You're not wrong."
"How do you feel?" she asked, concern breaking through her anger.
Ethan hesitated. "Amdis and Queen Eliane have made it manageable. But… I still suffer. The voices, the pain- it's constant."
Kasia's heart twisted. "How do we fix this?"
Ethan's expression darkened. "Aimee can't just lose. She has to die."
Kasia had taken lives before. Monsters who stood in her way, enemies who left her no choice. But this wasn't the same. This was an execution. A sentence with Ethan's life as the price. And that made it feel... different.
Ethan read her hesitation. "I wish there was another way."
Kasia scoffed. "Do you?"
His eyes flashed. "I don't love her, Kasia. But I wanted it to be me. I wanted to be the one to..."
"Enough. I will get it done Ethan. You have nothing to worry about.," Kasia snapped.
Ethan lifted a hand, as if he might reach for her. But Kasia had already turned away and began making her way back to the celebration, her voice quiet but firm. "I just want to enjoy the night."
Ethan ran his hand over his face in frustration. This was not how the conversation was supposed to go. Laughter filled his mind and Ethan growled low in his throat.
"She's never going to forgive you," Aimee's voice flooded his mind. "You might as well just accept it. Give in and kill her for me. Then you can be happy with me."
"Never," Ethan snarled. "I rather be dead."
"No, I won't let you escape me that easily," Aimee said. "You just wait, my dear Ethan. When I put her head before your feet, you'll understand that only I am worthy of you."