“If you’re so devastated,” he says, watching me drainthe glass and immediately reach for the bottle again, “just go to her. She’ll understand.”
I scowl at him. “She’ll understand? And what about the pack?” The whiskey burns going down, but I welcome it. “My father will never stand for it. She’s my stepsister. He’d rather I not claim my fated mate than shame the family.”
Ethan sighs, leaning back against the leather couch. “It’s not like he doesn’t have another heir. Even if he strips you of your position, there’s still your brother.”
A bitter laugh escapes me. “Yes, because the pack is so welcoming of illegitimate children.” I pour myself another drink, the amber liquid sloshing in the glass. “My father knows no one will ever accept Zion. Not as alpha. Not as anything.”
“I think you’re making a mistake.” Ethan’s voice is quiet but firm. “I’ve never seen you this miserable.”
I don’t respond. Just stare at the whiskey like it holds the answers I don’t have.
He leans forward. “What is she like now? Still the same shy girl?”
“No.” The words come without hesitation. “She’s different. Stronger.” My hand tightens around the glass, and I shake my head. “But she looks at me with disgust.”
Ethan clicks his tongue before sipping his drink. “That’ll teach you not to badmouth your mate.”
I glare at him. “My intentions were good.”
“I know that.” He rolls his eyes. “But she doesn’t.”
I drain my glass and pour myself another shot. The bottle is getting lighter. Good.
I swirl the liquid, watching it catch the dim light. “I never tried to look into what school she went to, but she has picked up combat skills. Self-defense techniques I didn’t teach her.” I take another drink. “She doesn’t need my protection anymore. And she doesn’t want it, either.”
“Does that bother you?”
The question hangs in the air between us.
I think about the way she twisted the cook’s arm without hesitation.The way she stood up to her own mother tonight, meeting violence with cold fury. The steel in her eyes when she told me to stay away from her.
My wolf stirs with pride. She’s no pushover anymore. She fights back instead of cowering.
I don’t answer my friend, though.
Ethan studies me for a moment, then sits up straight. “I’ll be back to work tomorrow. So, I’ll see her.”
My head snaps up, eyes narrowing dangerously. “See her?”
He holds up his hands. “Just see. I won’t do anything else.” A pause. “You know, maybe once you’re the alpha, you can change the laws. Make Violet yours.”
I look down at my drink, my grip tightening so much that I’m surprised the glass doesn’t shatter.
I remember the way she looked when I opened the door to Alaric’s study and saw her standing there. The color draining from her cheeks as she processed what she’d heard me say. The pain in her eyes.
“Even if Violet is attracted to me,” I murmur, my voice dark, “she will never choose me.” I meet Ethan’s gaze. “I know the kind of betrayal she felt. It won’t happen.”
“The mate bond won’t let her stay away.”
“I’m not entirely sure she feels the bond.”
Ethan’s drink freezes halfway to his mouth. “That’s ridiculous. Of course she feels it.”
“She doesn’t show any signs other than simple desire.” The words taste bitter. “And her self-control can’t be better than mine. I truly believe she doesn’t feel it.”
“How is that possible?”
“I assume it’s because her wolf is so weak.” I down the rest of my drink and reach for the bottle yet again.
