ETHAN POV
"Next," I order, and a young brunette she-wolf steps towards the veil.
She stretches her hand out, and her fingers pass the field immediately.
"Congratulations, do you accept me as your king and Alpha," I ask in a rushed voice.
"I do," she whispers, and I nod.
"I order you to enter the human realm and search for your mate. You must find and mark your mate as fast as possible and return, by command of your king," I order, and she passes through the veil less than a second later.
"Next," I order.
A young gruff angry-looking rogue steps forward and eyes the veil. He reaches out, but his fingers meet a hard surface. He growls, and I bare my teeth in response.
"Move to Alpha Val's line," I order, and he immediately follows the command.
I shift my shoulders before calling the next wolf forward. We have
ETHAN POV"Ethan," Miranda whispers after looking at me as if I have been resurrected from the dead.I shift uncomfortably and glance towards the male watching us in his car. I snap my teeth at him, and he immediately starts his vehicle."Hey, be nice," Miranda says, and my head snaps to the front.My hands ball into fists, and my claws dig into my palms."Be nice...be nice? How about you explain why after two months of not hearing from you, I find you out with someone else. The least you could have done was call me," I manage to say without growling.Her cheeks turn bright pink, and her beautiful blue eyes shift downward before flicking to the left."I would have called you if I could. Ethan, please don't be upset. I will explain everything, okay, just...why don't we get in my car. You are drawing a crowd," Miranda whispers as she glances
ETHAN POV "Fuck," I scream as I rip apart trees on the land I grew up on. Tears pour down my face as I destroy my knuckles over and over again. But the blood and carnage do nothing. I still see Miranda's face in my mind. And I still feel her emotions due to our new bond. Kratos hasn't said a word, but he doesn't need to. We both fucked up. There is nothing we can say. Not to her and not to ourselves. We stripped our mate's choice away from her. We marked her. We didn't complete the mating, but I don't believe that prevents her body from changing. I forced my mate into being an immortal. I forced her in to a life filled with mourning and grief. All because I couldn't control myself. "Fuck," I scream again before burying my claws into my thigh. The pain does little to ease the pressure in my chest
ETHAN POV Heads bow all around me as I walk towards the entrance to the cells. But my rage and self-hate keep me from caring about how my mood is affecting my pack. Blasts of power are radiating from my body, and I like it. It keeps everyone away from me. I stomp down the narrow staircase, and my guards all bow low. "When will they arrive," I snap, and one of the younger guards begins to shake. "Two hours, my king," he answers while barely glancing at my blood and dirt-caked body. I growl and punch the wall. I need relief now. I need to hurt something the way I am hurting. Now that Miranda's emotions have drifted to peace, I can only focus on my misery. At least she is resting. "Mindlink me as soon as you have them chained," I growl, and he nods while not making eye contact.&nbs
MIRANDA POV (rated R) It hurts! It hurts so bad. Each time he cuts me, it feels like acid is ripping through my skin. And even though the wounds are healing almost as fast as he is inflicting them, the pain will be etched into my mind forever. I hear Ethan growl through the phone again, but I can't focus on his words at all, not with the bloody scene in front of me. I have no idea where Marcus drug us to, but it is cold. Cold and wet. After he knocked me out in my room, I was out cold until he poured water over my head. "I have to go now, Alpha. Your mate is looking mighty tasty," Marcus growls into the speaker before ending the call and destroying the phone. He glares at me but steps away. He looks awful. Worse then, he looked at his and Bryan's trial. He looks as if he hasn't slept or eaten in days. And from the nonhealing defensive w
ETHAN POV (rated R)Relief at having Miranda in my arms is overwhelming as my warriors, and I walk back towards the archway. Out of all my years of life, I have never been as emotional as I have been today. From self-pity to self-hate, from blinding rage to blissful relief, I have never experienced anything like it...and I hope never to have to again.The archway gets closer and closer but instead of heading for our realm happily, my warrior holding Lorraine freezes."My King, I must mark my mate. She is unconscious and can not give her consent....but her home is too dangerous for her to return to," my warrior explains as soon as I make it to his side.I look down at Miranda as she bites her lip hesitantly."Miranda...love, he is right. I pray we captured all the members of this group, but I can't be positive. Returning to your house will place both of you
ETHAN POV"What time is it," Miranda asks while playing with my hair."I would say nearly six. We didn't find you until late morning.....we slept this day away," I admit as I trail my fingers up Miranda's back.The scars that Bryan's claws left are wide, but thanks to mother's healing abilities, they look old."Among other things," my mate cheekily says before giggling.I blush a little before I squeeze her to me."That was okay, right..... I. You had a good time," I mumble while trying to keep my face hidden against her shoulder.Shock, love, and happiness radiate through our bond, giving me my answer before she can."That was perfect, Ethan. Were my screams of pleasure not enough to convince you," Miranda jokes, and I laugh at my own expense."Maybe I just wanted you to compliment me and my newfound skil
ETHAN POVI growl under my breath as Miranda tenses and practically curls against my side in fear. The wolves challenging Andrew are covered in tattoos, but not the art I am used to seeing. The images printed on their flesh are meant to install fear.The poor excuses for artwork depict women being violated and men being tortured or killed. Two of them have their hit list tattooed on their chest."Alpha King, thank you for taking the time to come to the South pack," Andrew says interrupting my thoughts as I approach him in the field they have chosen to fight in."I wouldn't miss a possible shift in power, Alpha Andrew," I respond while shaking his hand briefly.A couple of the challengers grunt in response to my reply, but I pay them zero attention. Their antics are meant to attract attention, and I refuse to oblige."I understand. We are just about to get
MIRANDA POV "You seriously didn't even watch," Raine asks, and I shake my head. "I am so over blood. Even if it isn't mine being spilled," I reply with a shudder. "Okay, well...Ethan handled it, so no worries," Raine says as she stands up from her bed. "I think I need a vacation. My stress is through the roof, Raine. My hair is falling out...If I'm not in Ethan's arms while sleeping, I dream about Marcus and Bryan hurting me. I just need a break from everything werewolf for a few days," I explain, and she stills before turning to face me. "So let's go visit mom and dad. You haven't seen them in forever. We could do some sea turtle watching and introduce them to our new men," Rains says with glee in her voice, and I smile. "That sounds good. I will run it by Ethan. But speaking of men...Who i