Chapter 3

Hearing my question, heavy with wolfish authority, Ethan’s face immediately iced over, his golden wolf eyes flashed with impatience.

“Scarlett Hayes, what are you trying to say?”

I pushed down the bitterness and rage in my heart, my voice still cold as ice.

“You and Amber Collins, sharing a roof in the mansion I bought for you, sharing moonlight. While you tell me, your destined mate, to go to a hotel. Ethan, don’t you think you’re going too far?”

Once, to avoid being separated from Ethan, I’d offered to transfer my pack duties here to be with him.

But Ethan had flatly refused.

He’d been very firm at the time, saying,

“Scarlett, we've only just started our careers. We have to put the pack’s honor and status first.”

“Besides, I'm swamped with work every day, and we wouldn’t be living together anyway. Even if you moved here, we’d still barely see each other, right?”

Ethan was adamant about not marking me before we officially announced our permanent bond to the elders.

On our dates, no matter how enchanting the moonlight, he’d always insist on going back to his temporary place, or just walk me to my hotel door.

He’d always tell me seriously, “We’re only destined mates, we haven’t completed the lifelong bonding ceremony. We must respect the ancient traditions!”

I chose to respect his wishes on this. After all, every werewolf has their own code, so I didn’t push it.

But I never, ever imagined that the “sacred and inviolable” principles Ethan kept talking about would be so easily broken for Amber.

My accusation made Ethan snap.

He glared at me, his eyes chilling me to the bone.

“Scarlett Hayes, are you accusing me? There’s nothing going on between me and Amber! It’s just packmates helping each other out! So cut out your filthy assumptions born from your family’s high-and-mighty attitude!”

“Yeah, this house was bought by your family’s trust fund, but did I ask you to buy it? If you’re going to talk like that, then I’ll just leave!”

With that, Ethan made a show of starting to pack his few belongings.

Amber quickly stopped him, her voice soft and sultry.

“Ethan, calm down, don’t get angry. Don't pay any attention to these baseless accusations.”

She turned to me, a hint of triumph and annoyance in her eyes.

“Scarlett, don’t you think you’re overreacting a little? Ethan and I have known each other for years, we’re like brother and sister. Judging us like that kind of taints the pure camaraderie of werewolves.”

After saying that, she huffed softly and went back to soothing Ethan, her fingers brushing his chest, maybe not so accidentally.

Ethan calmed down a bit under Amber’s touch, but his wolf eyes still glittered.

“Scarlett Hayes, come outside.”

Ethan dragged me out of the mansion, stopping under an ancient tree where the moonlight couldn’t reach.

His tone softened, trying to explain, his voice a little coaxing.

“Scarlett, have you misunderstood something about me? But even if you have, you can’t say things that wound my wolfish pride like that.”

Stunned, I stared at him. The injustice I’d just managed to swallow down surged back up, and fresh tears streamed down my face. “If we’re talking about wounded pride, Ethan Reed, isn’t what you’ve done more like a knife to my heart?”

He sighed, his voice low.

“I haven’t done anything out of line. You’ve got it all wrong.”

“You have no idea. There’s a reason I let Amber stay here. She lost her job a while back, had no pack protection, and was in a really bad state – couldn't even afford to eat.”

“You know Amber and I grew up in the same slum. I was a loner from a young age. If Amber hadn’t protected me when I was at my weakest, shared her food with me, I probably would’ve been torn apart by other members of our kind.”

“So when she ran into such big trouble, I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. I had no choice but to let her stay temporarily. Scarlett, you can understand that, right? Your family is so powerful, surely you can understand this kind of mutual support between the less fortunate.”

Ethan looked at me earnestly, his features looking almost fragile in the shadows.

When I remained silent, he raised his hand in the wolf-swear gesture, promising,

“I know it was careless of me not to mind-link you about this beforehand. Don’t worry, I promise Amber Collins will be gone before the next full moon.”

He tried to soothe me with his scent.

I was skeptical. “Really?”

Ethan nodded, his voice firm. “I swear on the Great Wolf.”

But right then, I honestly didn’t know if I could ever trust him again. Could those sincere eyes be a lie?

Ethan smiled gently again, ushered me into a luxury hotel, and said softly,

“Scarlett, you get some good rest here tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll take you out for the best local food.”

Before I could say anything, he leaned in, nuzzled my neck lightly, leaving a faint scent mark, and then quickly left.

That night, I tossed and turned, my wolfish instincts screaming warnings at me.

The next morning, just as the blood moon was waning – a time when werewolves are most sensitive – I knocked on the mansion door again.

Amber, who was supposed to have left last night, opened it, wearing only a thin nightgown, looking sleepy.

Fresh scent marks were clearly visible on her neck – the unmistakable aroma of a mating bond, impossible to fake.

Seeing me, Amber’s brow immediately furrowed, her tone impatient.

“Scarlett, it’s not very nice of you to disturb our sleep so early in the morning. Ethan was very tired last night.”

With that, she tried to close the door.

I couldn’t hold back my wolfish fury any longer. I shoved her aside and stormed into the house.

The bedroom door was wide open. Ethan was hastily pulling on a T-shirt.

"Scarlett, what are you doing here again? Didn't I say I'd come find you today?"

Ethan’s eyes darted away, and he secretly tried to stuff something under his pillow.

I strode forward, grabbed Ethan’s arm, and pulled him away.

I lifted the pillow and was shocked to find a silver chain used in werewolf mating rituals.

Amber's clothes and shed wolf fur were scattered on the bedroom floor. The sheets were rumpled, saturated with the mingled scents of two wolves.

They weren't just living together; they'd practically completed a bonding ritual!

Amber rushed over and pushed me away.

She stood protectively in front of Ethan, pointing at me and snarling,

“Scarlett Hayes, I only tolerated you before because of Ethan! Why are you so jealous? Why do you have to try and force us apart? Ethan's wolf chose me!”

She got more and more agitated, her fangs showing. "Now get out, or don't blame me for what happens next!"

"You're the one who needs to get out!"

I wanted to snatch that silver chain and hurl it at Ethan, but the agony in my heart was so intense, I suddenly went weak.

My whole body trembled, and I just couldn't hold it back anymore, I started wailing, "Don't you remember, I bought this mansion! How dare you treat me like this! Ethan, you and your bitch, just get the hell out!"