Entanglements

The soft hum of Ethan’s car was the only sound in the quiet parking lot behind Moonshine College’s north dormitory building.

There was silence until Lena’s heels clicked confidently against the pavement.

Leaning casually against the driver’s side door, Ethan scrolled through his phone, his thumb flicking without interest.

He didn’t look up, didn’t need to.

He felt her approach like a shift in the air—calculated, precise, cool with a hint of fire.

“You’re late,” he said flatly, his voice a mix of boredom and expectation.

Lena smirked.

“I brought cupcakes,” she announced with mock cheer. “The kind that make girls like Lily think you’re their best friend.”

Ethan finally looked up, his eyes scanning her face like a book he already knew the ending to.

One brow arched lazily.

“Were they poisoned?”

She let out a soft laugh and leaned in closer, her perfume laced with something floral and sharp.

“Please. That kind of death would be a mercy. I would rather watch her unravel slowly, emotionally and socially. Bit by bit, until there’s nothing left but a shadow.”

Ethan gave a mock shiver and chuckled.

“You’re terrifying when you’re like this.”

“Thank you,” she said, completely sincere.

He slid his phone into his back pocket and stretched, the muscles in his back flexing beneath the dark leather of his jacket.

“So? You're so sure she fell for it?”

Lena’s lips curved into a victorious grin.

“She ate it up. Told me I was ‘so sweet.’ Smiled like I had handed her the crown of the Moon Goddess herself. She trusts me now. It’s only a matter of time.”

“And then what?” Ethan asked, pretending to stifle a yawn. “You push her down a flight of stairs and hope gravity does your dirty work?”

“No,” Lena snapped, the humor draining from her voice. Her eyes darkened, lips thinning with tightly controlled anger. “I destroy her life, her reputation, her Luna status. Everything she thinks makes her special. I want her to feel what Alex felt—alone, betrayed, humiliated. I want her to lose everything.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” he muttered, but there was no real judgment in his tone.

Lena took a step closer, voice low.

“You know this is personal. She’s the reason Alex is behind bars. She turned the entire pack council against him. She stood by those golden Alpha twins and let the only man I've ever loved rot.”

Ethan met her eyes.

“I’m not saying you’re wrong. I just want to make sure you’re not getting sloppy. If you want revenge, you need patience. And a better poker face.”

She smirked.

“I’m not an amateur. I’ve been planning this for weeks.”

“Good.” He ran a hand through his tousled black hair and looked around lazily. “Because you’re not the only one with a role to play.”

She tilted her head.

“Speaking of which, I need you to do something.”

Ethan groaned theatrically.

“And here I thought we were bonding.”

“I need you to get close to the Alpha twins,” she said simply. “And Graham.”

He froze mid-groan.

“You want me to play nice with a bunch of arrogant, entitled Alphas, and Beta, who think they own the world?”

“Precisely,” Lena said, her smile tight. “You’re the mysterious transfer from the Southridge pack. Prestigious bloodline, top marks at your last academy. If they think you’re just another ambitious wolf trying to build alliances, they won’t see you coming.”

He leaned his head back against the car and sighed.

“You make it sound so easy.”

“You’re better at pretending than you think,” she said with a shrug. “Just don’t let your sarcasm get you killed.”

Ethan grinned.

“No promises.”

Lena turned to leave, her long coat fluttering behind her like a warning.

“Just do it. I’ll talk to you later.”

Ethan watched her go, his lips twitching at the corners.

For a moment, he let the silence return. But the air shifted again—this time not from Lena.

He heard the sound of fast-approaching footsteps, urgent and angry.

He didn’t need to look to know who it was.

“That’s the car,” a voice snapped.

It belonged to Lily.

Ethan tilted his head slowly and turned, just in time to see Lily charging toward him, fury in her stride.

Maya followed close behind, clearly trying to play peacekeeper.

“Lily, let’s think about this,” Maya pleaded, grabbing her arm, but Lily pulled it free.

She stopped directly in front of Ethan, eyes blazing, chest heaving.

Before he could utter a word, her hand came up and struck him hard across the face.

The slap echoed like a gunshot in the empty parking lot.

Ethan blinked. Not from pain—more from surprise.

Lily’s hand trembled slightly as she lowered it.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she snapped. “You almost ran me over yesterday. That was your car!”

He touched his cheek, still warm. Then, slowly, a cocky grin spread across his lips.

“You should’ve watched where you were going.”

Her mouth fell open in disbelief.

“You don’t get to slap people just because you’re the Luna,” he added mockingly.

Maya gasped.

“Are you serious right now?”

“You could have killed me!” Lily shouted.

“But I didn’t,” Ethan replied coolly. “And here you are. Alive, beautiful, angry, and slapping strangers.”

“Stay away from me,” Lily said, her voice deadly quiet now. “Stay far away.”

Ethan said nothing. But his gaze lingered on her face, tracing the lines of tension around her eyes, the fire in her cheeks, the way her fists curled when she was trying to stay composed.

His expression was unreadable.

Amusement?

Curiosity?

Something darker?

Lily turned on her heel and stormed away, Maya going after her and tossing a final glare over her shoulder.

Ethan finally exhaled and chuckled to himself.

“Feisty,” he muttered.

But he wasn’t alone.

Just around the corner, Lena stood in the shadow of a stone column, having witnessed every second.

One hand hovered near her mouth, torn between biting her nail and launching a rock at her brother’s head.

She has seen that smirk before—the one growing on Ethan’s face as he touched the cheek Lily had slapped.

It was the kind of grin he wore when something had caught his attention.

When something had hooked him.

Lena’s heart tightened.

This wasn’t part of the plan.

And yet… Ethan looked like he had just found his favorite new game.