CHAPTER 6

6. Ethan.

I couldn't help but look back at the corridor, wondering what Nathan would be doing. For me, his reaction when father announced his marriage to Rachael was lesser than I thought.

I expected threats, I thought he would blow out or incite something from the law but he gave in too easily. A glare and a walk off wasn't enough.

I paused at the stairs and closed my eyes, shutting everything out. I really hoped it was all in my head.

The steps below looked before me and I slowly placed my foot on it, just in time for a sharp pain to hit my chest.

I nearly lost my footing and grasped at the railings to regain my balance. It came as a shock, because it was my first time experiencing it.

But the pain was different, it was leading me somewhere. It was leading me back the way I came from.

"What is this?" I mumbled.

My hands wouldn't stop shaking. My wolf was excited and alarmed at the same time. I could smell something wrong in the air.

As I took a quick sniff, I smelled it.

There was fear in the air, it was fresh and mixed with intense blood lust. It was so thick it would have been uncomfortable for the lower werewolf.

My body responded before I realized, mostly because I knew where it was coming from. Two scents in my nostrils from two people. My heart thumped in my chest as I ran up, past doors, turned corridors and arrived at where the scent originated from.

It was Rachael's room.

I swallowed as I kicked the door open, with no regards for the poor handle that fell off as the door nearly flew off the hinges.

I was just in time, to see my brother squeezing poor Rachael's neck on the bed. Her head was red, she was miraculously clinging to life as she clawed at his arm and gasped for breath.

"Nathan!" I roared.

Nathan faced me but he never let go, he let out a dark grin and I was forced to respond. I ran into Nathan with tremendous rage and we both flew to the distant wall, sending tremors around us. Rachael rolled to the ground, coughing uncontrollably.

Nathan tried to get to his feet. "What the fuck—" he stumbled on a gown caught at his feet. "What the fuck is wrong with you!" He roared. His attention was still on Rachael.

I stepped in front of her and held out my hand. "Nathan, how dare you?!"

"You better step away from that whore, or I will run the both of you down!" He pointed a finger at her. He was poised to attack again.

"If you dare attack her again, I will kill you Nathan! I will fucking kill you, I mean it!" I slowly transformed into a werewolf to show I meant it.

Nathan growled, he seemed to consider it but changed his mind at the last moment. He dusted his clothes and ran his fingers through his hair.

"You better watch your back Ethan." He started circling around us, towards the door. "I will attack when you least expect it. I will kill that wench, I'm not marrying her." As he left us, he glanced at the door and nodded his head. "Fucking monster," he remarked.

I stood there frozen, for a few seconds until I heard Rachael shivering beside me. I went on my knees and held her in my arms.

"I'm so sorry Rachael, I should have stayed—I should have known he would do something like that—" the words kept coming out. I felt I had to say something to make her feel better.

"I don't want to die!" She trembled in my arms and tears poured down her face. The red mark on her neck wasn't going away anytime soon. "I—I want to stay alive and bury my uncle, I want to find who killed my parents!" She sobbed.

I suddenly hugged her and patted her head. A fire burned in my chest, a form of yearning I didn't know my body could possess.

"I will do my best to protect you. With everything I have," I assured her while her head was in my chest.

"Okay," Her sobbing subsided and she looked up at me.

At that moment, I realized that she was barely covered except for the towel she wore around her, which did little to hide her breasts. I was surprised that her body was well developed, her skin too smooth as if she had never worked a day. Her eyes were pulling me in, almost as if she was inviting me—

"Ahem, I'm sorry." I got on my feet immediately. The jarring pulls of my wolf was hard to ignore.

She got on her feet, not concerned that she was almost practically naked in front of me. She changed into a gown as I did everything to focus on the broken door handle on the floor.

I turned back after some time and saw she was done. She just stood behind me with her head to the ground, silently breathing.

"Come, it would be safer to stay in my room." I held her hand and she didn't resist.

I led her upstairs, to my room and opened the door. She slowly walked in and stood there, in the center of my room. The lights were dim, but just enough to see our faces.

She held her hands together and turned back at me.

"Oh, you can use the bed." I removed my coat and placed it on the hanger. "I will use the chair, alright?"

Rachael looked once at the large bed and shook her head. "No, I prefer we use it together."

"No, you use it. It's fine, it's my room."

"But it's too big for myself. I will be cold," her voice was low.

My feelings tugged at me. "Rachael, it's fine, I will—"

"Ethan, please...."

Seeing this side of Rachael, I couldn't refuse.

"Alright, I will freshen up and join you later." I accepted.

I went into the bathroom and quickly cleaned. My body was excited at the prospect of spending the night with her was all that was on my mind. I wiped my body clean and changed into my pyjamas and stepped out.

Rachael laid on the bed, I couldn't tell if she was sleeping because she was facing the other way. I didn't want to disturb her so I crept in beside her.

The space between Rachael and I could have possibly housed two kingdoms. But I couldn't still control myself. Her pheromones was in the air. It made my body run mad. I was reacting in a strange way.

Just when I taught I could bare it, my wolf whispered to my ears.

"Mate."