Not long after our conversation about Ethan, he ca into the tent.
My arms tightened up around my baby.
"Is he done eating?" Ethan asked , standing near the tent door.
I nodded. "Yes, but he’s asleep."
With complete indifference in his voice, he said, "Give him to Georgia."
"No," I said, keeping my voice low. I didn’t want to wake the baby, but I was so upset that I was having to give my baby to soone else.
"Rosalie, you need to rest," Ethan said. "And that will be easier if he’s not here. Georgia, take the baby."
I looked at my friend with a pleading look in my eyes, begging her to take my side.
"I’m sorry, Rosalie, but he’s right. You do need your rest. Don’t worry about him. I’ll take good care of my nephew while you’re sleeping." She finished her sentence with a wink, which made break a smile.
I couldn’t argue, so I let her have him, but I patted his head as his aunt pulled him away, carrying his sleeping form out of the tent.
I had to trust Georgia that she was doing what was best for both of us and that she’d make sure that I saw my child again.
Ethan didn’t back out of the tent right away, so I took advantage of the situation and got to my feet. I was still a bit shaky, but I couldn’t let him see that.
"I want to leave," I told him, keeping my tone strong.
Ethan shook his head. "That’s out of the question."
I glared at him. "Ethan, you must realize that my people will be coming for . They will fight you at all costs and free . It wouldn’t be good for either of our pack. You may as well let go."
He simply shook his head. "No."
I wanted to punch him. How dare he try to keep here?
I reminded him, "I’m not your prisoner! You can’t just keep here against my will!"
"Yes, I can. For your safety and until you recover."
"You... you are just such a tyrant!"
"Whatever you want to call is fine."
"What you’re doing... it’s just plain wrong! You have to know that." I wanted to say more, to tell him that whatever it was he’d done to make Jas hate him, I believed he deserved it. But I held back my cruel words—for now.
"Rosalie, do not challenge ," he warned as he turned away.
"I’ll be twenty-one tomorrow!" I yelled.
Yes, I would be turning twenty-one, and it would be my coronation. My people would be looking for , and I could not let them down!
"I know," he paused for a second, and then continued to walk toward the exit of the tent, but I wasn’t going to let him.
Grabbing his shoulder, I pulled him back around. Of course, I wasn’t strong enough to make him move, but he turned because he wanted to face .
"I need to leave!" I demanded.
He had to understand just how crucial my role was as a leader in the middle of a war.
His red eyes narrowed. "I suppose you’re just in a hurry to get back to my brother, then?"
My mouth fell open, and I stared at him in disbelief. "What’s that?" I asked him, wondering where he was going with this.
Did he dare to think he had any claim over ? That he could dictate who I spent my ti with? After everything he’d done?
"Soren—the two of you have found one another again. My guys saw him near the front looking for you."
I couldn’t process the information. Soren was looking for ? Anyway, why did it have anything to do with Ethan?
"It’s none of your business!" I retorted.
"I thought that you’d left the islands because you finally realized that he was the one who was a danger to you and the baby. But then I heard that you were actually spending your ti with him again, voluntarily." He shook his head as if I had done sothing wrong.
Unable to believe his words, I quickly thought through my options. All of a sudden, I felt resentnt towards Ethan. Who did he think he was?! Scolding for what I did with my own life?!
All I wanted to do was free myself from his grip on , both emotionally and physically. That, and to strike back at him just as badly as he’d hurt , if that was even possible.
"That’s right," I told him, holding my chin up high. "I have been spending my ti with Soren. By choice."
"After everything he’s done to you?"
"Yes!"
"Are you losing your mind?!"
"No, I’m not! I chose to spend ti with him because at least he ca to apologize to . I chose to spend ti with him because he at least wanted to make it up to ! And I chose to spend ti with him because at least he wasn’t trying to boss around like you!!"
He stepped back and stared at . He took a few monts, seemingly trying to calm his own temper, then he said in a more leveled tone, "I can’t let you go back to him."
"You have to!"
"No, I don’t."
"You b*sdard, you let go! You have to!"
"Why is that?"
"Because... because I love Soren!"
Ethan blanched, his head tipping back as if I’d struck a physical blow against him. "What... did you say?" he asked, his words dripping with contempt.
"That’s right. Soren is my... lover," I lifted my head to look at him. Then I decided that whatever would get out of here, I’d say. "I miss him desperately and long to be back in his arms."
Ethan stepped away and turned his back to . His fists clenched so hard that I could see them shaking along with both of his arms.
I swallowed hard. Perhaps I had pushed too far.
When he turned back to look at , his jaw was set, and his eyes were practically smoldering. Like two coals, his irises glowed, narrowing in on .
I wanted to take a step back as well, to tell him I was lying, that I was just trying to make him angry. But I stood my ground, glaring right back at him.
"I can’t f*cking believe you, Rosalie!" he spat. "Do you have any idea what you’re saying? He’s the one who tricked you and trapped you, and you’re in love with him?"
"So what?" I shot back, though I knew exactly what he was saying. "You did the sa things to and yet you are here acting like you didn’t do anything wrong!"
"What the h*ll is that supposed to an?" he asked , stepping toward as I retreated a bit. "You have no f*cking idea what you’re talking about!"
"Oh, really? This from the man who was willing to use to get to Soren while I was carrying your son!" There—I’d said it. One of the two horrible betrayals Ethan had committed against .
I didn’t know if I’d have the strength to speak the other.
"That’s not what happened!" Ethan countered. "I went to the islands for you, Rosalie! He set that up so that you would think that I was there for him, but that wasn’t the case at all. He’s a sneaky, conniving, b*stard, and if you seriously think that you’re in love with him, then you’re not the woman I thought you were!"
"Well, you’re definitely not the man I thought you were, now are you?" I asked, my hand jutting out to reference his red eyes. "What are you now, exactly, Ethan? A rogue? A wolf without a ho? One that no one wants? So kind of a monster?"
He stepped toward then, and with the rage building up inside of him, I thought for sure he was going to strike .
His fist was coiled, and his arm was at the ready. If it had been my father, Derrek, just about any other man I’d ever known, my nose would be bleeding from such a statent.
But Ethan didn’t hit . He stopped and took a deep breath and then released the tension in his arm. "You need to rest, Rosalie," he said, his voice sounding lancholy, as if he knew that what I’d just said was true.
I hadn’t ant to hurt him, not really. I felt bad, seeing him react that way. I wanted to take it back, but at the sa ti, I couldn’t. He’d hurt far more than my words could ever injure him.
"I want to leave," I reminded him.
Saying nothing, Ethan turned and walked back out of the tent.
I didn’t dare try to follow as I knew there were guards standing right outside. I could never get past them.
My throat constricted as tears filled my eyes. I lted down onto the cot, my head in my hands. At that mont, all I wanted was my son and my freedom.
I covered my face with the pillow and let my tears soak the soft linen. I couldn’t tell how long I had been crying, until finally, I got up and kneeled on the ground, lifting my face to the heavens.
It was almost midnight and my birthday was coming.
Even though the tent had no windows, and I couldn’t even see the moon, I began to pray. I prayed to the Moon Goddess to hear my wishes.
"Please, Moon Goddess," I whispered. "Hear my cries, just as you heard Ethan’s so many years ago."
My breath stuttered in my throat. "Please, restore his matebond and let him find his fated mate. Take away the plea he made to you back when he was younger. Let him find her so that he can have the happiness everyone deserves—and so that he can let be."
That’s what I wanted, more than anything. I still loved him, and I still wanted him to be happy.
However, I also wanted to be free from him, to finally have the chains he’d placed around my heart broken so I could go on about my life without being held back by the man who’d done so much to hurt .
But that wasn’t enough. I began to feel the pull of the moon on , like all shifters did, and I knew my wolf was about to reveal herself. She needed her freedom as well, and there was only one way to ensure that I was never in this situation again.
So I made my second birthday wish to the Moon Goddess.
"Please, take away my matebond. I don’t want to be in love with anyone ever again." Love wasn’t what I’d thought it was going to be, back when I was younger and daydread about falling in love with a handso, kind man. Love was difficult; love was pain.
When I’d first fallen in love with Ethan, all I could think about was how badly I wanted to be in his arms.
Every mont in his presence was pure bliss. But at the exact sa ti I was giving him my heart, he was planning my demise.
If that’s what love was, I didn’t want to have anything to do with it anymore. I couldn’t risk my heart to be hurt and broken like that again.
After making the two birthday wishes, exhaustion washed over , and I sank down onto the cot. If I couldn’t have my baby, and I couldn’t have my freedom, I may as well sleep. At least in my sleep, no one could control .
I closed my eyes and reached for the comfort of my dreams, hoping that Ethan would not appear in any of them.
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