Chapter 66
CHARLOTTE’S POV
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How in the world did he find me here? And of all the times he could show up, it had to be now, right when Ethan was leaning in to kiss me. Ace’s fiery eyes locked on Ethan like he wanted to tear him apart. The air around him felt dangerous. And what right did he even have to be angry? After everything, after all the lies.
As if on a mission to make it worse, Ethan dipped his head and pressed a kiss to my cheek, so close to my lips. From where Ace stood, there was no doubt about how it looked. Anyone watching from his angle would swear we were kissing.
In a blink, Ace was right in front of us. The speed of it startled me. He reached for me without thinking, but I pulled back instinctively. His hand froze midair. He stared at me, shocked, like it never crossed his mind that I would step away from him.
“What are you doing here, man?” Ethan asked in a rough tone, equally looking pissed as hell. The tension between them snapped so fast I almost stepped back. I didn’t understand what was wrong with them, or how things escalated this quickly.
“Charlotte, we need to talk. Right now,” Ace said, completely ignoring Ethan like he wasn’t even there.
Ethan’s fingers closed around my hand. “You’re wet. I don’t want you getting sick. Let’s go to your room.” He turned, pulling me with him.
“You’re going to walk away with him while I’m standing right here?” Ace asked. His voice cracked. “First I see you two kissing in public, and now you’re heading to your room together?”
“Yes, Alpha,” Ethan replied, his lips curling in a mocking smile. “We were about to share a kiss, and you interrupted. You’re still interrupting.”
I tightened my grip on Ethan’s hand, unease crawling up my spine. I knew he was doing it on purpose but this felt like the worst possible moment. I was scared of what Ace would do if he snapped.
“You fall into my arms in America, and we share deep kisses, but you sneak around behind my back to do the exact same thing with this fellow?” Ace growled.
Ethan’s hand tightened around mine when Ace mentioned us kissing back in the States. “What makes you think she’s running behind your back?” he said calmly. “You’re the Alpha of all Alphas, but I think you’ve given yourself too much credit when it comes to love. Charlotte and I have been together. We’ve done things together. If anything, you’re the one intruding.”
I knew exactly what Ethan was doing. I didn’t like it, but a part of me stayed silent on purpose. I wanted to see Ace react, wanted to see if it would hurt him the way he hurt me. But the look in his eyes wasn’t just pain. It was dark, possessive, almost territorial, like I was something that belonged to him.
“You’re lying,” Ace declared flatly.
“Am I?” Ethan asked. He grabbed my waist and pulled me impossibly closer to his body. “Why don’t you ask her yourself.”
9:03 Wed, Feb 11
Chapter 66
I wanted to see the hurt in Ace’s eyes and his pain, to know that this affected him. But the moment I saw it, my heart shattered. His jaw tightened, his lips pressed together like he was holding himself back. His body went stiff, like he was in pain but refusing to show it. For a brief second, I saw his wolf in his eyes, wounded, and it was gone just as fast. I had fallen deeply for Ace.
Ace stayed there, watching, as Ethan and I walked away. The moment we stepped into my room, I rushed into the bathroom and washed my face. My chest felt tight, and I couldn’t breathe properly. I knew I was in love with Ace, but I didn’t know how deep I had fallen until now. Trying to hurt him felt like hurting myself. Astra whimpered softly in my head before she went quiet. How was she able to reach Ace’s wolf when we weren’t mates? It didn’t make any sense.
Ethan came after me when I walked back into the room. He dipped his head, moving closer like he wanted to kiss me again, but I pushed him back gently. “I’ve wanted to kiss you so badly, Charlotte, please let me.”
“What has gotten into you, Ethan? We’re friends. Why are you trying to kiss me? Did Les tell you I was here?”
He took a deep breath and moved back, putting a little space between us. “About your last question, yes. Les told me you were here, so I came to see you. I haven’t seen you for weeks.”
I nodded slowly, taking that in. “And the other part of the question?”
“Come on, Char, you know I’ve loved you for years.” His voice softened. “I loved you from the moment you woke up from that coma, pregnant, confused, with no memory of who you were, what happened to you, or how you even got pregnant. You were scared, but you didn’t break. You fought your way back, slowly and I was there through all of it.”
“Yes, Ethan,” I said quietly. “You’ve been there for me as my friend, my brother, and my confidant.”
He let out a sad laugh. “Do you know how many times I’ve wanted to tell you how I felt? I held myself back for so long because I didn’t know how you would take it. I didn’t want to ruin what we have.”
“Ethan…”
“It feels like I waited too long,” he said quietly. “And now that Alpha is in the picture.” He looked away, his jaw tightening, like he didn’t want me to see the hurt on his face.
“It’s not about the Alpha,” I said. “A lot of wolves don’t meet their mates in their teens anymore, not like before when everyone found their soulmates before their twenties. A lot has happened in the past few weeks.” I pulled his hand gently, forcing him to look at me. “I met someone who knew things about my past. It turns out I once had a mate.”
His eyes widened.
“Yes,” I continued. “But he rejected me. I think it happened after he slept with me, because in the voice recording I listened to, he said I gave myself too cheaply to him.” My chest tightened as I said it. “I don’t know who he is, and I never want to meet him.”
“Charlotte… I’m sorry,” he said softly. “But how do you even know the man who told you all these things? Do you trust him?”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t know him and I don’t trust him either. But even if he isn’t being completely truthful, I don’t want to be the reason you’d ever reject your soulmate when you finally find her.” I swallowed.
9:03 Wed, Feb 11
Chapter 66
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“So many wolves have rejected their mates because they were already in love with someone else before they knew the truth. And even if you’choose not to reject your mate… then what happens to me? No matter how this plays out, it won’t end well.”
His brows furrowed, the same way they always do when he’s thinking deeply. “I understand what you’re saying,” he said slowly. “But I can’t deny how I feel about you either.” He reached for my hand, holding it firmly. “What if I’m your second–chance mate?”
My breath hitched. “Can I ask you something?” he added. “And I want you to answer me truthfully.”
I nodded. “Go ahead.”
“If Ace hadn’t interrupted us earlier. Would you have let me kiss you?”
The truth was that I wasn’t going to let him kiss me. A part of me had thought about it for a slight second because I wanted to hurt less after what Ace did to me but I couldn’t. I love Ethan but like a brother, not in the way I love Ace.
AD
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
