Chapter 377
“What’s wrong?” I whispered to her, hoping for some kind of answer.
But all I got in return was silence. I placed my hand on my chest, feeling my rapid heartbeat, my brows furrowed.
“Congratulations on making it to the final round.”
His voice cut through my thoughts and suddenly, without even looking, I knew why my wolf was on edge. I spun around, my eyes wide as I stared at my ex-mate, my heart in my throat.
“Ethan?” I asked, my voice rough as I stared into his eyes. “W…what are you doing here?”
“Can’t I come and support my mate on her victory?” Ethan asked, stepping towards me.
I immediately stepped back; I hated that he still affected my wolf whenever he was around. I should have known that was the reason for her being on edge for the last few hours. He must have arrived here earlier today, and she could sense him nearby.
“We stopped being mates the second you cheated on me,” I said, folding my arms across my chest and glaring at him with my lips pressed together. “So, I’ll ask again, why are you here?”
He narrowed his eyes.
“You still wear my mark on your neck,” he said, his eyes scanning my neck where his mark remained. I reached up and touched it; he was right. I wore his mark, and I hated every second of it. Every time he fucked another woman I could feel it; though the pain was hardly there anymore, it still did wonders on my wolf knowing that our mate was with someone else.
“This mark was a mistake,” I hissed. “Clearly nothing but a joke to you.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Judy,” he said, stepping closer to me. “My mark is not
a joke… it’s a symbol of our mating. We were good together once, remember?”
“Yeah, and then you chose Irene over me,” I said through my teeth. “You broke our mating the second you chose someone else, Ethan.”
“We broke up,” Ethan said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “So, you don’t have to worry about her anymore.”
“Yeah, I heard about your breakup,” I said, rolling my eyes. “You are pathetic, Ethan. I don’t trust you. You’ll only cheat on me again. I don’t understand what you even want with me.”
“I want my mate back,” he said, his wolf flashing through his eyes. “And I’m not going to give up without a fight.”
“Give it up,” I said, shaking my head. “First, you cheat on me, and then you ask me to be your mistress… now you want me back? You are delusional if you think for a second, I would ever consider taking you back.”
I turn away from him, fully understanding why my wolf was on edge now. satisfied that I have answers and can settle her, I started to head back inside.
“Do you really think Gavin Landry cares about you?” He asked, making me freeze momentarily. “He doesn’t care about you at all, Judy. Not like I do.”
“You have no idea what you are talking about,” I said through my teeth.
“I know you are sleeping with him,” Ethan said, stepping closer to me. I refused to turn around to look at him, but I knew he was getting closer. “I can feel it just like you can feel when I’m with others. I know you care for him… possibly even falling for him. But he doesn’t feel the same way, Judy. For him, you are just an easy fuck. No strings attached, quick pussy.”
I spun around and slapped him in the face; his head jerked to the side and his eyes flashed red for a moment.
“Don’t you dare speak to me like that,” I hissed. “You know nothing about anything. Leave me alone, Ethan.”
With that, I stormed back inside, leaving him standing outside, watching after me.
I didn’t stop walking until I was in the elevator, heading back to the top floor. I stepped out of the elevator and started towards my room but paused outside of Gavin’s room. I stood at the door for a brief moment before I took a deep breath and knocked on it. I wasn’t sure what I was doing; it was kind of late and it was definitely stupid, but I couldn’t help myself. So much had happened today, and he was the only one I really wanted to talk to about it all.
I rose early and knocked on the door.
I waited with bated breath, hearing shuffling and then the doorknob turned. Once the door opened, my heart fell deep into my stomach.
A woman stared back at me, she was wearing nothing, but a robe and her blonde curls looked disheveled from the bed as she gave me a small smile, a sparkle of something in her eyes.
“Can we help you?”