Ethan's POV

The meeting with Marlus had been productive, though the Alpha Council vote loomed heavily over us. As we crossed the threshold into the Pack House grounds, I caught a familiar scent.

Isabella.

She stood near the edge of the courtyard, silhouetted by the setting sun. As soon as her gaze met mine, her expression softened into a mixture of vulnerability and nostalgia. My stomach twisted, and I felt Marlus stiffen beside me.

“I’ll handle this,” I told him quietly. He nodded, though his eyes lingered on her with wariness before he left.

“Ethan,” Isabella said softly, stepping closer. Her voice carried that same wistful tone she’d always used when she wanted something from me.

“What do you want, Isabella?” My voice was calm but guarded. My wolf growled low in my chest, the disapproval clear.

Her shoulders sagged slightly, and she looked away, as if searching for the right words. “I didn’t mean to just show up like this, but... I’ve been thinking about us. About everything we lost.”

I clenched my jaw. “There’s no ‘us’ anymore. That ended the day you chose to abandon me.”

Isabella flinched at my words, her lips trembling ever so slightly. “I didn’t abandon you, Ethan. My family did. You know how things are…how they were back then. I didn’t have a choice.”

“Of course you did, you weren’t a child,” I replied, my tone hard. “You broke our bond.”

Her eyes filled with unshed tears, and she reached out a tentative hand. “I never stopped loving you, Ethan. You have to know that.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, and my wolf snarled in protest. I took a step back, refusing her touch. “You left me,” I said, each word deliberate, “And now you’re here because your husband is gone, and you think I’ll just... what? Pick up where we left off?”

She winced, her hand falling to her side. “It’s not like that. I’m not here to cause trouble. I just... I want to make amends. To be part of your life again.”

“You don’t get to do that,” I snapped, the anger I’d buried rising to the surface. “You don’t get to rewrite history because it’s convenient for you now.”

Isabella’s expression shifted, the vulnerability giving way to something sharper. “I’m not trying to rewrite anything, Ethan. I’m trying to remind you of what we had. What we could still have.”

“There is no ‘still have,’” I said firmly. “Whatever bond we had is gone. I’m with Olivia now.”

Her smile turned sad, almost pitying. “I’ve seen the way you look at her. You care for her, I can see that. But can you really say it’s the same? That what you have with her could ever compare to what we share?”

My wolf snarled again, louder this time, its anger rising to match my own. “Olivia is my future,” I growled. “She’s everything to me, and nothing you say will change that.”

For a moment, Isabella seemed genuinely hurt, her eyes glistening as she looked away. “I don’t want to come between you,” she said softly. “I just... I wanted you to know that I hold no ill will toward her. That I’m not here to cause problems.”

“Then leave,” I said, my voice cold. “If you really mean that, you’ll go and let me move on.”

Isabella hesitated, her lips parting as if to argue, but she must have seen the resolve in my expression. With a heavy sigh, she nodded. “I won’t give up on you, Ethan. But I’ll respect your wishes. For now.”

She turned and walked away, her scent lingering long after she was gone.

As I stood there, watching her disappear into the fading light, my wolf growled low in my chest, restless and unsatisfied. Her presence had stirred memories I thought I’d buried. I’d rather they stay that way.

I clenched my fists, letting the cool evening air fill my lungs. Whatever doubts she’d tried to sow, I couldn’t let them take root.

My loyalty had to be to Olivia now, whether or not I could give her what she thought she wanted.

---

The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting a golden glow across the Pack grounds as Marlus and I walked from the training room back toward the Pack house.

As much as I didn’t want it to, my mind kept coming back to the thought of Gideon’s demand.

He wanted Olivia’s formula; that was his price for flipping his vote in my favor. It grated against every instinct to even consider giving in.

“Ethan!” one of my pack members, Jazz, called out, waving me over as I approached the house. She and her sister had joined us from a nearby Pack just a few weeks ago and had integrated quickly, thanks to Olivia.

In fact, Jazz had barely spoken to me before Olivia arrived. Now, though, there was warmth in her eyes as she smiled and gestured for us to join the small group around the fire.

As Marlus and I sat down. Jazz turned to the others. “Did you see the way Luna Olivia organized the last feast? It’s the first time I’ve seen everyone so open with each other.”

There were murmurs of agreement, and I felt a pang of pride, one that was strangely mixed with guilt. I’d pulled Olivia here for my own ambition, but she was making her own mark here, building a place for herself despite the politics.

“She’s... different,” chimed in Daniel, one of the older pack members who rarely praised anyone. He nodded thoughtfully, looking off into the distance. “I wasn’t sure at first, thought she might not have the strength, but she’s won my respect. Stands up for herself, and for you, too, Alpha.”

The others nodded, some sharing stories of small moments with Olivia that had left an impression. It was clear she’d become part of the Pack in ways I hadn’t realized. It surprised and humbled me.

Someone else spoke up. “She’s a true Luna. Not like... well, before.” There was a hesitation in the speaker’s voice, a clear reference to Isabella. My jaw clenched instinctively, and a ripple of discomfort settled over the group.

“Right,” Jazz said, choosing her words carefully as she looked at me. “She is different. Good different. With her, it’s genuine.”

Her words hung in the air, a gentle but pointed reminder of the differences between Olivia and Isabella.

I nodded slowly, my gaze drifting back to the Pack house, where Olivia had left just hours ago. They were right; she’d carved out a place here, and the mention of Isabella felt wrong in comparison.

The thought of anyone, let alone my own family, undermining Olivia’s standing among them stirred a protective rage within me.

“She deserves more than politics,” I said quietly, half to myself.

Marlus caught my eye, his expression serious. “Then maybe it’s time you make it clear to everyone, Alpha, including Olivia, where you stand. And to be blunt, figure out how to keep Aiden and the Council from messing with her work and reputation.”

Protecting Olivia without chaining her down, ensuring her freedom as my Luna while balancing our alliance’s needs... these were challenges that I could no longer put off.

Aiden’s presence near her Pack was a threat, and so was this growing political pressure to make decisions that could jeopardize her independence.

For the first time, I felt our situation as a personal responsibility to the woman I’d grown to care for more deeply than I wanted to.

I wasn’t just protecting a business partner. I was defending someone who had, slowly and without realizing it, become important to me. My Mate.

I stood, feeling my resolve settle. “You’re right, Marlus. I won’t let anyone, or anything, undermine what we’re building.”

My wolf stirred, agreeing. And if it meant facing down my family and the Council to protect Olivia, then so be it.