Chapter 233

Grace

I hissed before I could stop myself. The pages turned to shreds in my hands. A flicker of surprise crossed Ethan's face. He flinched and took a step back.

"What did you just say?" I growled.

"Grace?" George started. "What's---"

"What did you say?" I growled again. I looked over at him. He frowned and looked at me. George stepped up and stood between me and the enforcers.

"If you decide not to take him into custody," he said slowly. "Then, he'll be taken to his mother's coven."

"George," I breathed, my voice hoarse. "I can't."

"That's fine--"

"No," I snarled. "I can't let him go back to that place! I can't allow him to go back and plot."

He frowned. "Grace, hold on."

"Why wasn't I told about his relationship with the Noir coven before?" I snarled. "Was this Charles' idea? Yours? Eason's?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Who knows what Ethan will do now? Sure, his father is in jail, but he's...."

I growled. The thought of Ethan finding refuge with the Noir coven only made me more upset. I couldn't allow that. Who knows what information he would pass along? Taking a deep breath, I straightened my shoulders, channeling my anger to the situation. If he was here, if he really had a connection to the Noir Coven, then I could get information out of him.

"Don't worry," I said, seething. "He stays here just as agreed, but he won't be lounging around the packhouse like a guest." I snarled at him. "He'll answer for his actions and then some."

Ethan's eyes widened. I pushed past George, grabbed him by his shirt, and dragged him inside. George followed me.

"Wait a second," George said.

I snarled, ignoring George calling after me. Ethan stumbled after me. I slammed the door behind me. I needed answers, and I wouldn't rest until I got them. Dragging Ethan into the empty dining room, I slammed him into a seat.

"Grace, just calm--"

"It's Alpha Wolfe," I snarled and rounded the table.

The air crackled with tension as I glared at Ethan. Ethan said nothing, just sitting in the chair with a hint of apprehension flickering in his eyes.

"You're going to answer my questions," I said. "Every single one of them."

"Okay..." Ethan said softly, watching me warily. His eyes flickered with the same light that was in Eason's eyes. "What is it that you want to know?"

He was too calm for my taste. Why didn't he fear me? I was Grace Wolfe, Alpha of Mooncrest. Did he think that his connection with Eason would save him? That the challenge circle would save him? Didn't he know what I'd done to those men who had taken Cecil?

He had to know. Didn't Alpha Shadow know that Cecil had been taken? Hadn't he been behind it? He? She?

"We have a lot to talk about, Ethan," I said, my voice cold and hard. "And I expect the truth."

As I locked eyes with him, I knew this was just the beginning.

The air in the room hung heavy with a mixture of stale coffee from the kitchen, the food Eason had eaten, and simmering tension. Ethan stared back at me. I didn't waste time with pleasantries. Leaning forward, I pinned him with a steely gaze.

"Tell me about Alpha Shadow," I demanded, my voice leaving no room for argument.

He met my gaze for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, he frowned.

"What about him?"

"Don't play coy with me, Ethan," I growled, my patience wearing thin. "We both know you're working for her. Now, tell me everything. What's her endgame? What does she really want? Who is she?"

"I don't know what you want me to say," Ethan said. "I've already told you everything--"

"Don't give me this shit!" I slammed my hand on the table. Frustration gnawed at me. I knew he was lying. I could feel it in my gut. His ability to lie with such ease was infuriating. "Don't lie to me, or this will all get that much harder."

"I'm not lying!" he said too calmly. "I told you already everything I know. I've never met him--"

His words only fueled my anger. How dare he mock me by lying?

"You think I'm stupid, Ethan?" I hissed, my voice low and dangerous. "You think I can't see it? You share blood with someone from Noir Coven. It's suspicious enough without talking about your father--"

"Grace--"

I snarled at George. "Shut up!"

He narrowed his eyes. "You're pushing buttons, Grace. Talking about things you don't understand."

Ethan leaned back in his chair.

"I see what Eason meant," he said, looking at me. "You're way more uptight than he said."

I snarled. "How dare you--"

"I'll tell you for the last time," Ethan said. "I don't know much about Alpha Shadow... and honestly, I don't want anything to do with the WSU or Blood Moon." He glared at me. "I only just found out about my connection to the Noir Coven, and honestly, it has nothing to do with the attack--"

"Shut up!" I screamed, feeling a rush of power. His eyes widened. They looked a little glazed. His denial was only making it worse.

I felt the power surging in me. The power of a lycan and a werewolf, an alpha, filled me. A low growl rumbled deep in my throat, and I unleashed a wave of Alpha compulsion, a mental pressure designed to force him to tell the truth. I had never used it before, but I knew what it was from the moment the look in his eyes changed.

"Grace, stop!" George said, coming around the table. "Stop!"

Ethan's eyes widened momentarily, his body tensing as the force of my power washed over him. But then, with a shake of his head, he broke free, pushing back against my compulsion with surprising ease.

I was surprised.

He snarled, rising to his feet. "How fucking dare you--"

My surprise quickly morphed into fury. "How dare you!"

George came around the table and wrapped an arm around me.

"Grace, you have to stop. Stop now."

I snarled, digging deep to try to use the compulsion again, but it was like hitting a brick wall. No one should be able to resist my Alpha command so easily. He shouldn't be able to resist me. He was just a werewolf. I couldn't believe this. The anger, the frustration, the intoxicating surge of power coursing through me, it all coalesced into a single, overwhelming desire: to make him tell me everything.

To make him obey me.

He snarled at me. "You fucking--"

I pushed out of George's hold, lunging across the table, my instincts taking over. My hand shot out, grabbing his collar and yanking him towards me. He stumbled, his bound hands offering little resistance. George cursed and scrambled for me. Ethan pulled back, dragging me across the table. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I twisted and slammed him against the wall. Rage clouded my vision. The primal urge to dominate burning bright.

"Tell me the truth!" I snarled, my face inches from his. "Who is Alpha Shadow? Give me her name!"

Ethan twisted out my grip, lifting his arms, and shoved me back. I stumbled. My heels faltered beneath my feet. I hit the side of the table and lunged back at him. I dragged my claws through his chest. He cried out in pain and stumbled back. George rounded the table to leap in front of us.

I wanted to tear him a new one, too. The fury was boiling. Before I could react, before I could unleash the full force of my anger, a strange sensation washed over me. It was like a wave of icy water, dousing the flames of my rage and leaving me feeling numb and helpless.

My hand, which had been mere inches from George's throat, froze mid-air. The primal growl that had echoed in my throat died on my lips. My entire body felt paralyzed, rooted to the spot in a state of utter confusion and fear. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong.

My eyes darted around the room, searching for the source of the strange paralysis, but I saw nothing. Panic started to set in as I realized I couldn't move a single muscle, couldn't even speak to call for help.

Ethan, who had been pinned against the wall a moment ago, shuddered and slipped to the ground. His defensive expression had been replaced by a look of surprise and pain. I smelled blood. I smelled fear and pain, but I couldn't process it. I couldn't understand where it was coming from.

"Grace?" George said, coming into my view.

But I couldn't answer. I was trapped, a prisoner in my own body, with no clue as to why or who was responsible. In that moment, the feeling of power, of being in control, vanished completely, replaced by a chilling sense of vulnerability and fear.

What was happening to me?