Chapter 102

Fiona

“You look hot,” Isla says, circling me with a wide grin. I look down at the tight green dress and swallow the lump in my throat as the color reminds me of Ethan. Isla picked the dress for me from her line of party dresses, telling me that it would be perfect for my first night out as a newly single woman.

“I don’t know,” I mutter, tugging at the short garment. It’s much shorter than my usual dresses by close to three or four inches, the hem riding up each time I move.

“No way. You’re not backing out now,” Isla says, grabbing me by the shoulders. “Tonight is going to be fun and you’re not going to think about Jack or Ethan. You will go, drink, dance, and have a good time because you deserve it.”

With a shake of my shoulders, she tries to force the idea into me, and I want to believe do exactly that. I want to have fun. I want to live my life.

The way she looks at me with hope and happiness crinkling around her eyes makes me smile. After the lies, threats, exhaustion, and pain of the divorce and Ethan’s upcoming marriage, I deserve to let loose like Isla says. Even if it’s just for one night. I’m not sure what will happen in the next few weeks, but I can control tonight.

“You’re right,” I say, nodding. “For once, I want to go with the flow and party.”

Isla’s eyes pop open, and she grins even bigger as she pumps her fist in the air. She lets out a whoop and scoops two pairs of heels out of her closet. One red pair and one black, each of them at least three and a half inches.

“Put these on,” she says, handing me the black pair. I eye them with caution. “Just put them on,” she instructs with a laugh. “They’ll make your legs look amazing, and they complete the outfit.”

“And ruin my feet?” I question, even while slipping my feet into the shoes. It’s been a while since I wore heels, so I wobble as I stand, the whistle Isla lets out making my face heat up.

“Girl, you’re going to be the center of attention tonight.”

Her words surprisingly make me feel better, highlighting my lack of confidence since it’s been broken over and over so many times before. First Jack, and now Ethan.

“No, no, no,” Isla says, “Whatever you’re thinking, stop it. We need to go before you change your mind.”

“I’m not thinking about anything,” I deny, running my fingers through my hair as a distraction. I don’t know how she does it, but Isla always knows when I’m not thinking positively. It’s a bit scary if I’m honest.

With a shake of her head, Isla scoffs and grabs me by the hand. She tugs me toward the door, jangling her keys in excitement and ignoring my blatant denial as she leads me into a night of fun.

A brief wave of nausea rolls through my stomach, accompanying the pain in my heart, as I stare up at the brightly lit sign above the double doors.

The ache in my chest is now a constant companion since I’ve created distance between me and Ethan. The longer we’re apart, the more my chest aches. It’s not a physical ache like if I were injured; instead, it’s a hollow heat that expands inside my chest, pushing at my ribs and heart.

It’s been a week and a half since I was at his house. I hadn’t spent time alone with him since then, other than meeting at work when needed, and each day away from him proves we have some sort of bond.

Is this some Lycan thing that I don’t understand? Some type of connection that will never go away?

I nearly groan at the thought of this heavy feeling lasting forever. It’s impossible to ignore. I thought being away from him would make things easier, but I think I was wrong. Whatever bond we have doesn’t seem to be fading.

If this is the soulmate connection Ethan mentioned, I still don’t understand it. With Ethan choosing someone else, I thought the bond would be severed. He said it was a choice, something that could be rejected, so why hasn’t he rejected it yet?

Does he plan to keep me around as some sort of side piece? A mistress?

I shake my head.

Hell no.

I’ve had enough of men taking advantage of me and I didn’t think Ethan was like that, but if he ever brings it up, I will not say yes. I’ll never be someone’s mistress. If being with Jack taught me anything, it’s that I deserve to be with someone who genuinely loves me.

“You ready to let loose?” Isla shouts as we push through the doors. I try to answer with the same amount of enthusiasm she gives me, but my response comes out a bit dampened by the pain in my chest and the weight of my thoughts.

“Let’s do it.”

We weave through the building, the music growing louder and the crowd growing larger. People bump into me as I move past them, following Isla to the bar.

The nausea I feel is new and unexpected. I didn’t think I’d be nervous, but the loud thumping of the music and the people crowding around us create thick air that threatens to ruin the night.

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Isla suddenly asks, watching me. I lean against the bar and wave down the bar tender.

“Yes, and I want a drink,” I shout, and Isla nods with a grin. I want to have fun with my friend and celebrate. I won’t let my thoughts or Ethan mess tonight up for me. I can worry about everything else tomorrow.

She orders us some fruity alcohol mixture that comes out as a bright pink liquid in cute glasses with sugar around the rim. I take mine eagerly and swallow the beverage in one long gulp, ready to forget about Ethan for the night and have fun.

“Let’s dance!”

Grabbing Isla’s hand, I pull her to the floor and begin swaying to the music. I let myself feel the beat, shaking my hips and bouncing through silly dance moves with my best friend. As I find myself downing two more sweet, fruity drinks, I feel the worry slowly fading.

Bright colors flash around us, and before I can get a fourth drink, a man walks up to me. His arms slide around me, making me jump away and turn to face him.

“Wanna dance, babe?” He asks, reaching for me again.

“Sorry. I’m with my friend,” I tell him, moving back. His eyes narrow a bit as he follows, mirroring my steps.

“Come on, I’m sure your friend wouldn’t mind sharing you for a while,” he says, his hands locking onto my waist and pulling me closer. I plant my hands on his chest and push to get away from him.

The nausea from earlier churns my stomach as my heart slams into my ribcage as worry fills me. I push against him again, but his grip only tightens, sending waves of worry through me. Where is Isla?

My eyes scan the crowd around me, but I don’t see her. Did something happen to her, too?

“Let me go,” I warn him, curling my fingers into a fist. He’s twice my size with a decent amount of muscle, so I couldn’t beat him, but maybe I can at least shock him into letting me go. However, when I swing my fist, he catches it and with a quick tug, he pins my arm behind my back and with his other arm pulls me into his chest.

I gasp, the fear and pain mixing.

“Playing hard to get?” He hisses, leaning in.

“S-stop. I don’t—”

“Don’t what?” He asks, tightening his hold. “Don’t take what you’ve been offering by shaking your sweet little ass on the dance floor? Isn’t this what you wanted while you were moving across the dance floor?”

My eyes bounce around the room, willing anyone to help me, but everyone is too caught up in the music and dancing to notice what’s happening.

“No. I wasn’t—”

“You were. You were tempting every man in the room, but I was the only one brave enough to take what I want,” he growls, dragging me toward the edge of the floor. Fear fills me, sending my heart into a frenzy, and I dig my heels into the ground.

“Let me go! I don’t want you touching me!” I shout, hoping someone will notice him dragging me away.

The man just yanks me forward and I slam into the wall as he uses his arms and body to cage me against it.

“I can’t wait to see what you’re hiding under that tight little dress,” he hisses, sending a cold hand skittering down my spine. I shove at him, pound my fists on his chest and shoulders, and kick at his shins, but I might as well have been a fly buzzing at his ear for the impact it made.

A hand slides down my hip to my thigh, and I cry out just before the man is yanked away.

I slide to the floor, my shaking legs unable to hold me up any longer.

“Don’t put your hands on my woman,” a voice growls just loud enough to be heard over the music. I lift my head and gasp.

“Ethan!”

Not even five feet away Ethan has his hand around the man’s throat as he lifts my attacker so far off the floor that his feet don’t touch. The hard lines on Ethan’s face shift to anger as he snarls at the man.

“You made a big mistake touching her.”