Chapter 103

Fiona

A shiver of awareness and something suspiciously like need climbs up my spine as Ethan drops the man to the floor. He crumples like a fallen leaf, shaking and afraid as Ethan towers over him. No one around us notices what’s happening, leaving Ethan to rescue me with ease.

“Get out of here. If I ever see you near my woman again, I won’t be so kind,” Ethan growls, glaring at my attacker. I shiver again, realizing I would hate to be on the receiving end of such intense anger.

The man, in good sense, scrambles to his feet and runs. Ethan watches until he disappears through the crowd, but he doesn’t look at me yet. He keeps his eyes on the crowd, giving me time to take a breath and calm down.

After a minute, I feel a little better and push myself up on shaky legs, fighting against the urge to go to Ethan. The moment I saw him, the need to be near him hit me like a truck. It was more intense than anything I’ve ever experienced, even eclipsing the disgust and hurt I felt when I found Jack cheating on me.

Everything in me screams to move closer, to touch him, to let him touch me, and before I can stop myself, I’m moving toward him. My feet have a mind of their own, bringing me closer and closer.

As soon as I’m within reach, Ethan turns and reaches out, his hand snaking around to cup the back of my neck. The touch is gentle as his eyes run over me, checking for any injuries. Tingles spark through my nerve endings, traveling into my entire body and making me shiver.

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” The gravel in his voice weakens my knees again. Worry rings clear in his tone, confusing me more than I want it to. My body reacts differently than my mind, one wanting to confront him and the other wanting to touch him.

“I’m okay,” I whisper. “He just scared me. If you hadn’t come when you did, then he would have—”

Ethan’s lips crash to mine, his hand tightening at the back of my neck and pulling me closer as he takes my mouth. Warmth fills me, thawing the cold and heavy pain inside me and filling me with pleasant softness.

Our lips move together in a dance that has me yearning for more. Every memory of us together flashes through my mind, sending heat through my veins that ultimately settles in my core.

I moan, wanting more.

Ethan pulls me closer, his hand squeezing gently at my neck as his other hand grips my hip with a tenderness I hadn’t felt since the last time we were together. I craved it, need it, and before I can stop myself, I lean into Ethan’s touch. It chases everything away; the fear of being hurt, the pain twisting my chest, the anxiety from being alone, the worry that I’m not enough. Each feeling melts away slowly, but it isn’t enough.

Forcing myself to pull away, I step back and squeeze my eyes closed. I want nothing more than to be in his arms, but this can’t happen.

“Ethan, you can’t just kiss me and think everything will be okay,” I mutter, knowing he can hear me. Super Lycan hearing and all.

If a kiss was all it took to fix our problems, I would’ve done it a while back, but nothing is that easy.

“Fiona.” His gentle tone and soft touch on my wrist make me whimper. Why is he making this so difficult?

“This isn’t a fairytale, Ethan,” I cry, finally forcing myself to look up at him. “Kissing doesn’t solve all our problems. You can’t expect me to just sit back and accept the fact that you are marrying someone else then come kiss me like nothing is happening.”

No matter how badly I wish I was in a fairytale, the world just doesn’t work like that.

“What are you talking about? I told you I’m not marrying her,” Ethan growls. He takes a step closer. I take a step back.

My back hits the wall, and my breath catches in my throat. All the stories about true love’s kiss being the most powerful magic that can break curses and solve problems are wrong. A kiss can’t fix what’s happening between us.

“But you haven’t stopped any of this from happening! She’s all over you, talking about the marriage and your new life together,” I argue, waving my arms. I try not to think about how she was hanging all over him at the office, but the image is engraved in my brain. “What good is denying it if you’re not doing anything about it?”

Ethan’s eyes widen, flashing gold as he growls, “I don’t want her. I want you.”

The ache from before tightens my chest again, this time causing even more pain. I miss him. I knew that before, but I didn’t realize how much until now. My heart thuds faster and faster against my ribs, trying its best to force its way out.

Being close to him, seeing him, touching him. It’s all too much.

When he reaches for me, I duck under Ethan’s arm and move away from him. If he touches me again, I don’t know if I’ll be able to resist. I want so badly to be with him, but that’s impossible now.

Ethan growls as I dodge another swipe of his hand.

“Fiona.”

Green eyes flash gold before going back to green for a moment. Then, they flicker quickly changing back and forth several times.

“I can’t, Ethan. This… this pain is too much,” I tell him, rubbing at my chest. His changing eyes follow the movement as he growls again.

He’s fighting.

The more his eyes change, the quicker I realize that he’s struggling to keep his wolf at bay. The creature is trying to force his way forward.

The realization pierces through the muddled fog in my mind. Ethan and his wolf are fighting with each other just like I’m fighting with myself. The war rages but neither of us are able to stop it, so I do the only thing I can think of.

I run.

My legs wobble as I run in the heels, so I kick them off while weaving through the crowd. Elbows jab into my ribs and I bump into several people, but I don’t stop. Ethan probably isn’t far behind, so I focus on the back door. If I can get there, I can find a way to get away, and if I can get away, I can calm down.