Tethered Hearts 2
It hurts to consider the fact that he might be wrong about the bond. I suddenly felt him tense up. My brows knitted together as I set my gaze on him.
He exhaled shakily. “I wasn’t here,” he admitted out of the blue. My eyes flickered around in surprise. “I didn’t come home with the others. I took a detour.” His voice dropped, a note of regret lacing his words. “And I regret it now.”
I gasped, utterly flabbergasted.“Wait, how did you—”
“Know what you were thinking?” he finished for me, finally lifting his head to meet my gaze again. His eyes were guarded but honest. “Not exactly. I can’t read your mind, but sometimes, pieces of what you’re feeling come through. Certain thoughts float with it.”
My chest tightened as I stared at him, feeling both exposed and defensive. “That’s invasive,” I muttered, my cheeks flushing. “You shouldn’t do that.”
“I know,” he interrupted, his voice quieter now, almost apologetic. “I try not to, but I can’t always help it. It’s not something I do on purpose.”
For a moment, I considered pushing him away, but the gentleness in his expression grounded me. It was possibly the supposed bond. I sighed, relenting, my tension easing slightly. “So we really have a bond, huh?” I said, mostly to myself.
Ethan didn’t reply immediately. There was a brief awkward pause before he spoke. “I am slightly offended you didn’t notice my absence,” a quiet edge evident in his voice.
I opened my mouth to lay out an explanation but he didn’t wait. Instead, he snuggled closer, burying his face against me as if to hide from whatever he was feeling. The sudden closeness made my heart race, the heat between us impossible to ignore. Yet all I could do was try to ignore it anyway.
I swallowed hard, my voice coming out shakier than I’d hoped. “That night, when you broke into my room and kissed me, what really happened after that?”
He stilled, his breath hitching slightly before he replied. “I accidentally grazed the mark,” he admitted. “It must have triggered something because you were in pain. I had to release the seal to stop it from hurting you.”
I tried to process what he was saying, but the warmth of his body against mine was really making it impossible to think logically.
“So the seal is released but the mark and the bond remain?” I probed.
“Yes.” His tone was steady now as if bracing himself for my reaction.
I couldn’t tell if I was more flustered or intrigued. But, one thing was certain, this bond, this connection between us, was far more complex than I’d ever tried to imagine. But deep down, I was very relieved by the fact that I now had more options outside Higan Sinclair.
My hand moved without a thought, threading gently through Ethan’s hair. The soft strands slipped between my fingers with so much ease I almost asked for his shampoo brand.
He let out a sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a hum, sinking even closer to me. His body melted into mine.
For a while, he didn’t say anything. Then, his voice broke the silence, consistent in its soft tone. “When I first realized we were tied like this… I wasn't particularly excited.”
I stilled, the confession catching me off guard like a cold water splash. “You weren't?”
He nodded, his head moving against my chest. It tickled my breasts but I resisted focusing on the fact. “I’d been tied to someone before. And it didn’t end well. The idea of being bound to someone else again or surrendering some control over my own life infuriated me. I didn’t want it.”
Again? My hand faltered in his hair, but his next words stopped me from pulling away.
“But then I couldn't particularly live without you nearby so I'd been looking for you.” His voice dipped lower. “And then I met you. After that, I couldn’t stop myself. I got more than curious. I wanted to keep you safe, even if it meant doing certain things.“
I hummed tilting my head. “Certain things like?“
“Threatening Higan’s father,” he stated casually.
“What?” My hand paused completely.
Ethan lifted his head again, just enough to glance at me, his look was cautious though it carried a hint of honesty. “I convinced him to move you into my pack. Secretly.”
“Higan’s father let you do that?” I asked, astonished.
He nodded again, his lips quivering into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “He didn’t have much of a choice.“
What could that possibly mean? I understood there were hierarchies with Alphas but I was sure Alphas couldn't really order each other around. Did Higan know? Dread slowly washed over me.
I stared at him, the weight of his words sinking in drastically. “Does Higan know?” I queried.
“Mmm,” his tone carried an undertone of disapproval but I couldn't tell at what. “No.” He finally answered. “No one else but my pack knows. The plan was to let you live normally while I funded your life until I felt you were safe enough. And then, I’d leave. After all, you could have met your mate.”
I resisted flinching at the mention of my mate, Higan.
“But things are different now. You’re here, and I don’t know if it’s right to keep you in the dark anymore. I don’t know if I can just let you live your life, clueless about what’s happening to you and possibly what could happen between us.”
The way he said “us” made my chest tighten. I wasn’t sure how to respond. Was he asking for permission to drag me into his world, or was he simply admitting that he was having a hard time letting me go?
I swallowed hard, my hand returning to his hair instinctively. “What would dragging me into your life even mean?” I asked quietly, unsure if I wanted to know the answer.
Ethan’s head sank back down, his breath warm against my chest. “It means you’d have to be a part of a life someone fought so hard to take you away from.“
“And what does that entail?” I pressed on.
He was quiet for a long moment before whispering, “You might have to spend a lifetime fighting and I'd have to spend a lifetime protecting you, and sacrificing everything I can in the name of it.”