Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

SEREN

“ W ant to come up?” I ask again as Ethan runs his fingers through my hair, his soft breath brushing my face, his hard-on pressed against my core. I know he wants to.

“God! I want to so bad,” he murmurs before pressing a kiss to my lips. This time, I boldly take charge, massaging his lips with mine and letting my tongue sweep over his lips, teasing him until his tongue meets mine.

He moans into my mouth, tugging at my hair, slowly moving his hips to get some friction going. Just as Ethan’s touch grows more insistent, a distant, strained growl slices through the moment, freezing me in place. My pulse quickens and my focus falters at the familiar sound. I must be imagining it. I focus on the relief I need instead.

With our bodies still flush against each other, my mind is blank and my hormones are on overload.

“Seren? ”

The rough, desperate whisper makes me instantly pull away from Ethan. It’s a voice I can identify anywhere.

“Theron,” I whisper, almost to myself, as if making sure it’s him.

His face is pale. Dark circles curve under his eyes. His body is much leaner than it used to be. His eyes are filled with tears.

My first instinct is to run over to him, but his questioning gaze halts me.

“Who is this, my Seren?”

Tears gather in my eyes as Titan’s deep, pain-filled voice reaches me, but all I have to do is remember how he chose Vanessa, and the sympathy drains out of me. I instead focus on the man who has been my active support these last couple of years.

“Uhm. So…want to come up?”

Ethan’s gaze flits to Theron before settling on me. His fingers gently push the hair away from my face. “Are you okay?”

I nod.

He glances back at Theron before saying, “Come on, I’ll walk you to your apartment.”

We only take a few steps before Theron strides over, blocking our path.

“We need to talk, Seren.”

This time he says it through gritted teeth. His eyes are dark, and instead of Titan’s usual gentleness, there’s a fire within him. Actually, I can’t even tell if it’s Theron or Titan.

“There’s so much to explain,” he tries again .

Ethan steps in front of me, taking my hand. “Listen, I don’t know who you are, but you need to take it easy. She doesn’t seem to want to talk right now, so why don’t you just drop it?” He turns to me with a small smile. “Let’s go.”

We move toward the main entrance, but Theron charges over, getting in front of Ethan.

“You are not going anywhere with my mate,” Theron growls, his voice laced with an unmistakable threat. His eyes blaze with a fierce, primal fury, and his hands tremble as his canines start to extend.

The raw intensity of his gaze and the barely contained anger radiating from him make it clear he’s on the verge of losing control.

“Ethan, you should go,” I say, trying to keep my voice calm. “I’ll handle him. I don’t want you to miss your flight.”

“I’m not leaving you here with him. I’ll leave once you’re inside your apartment.”

For the first time since I met him, Ethan’s voice is sharp and loud. “C’mon, we’re getting out of here.”

Heat rises in my neck, and my eyes drop to the ground as I exhale a deep breath. “He won’t physically harm me. I know that. He’s Leon’s father. And I do need to sort out a few things with him.”

Ethan’s eyes widen at that information, yet he doesn’t leave. He hesitates, torn between respecting my wishes and wanting to protect me.

“I’ll be fine,” I insist. “I’ll call you when he leaves.”

He leans in, presses a soft kiss on my cheek, and reluctantly walks back to his car. His gaze lingers on me, giving me one last chance to stop him, before he drives away .

“Are you happy now?” I ask Theron once I know Ethan is safely away. “Now that you’ve claimed your possession? Shown me your authority over me?”

His eyes flash with pain, but I turn to walk away.

“Wait. Please.” His voice cracks, a mere whisper escaping his lips. His shoulders slump and his eyes well with tears. He wraps his arms around me tightly, as if clinging to a lifeline.

Sparks shoot through me, lighting up my skin as his faint pine scent surrounds me, pulling me back to a time when everything was simpler… a time when I thought I meant something to him.

“Fuck! It’s been too long.” His breath is hot and desperate against my neck as he murmurs the words. “I’ve missed you, so fucking much.”

A shiver runs through me despite myself, and for a fleeting moment, I lean into him, letting the weight of the past few years fall away. But then reality crashes back in. His arms are too tight around me, and his body is trembling.

“I lost everything when you left, Seren. Everything. I had given up hope of seeing you again.” His voice breaks, full of anguish, and I feel a tear land on my cheek as he presses desperate kisses along my face, tracing the path where his mark should have been. The mark he gave to someone else.

“Get away from me.” My voice is sharp, cutting through the haze as I shove him with all my strength.

I step back, watching as tears streak down his face, his nose red with emotion.

“Why are you here, Theron? Do you miss your submissive mistress? ”

“You are my mate.” He drops to his knees, his arms wrapping around my waist in a frantic grip.

I let out a bitter laugh. He hadn’t waited two weeks after I left before claiming Vanessa, so I don’t understand why he’s bothering with this act. “You’re wasting your time. I’m no longer that stupid orphan. I have my own life, and letting you walk all over me is no longer part of it.”

He shakes his head, regret etched into every line of his face. “I know. I understand what I did was wrong…”

I lift my hand, cutting him off. “I’ve had a long day. So let’s just cut to the chase. For the last time—what. Do. You. Want?”

His forehead creases with a deep frown and hurt flickers in his eyes as he stares at me.

“Have it your way.”

I’m about to close the door behind me when he speaks again, his voice strained. “I know you have no reason to listen to me, but…Leon misses you. He asks for you every day, Seren. He doesn’t understand why you’re not there.”

The pin that’s been poking at my chest since I left Leon at Blackwood digs deeper as I hear those words. My biggest regret is that this man is his father. Any normal human baby, I could’ve handled on my own.

“Neither do I. I need you back. Titan and I both do. Just try for him…just once. Come with me to Blackwood and see how it is.”

I laugh, but it’s a hollow sound. “Does your mate, your luna, know you’re asking this of me? Or is this?—”

“Vanessa died in an attack almost a year ago. ”

Suddenly, everything clicks into place, and a smile tugs at my lips. “I’m sorry for your loss, Theron. I’m sure losing a mate must’ve been heartbreaking.”

He growls, his canines flashing dangerously. “You’re my mate, not Vanessa. I never gave a shit about her. Sure, I’m grateful for everything she did for the pack, but that’s the most I ever felt for her. Seren, you’re the only woman I’ve ever loved.”

Titan tries to get me to stop talking, but I push him back.

“I refuse to be Vanessa’s replacement. Now that you’ve lost one wife, you want another? Tomorrow, when I’m gone, you’ll get a third. So let’s just skip the part where I have to be with you again. You can feel free to act like I’m already dead.”

His howl of anguish pierces the silent night, followed by a growl of defiance. “I will never let that happen.”

He takes a step forward, his posture rigid and threatening, and I swiftly shut the door behind me, mercifully leaving him outside.

Instead of going to bed, I collapse onto the couch. I stare at the ceiling before letting out a loud groan and closing my eyes.

Why is he back now, when things are finally starting to settle?

I can still sense Theron outside the building, but I eventually drift off to sleep without remembering to text Ethan.

The next morning, as I’m racing out of the building, I find Theron waiting right where I left him. I say curtly, “I didn’t expect to see you here. I’m not sure what time I’ll return, so don’t wait up. ”

I spend my day getting through all my important in-office tasks before having a quick meeting with William to ask if I can work remotely for a week.

By the time I get back home, it’s late, but as I step inside the main doors, my heart drops. Theron is still here.

Has he even eaten? And what exactly is he trying to prove?

The entire night, I’m unable to sleep. My son is alone in the ghastly estate where I felt so alone my entire life. Who is even watching over him? Ella isn’t there anymore. Even Vanessa would’ve looked out for him. But this man has just left my son alone?

The first thing next morning, I step outside and offer him a cup of coffee and a puff pastry. “Eat this and leave. At least be a better father than you were a mate.”

His response is a plea filled with hope. “Leon’s been waiting for you all this time. Won’t you at least come spend some time with him?”

I shake my head. “I’ve already made plans to visit him. But you need to remember that I’m coming back for Leon, just for a week, and that this doesn’t change anything between us.”