22.Anonymous message

Mia Miller

I wake up amid the disheveled sheets, feeling the warm and firm weight of Ethan’s hand resting on my waist. A shiver runs down my spine as I realize the depth of what we just did. I shouldn’t be here, and certainly not with him.

Carefully, I remove his hand from my waist, moving slowly to avoid waking him. Every movement is a struggle between the desire to stay and the need to leave. My body still feels the heat of his touch, and the memory of the previous night is etched in my skin. But reality hits me hard; I was weak, and I gave in to temptation.

Silently, I search for my clothes scattered across the floor. I dress carefully, feeling the texture of the fabrics against my skin, a sensation that brings me back to reality. Each piece is a reminder that I need to pull away, return to what is right, to what is safe.

As I dress, my eyes roam Ethan’s room. It’s a dark, elegant space, reflecting perfectly the enigmatic man he is. The decor is minimalist but tasteful, with heavy furniture and a color palette ranging from gray to black. The thick curtains block the dawn light, leaving the room in a tranquil twilight.

My heart pounds in my chest, a mix of regret and an underlying desire.

Staying here, with him, feels so wrong, but at the same time, leaving is almost painful. But I know I need to go, before he wakes, before I lose the little control I have left. With one last glance at Ethan, lying there, vulnerable and human, I turn my back and leave, promising myself that this will never happen again.

But even as I leave, a part of me knows that the desire we feel for each other is something that can’t simply be ignored. And that, more than anything else, is what terrifies me.

With my clothes awkwardly piled in my arms and my body almost naked, I sneak down the quiet hallway. Each step I take seems to echo, even on the soft carpet. All I wanted was to leave without waking Ethan, without having to face the reality of what we did.

But in the midst of the silence, I heard a female voice from somewhere downstairs. I froze, my heart racing.

"I took the plane to come here, and he’s still sleeping..."

The words hit me like a punch to the stomach. A woman. A woman was here for him. The shock was immediate, followed by a wave of anger and jealousy so intense that my hands began to shake.

Images of Ethan with someone else flashed in my mind. I should have known. He’s that type of man, isn’t he? Mysterious, seductive, very handsome, but never committed to anyone or anything. What was I expecting?

Jealousy burned in my chest, making me want to march right over there and confront the woman, demand answers from Ethan. But I held back, fighting the impulse. I had no right. We had nothing, except for one, or rather, two nights of weakness.

But knowing this didn’t make the situation any less painful. That he could be with another woman while I was still here, just a few steps away, made me furious. My cheeks burned with shame and anger.

I hurried to leave, trying to ignore the knot of emotions forming in my throat. I passed through the front door, almost stumbling as I tried to dress, and forced myself to keep walking. It doesn’t matter who she is, it doesn’t matter what Ethan does, I need to walk away and get my life back on track. Even if it means running away forever with my child.

The woman, with black hair and piercing blue eyes, looked me up and down, an expression of curiosity mixed with something that seemed like judgment. She looked flawless, every strand of hair in place.

"Who are you?" she asked, her tone more of a demand than a question. "Ethan seemed to have fun last night, I see."

My cheeks immediately flushed, and shame washed over me. I was standing there, almost naked, wearing my wrinkled clothes while this woman assessed me as if I were some sort of intruder.

Before I could respond, a deep, familiar voice broke the silence.

"You showed up without warning, Esther."

"I took the first plane. I missed the Colorado air."

I turned, and there was Ethan, coming down the stairs with a look that mixed surprise and discomfort. He seemed to move slowly, as if still processing what was happening.

The woman, Esther, rushed over to hug him, and I couldn’t hide my expression.

"Esther, so... this is Mia," he began, clearly unsure of how to explain the situation. "Mia, this is Esther, my little sister."

The information hit me like an avalanche. The woman in front of me wasn’t a secret lover or anything else my mind had imagined in a whirlwind of jealousy. She was Ethan’s sister. And from the way she looked at me, it was clear she didn’t know about Ethan’s child. In fact, no one seemed to know. She should obviously be a wolf too.

Esther’s expression softened a little, but the judgment in her eyes didn’t completely disappear.

"You must be very special to my little brother if he brought you here," she said, her voice tinged with irony. "My brother doesn’t usually get involved with anyone... let’s just say, emotionally, so be careful, girl."

I didn’t know what to say, my mind was still processing everything. How could I explain to her? What was I doing in Ethan’s house? And more importantly, how was I supposed to deal with the revelation that the father of my child was a werewolf, and now I was being introduced to his family?

Ethan seemed tense, almost uncomfortable, as he watched us. I could see that he wasn’t used to situations like this, and that only added to my own confusion and discomfort.

"I... it’s complicated," I finally murmured, trying to find an exit for this conversation. But I knew that sooner or later, all of these questions would need to be answered.

"Esther, we’ll talk about this later, go rest, it’s still early," Ethan said, his voice hoarse, watching me from the corner of his eye.

As I tried to absorb everything that had just happened, my phone vibrated. I grabbed it, expecting something trivial, maybe a message from Charlotte, who had disappeared off the map, or some kind of update. However, as soon as I unlocked the screen, a cold sensation ran down my spine.

Anonymous message: "You may have gotten Lorenzo back, but this isn’t over. You’re still on our radar. You’re the piece in this game, Mia. And we’re just getting started."

My eyes widened as I read and re-read the message, trying to make sense of what was written. "Piece in this game"? What did that mean? And who the hell was behind this?

I raised my head, looking around the room as if expecting to see someone hidden in the shadows, watching every move I made. Esther was still there, talking to Ethan, both unaware of the storm of fear and confusion that was building inside me.

My heart was racing, and a lump formed in my throat. What more could they want from me? My child had already been kidnapped, I had already been dragged into this insane world that made no sense. Now, suddenly, I was a "piece" in some kind of crazy game I didn’t understand?

Without thinking, I pressed the phone against my chest, trying to suppress the wave of panic threatening to overtake me. I knew I couldn’t let Ethan or his sister see how much it had shaken me. After all, I still didn’t fully understand what was going on or what Ethan’s role was in this mess.

But one thing was certain: whoever was behind these threats hadn’t finished yet. And I needed to find out why.

Suddenly, the questions that had been tormenting me since I arrived in this house became even more intense. How could I, a simple human, be involved in something so dangerous? And why did it seem like all of this was directly connected to me?

I was definitely in the wolf’s den.