Chapter 0007

No sooner did Ethan close the door of the SUV I heard him start shifting back into his magnificent wolf and he started stalking towards dad. There was no fear, no intimidation. I was in awe and really respected Ethan at this point. Because all I knew of my father was that he was very feared and intimidating. But Ethan wasn’t scared at all.

I saw them both come face to face in the middle of the road and my heart was pounding out of my chest.

“Hey, it’s going to be alright. Alpha Ethan knows how to fight and he never backs down. People usually back down from him.” The passenger in the front said.

“You don’t know my dad.” I retorted.

“You said that your father never fights his own fights. Then he doesn’t stand a chance. But you must be pretty important to him.” The guy said.

“No. He just wanted to make a stronger alliance with another pack so he was marrying me off. Ethan killed that Alpha so dad would have found another creepy old man to marry me off to.” I explained.

“Well, it looks like Alpha Ethan got there in time.” The guy says looking at my wedding dress. And I was suddenly feeling really dirty and I wanted nothing more than to get out of this dress. But I had no other clothes with me and I certainly wasn’t going to change in a car with two strange men.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“Oh shit. Sorry. I’m Mason. I’m Alpha Ethan’s Beta.” He says.

“It’s nice to meet you. I wish it were under better circumstances.” I say.

“Me too. Absolutely.” He says. And my attention was drawn back to the two wolves in front of the car. The only light was coming from the headlights of the car and I saw that they were circling each other. Sizing each other up. No one is willing to take the first move at this point.

And that was making the suspense even worse for me. I leaned forward in the backseat of the car and both wolves were snarling and snapping at each other, but neither of them were actually attacking each other.

I felt like I was losing my mind just from watching them. I didn’t know how this was going to go and I didn’t know the last time my father trained or was in a fight. He could have been training every day for all I knew and he could have been fighting with his warriors every day.

The truth is, I didn’t know my father that well. I was sent to school every day, which I was happy to attend, and I wasn’t allowed to train myself because dad forbade it but I would hang out with my friends in the afternoons. Any excuse I could use so that I didn’t have to go home.

I could tell that Ethan was just slightly bigger than dad, but that didn’t really mean anything if dad knew how to fight. I mean, it’s not really the size of the wolf. It’s the capability of the wolf that really matters. And everyone knew that.

Dad was finally the first one to make a move and lunge at Ethan. But Ethan swiftly moved out of the way, avoiding dad’s attack and dad skidded across the ground and turned back to look at Ethan.

I was scared that Ethan was going to get hurt because of me and that wasn’t something that I could live with. I went to reach for the door handle but Mason stopped me.

“The Alpha said to stay in the car. He meant it. If you get hurt then we’re all going to get hurt.” Mason said. I was pretty sure that I knew what that meant but I didn’t want to think of Ethan hurting his own Beta if I got hurt.

Daf lunged at Ethan again and this time Ethan slid across the ground and he dragged his claws along my father’s stomach. Causing some serious injuries to him.

When dad landed on the ground, he was on his side but he was still alive. I heard him whimpering and Ethan started stalking towards my father when we heard something in the woods around us. There was a lot of movement in the woods and we knew that they weren’t Ethan’s warriors. It didn’t surprise me that dad wasn’t going to make this a fair fight.

Ethan had no choice but to leave him and he ran back to the car, shifting into his human form as he ran towards the car.

He jumped in the backseat with me again and he yelled at the driver to go. So he put the car in gear and sped down the highway just as the wolves were emerging from the tree line.

Ethan reached over the back of the seat and he grabbed another change of clothes and slipped them on and I was sitting there really quiet. I didn’t know what to say.

I wish that he had killed dad, but I am also glad that Ethan wasn’t hurt. I guess it wasn’t really a winning situation for us because dad made sure that Ethan was outnumbered. So we just sped down the highway and once Ethan had gotten his clothes on, I think he realized that I was in a little shock.

He pulled me closer to him but I could hear him still sniffing the air. And I knew that it was me that he could smell. But I’m also sure that he knew what happened. That’s why he took no mercy on James. Because of what he did to me.

We heard wolves paws pounding on the ground, obviously following us. They were trying to keep up with the car. One of them managed to ram into the side of the car and knock it from side to side on the road and I felt Ethan’s arm wrap around my waist, trying to steady me. But I could only concentrate on the shaking in my hands and the adrenaline running through my body.

I felt my breath hitch a little when I realized how close we were together and I could feel him leaning his head down beside my head from the side and sniffing my hair and around my neck. Something very common for werewolves to do. But I stayed there and let him do it.

I eventually looked up at him and I knew that he felt a little unsure of what to do right now. It wasn’t just my scent that he could smell. So he pulled me to him and rested my head on his chest and started rubbing my back. It was really soothing and I think it was his way of assuring me that he was there for me. That he wasn’t disgusted by me.

It took us another two hours to get back to Ethan’s pack and he made sure that there were patrols practically side by side of the border in case we were followed.

We pulled up outside of the large four story sandstone packhouse and Ethan helped me out of the car. I was still having trouble walking and I kicked off my shoes in the car and I just left them there. I didn’t want them.

I was more desperate than ever to get out of this dress and Ethan helped me up the stairs of the packhouse but I froze just before we walked inside.

“It’s alright. There’s no one inside. I told everyone to clear out and stay away from the packhouse until you were ready to see them.” Ethan assured me and I nodded my head.

Mason and the other guy had also left, I guess they had gone to their homes, and Ethan and I walked inside the packhouse.

This is what I always imagined a packhouse to look like. Not a mansion just for the Alpha family, like dad’s house. This place was more practical for a packhouse. There was a living room off to the side but I could also see a games room through another door and there were two staircases that led upstairs that met at the top and under the stairs was a door that Ethan said was his office.

Off to the right was a dining room and I guess the kitchen was behind that. I wasn’t too sure.

The floors were white marble and there was a really long hallway right in front of us.

“I’ll give you the proper tour tomorrow. How about we get you settled in for tonight.” Ethan says.

So he took me upstairs to the fourth floor and I could tell that he was a little nervous going up there as well.

“I knew that you would need some space to adjust as soon as you got here so I’ve given you your own room for now.” He said opening the door.

It was a huge room with a fireplace built into one wall and a large screen TV and there was a little built-in seat under the window. I loved those seats. I had one back in my old house. I would always use it. I saw clothes folded on the bed and I looked at Ethan confused.

“Some pack members got those for you.” Ethan explained.

“Thank you.” I say.

“Well, the wardrobe is in here and the ensuite is in here. I’ll leave you alone to let you get cleaned up. I’ll be in my room right across the hall if you need anything.” Ethan says.

“Alright. Thank you. For everything that you did today. I know that you didn’t have to. You didn’t have to send your warriors into battle for me.” I say.

“Are you kidding? I would do it again in a heartbeat.” He smiled and he walked out of my room.

I looked through the clothes and I went to the bathroom where I was finally able to take that damn wedding dress off and I just dumped it on the ground like the garbage that it was and I looked at myself in the mirror.

I didn’t realize how bad I really looked. The bruises were all over my body, almost like I had been beaten while I was unconscious. Which I probably was. I wouldn’t put anything past dad and James.

I was just about to get in the shower when my phone started ringing.

“Hello.” I answered.

“If you think this is over, then you and your little boyfriend have no idea what is coming your way. I will make you pay for what you did today. The second Ethan sees your wolf, you’ll have nowhere else to go but back here. And you will wish you had never been born.” My dad’s evil voice sounded on the other end of the phone before he hung up.