Chapter 6

ETHAN POV

   Rage and sadness course through my veins as I watch my mate scramble to her feet to defend my mother. She looks so petrified and small. It makes me want to skin Bryan alive. I should have known she wouldn't be able to handle us entering the room looking like cold-blooded killers. She is just getting out of an abusive relationship with a werewolf—a werewolf whose blood we are wearing.

"Calm down, Honey. These are my mates...they wish me no harm," mom says as if she is speaking to a new born colt.

    Miranda doesn't move so mom grabs her upper arms and stares sincerely into her eyes.

  "I'm sorry they scared you, but they would never hurt me or you. My mate Jackson just wants to talk about something important. He wasn't thinking about scaring you when he came in," Mom explains, and my mate's body shags in relief before her face becomes one of embarrassment.

  "I am sorry, Miranda...I am King Jackson. I am very upset about your abuse, and I wasn't thinking when I came into the room," father explains as he attempts to look small.

  Miranda nods, and I step forward. Her eyes shift to me, and I see the fear return. The thick iron smell of Bryan's blood mixes with her beautiful peach smell, and I know I need to shower.

  I give her a small smile before heading towards the restroom.

  Ethan- talk to her for five minutes...I'm going to wash Bryan off.

Jas- Alright.

KING JASON POV

   I study my daughter-in-law closely to gauge her emotions about being in front of the three of us. Her hands are slightly shaking, but she does seem comfortable with Amelia.

  "Miranda, my name is King Jason. How are you doing? I know a lot is happened for you tonight...but you have nothing to fear here," I say before remembering I have her disgraceful boyfriend's blood on me.

   "I, umm. I'm a little star-struck, to be honest. This feels like a weird dream," she explains while looking between us timidly.

  Amelia laughs, and I can't help but smile at the sound. I haven't heard her laugh in the past few weeks due to the stress of finally leaving this realm.

  "I assure you we are not stars. We are leaders. Boring and stubborn," Amelia says after her laugh dies out.

  I nod in agreement, and Miranda gets a curious look on her face.

  "Don't be shy. You can ask us anything," I say, although I dread having to give her an update on Bryan's condition.

  She shouldn't concern herself with his pathetic hide.

  "How old are you.... Amelia mentioned she learned her teleportation skill 50 yrs ago, but she looks my age," Miranda says while briefing glancing at Amelia.

  My eyebrows raise in surprise.

"We were over a hundred when we first met Amelia....but we don't keep track anymore," Jacks answers, and Miranda's eyes go wide with wonder. 

  "So..so you three are immortal," Miranda whispers, and I nod.

  "Ethan too...and if you mate with him...you will be as well," Amelia says softly, and Miranda's eyes practically bulge.

  "What," she squeaks, and Ethan's  smell becomes stronger as he reenters the main portion of his room. His fast return doesn't surprise me. He probably didn't even use soap. And looking at his face...I understand why. His eyes hold fear as Miranda turns her astonished gaze to focus on him.

  "Let's give them some space," Amelia whispers, and we back out of the room with heavy hearts.

Amelia and Jackson feel exactly as I do about subjecting another person to immortality. It's a curse, not a blessing.

ETHAN POV

   Kratos is silent as we watch Miranda digest my parents' ill-timed words. Why did they have to dump that on her tonight? Her first night here!

  "Immortal," Miranda mumbles to herself before standing up to pace my room.

    I stay silent as I watch her. I know what she is thinking...The thrill of being immortal, followed by the fear of losing everyone you know—the fear of the unknown.

  "I didn't ask for this. I was at work. I-I didn't have a good relationship, and it has been affecting my relationship with my family...but I didn't ask for this," Miranda says as she begins to panic.

  Her breathing becomes faster, and her eyes dart around my bedroom, looking for an escape route. My heart drops into my stomach, and I twist my freshly washed hands together. Kratos whines, urging me to say something, but I can't. My tongue is thick in my mouth and my throat has gone completely dry.

  How can I subject my mate to this way of life? How can I force her to choose between me and her loved ones? She shouldn't suffer through their deaths...especially her younger sister's.

  "Miranda, please calm down. You have had a rough night..we can talk about being mates tomorrow," I finally whisper while moving closer to her frantic form.

  Her scared eyes rake over me quickly, and a little bit of my ego dies. I purposefully came out of the restroom without a shirt on, but my exposed chest doesn't seem to affect the only woman I have ever wanted to impress.

  "I want to go home. I don't want to be here. I feel like I've been kidnapped," Miranda says, and my heart nearly breaks due to the desperate tone in her voice.

  "Please stay; tomorrow after the trial, I will drive you home. It's close to eleven at night...you should rest. I will sleep in the guest room across the hall," I plead while taking another step in her direction.

  She shakes her head, and a knock sounds on my door. Miranda glances at it, but I don't move. I am too scared. My mate is showing all the signs of running from me, and I know Kratos will lose it if she does. I don't want that to happen at all. She is a domestic assault victim; the last thing she needs is another controlling wolf.

  "Who is it," I call out while trying to pin Miranda to her spot with my eyes.

  "Louise, your majesty. I was able to collect your mate's belongings before her work closed," Louise says in a normal voice that I hear perfectly through the door.

   "Come in," I order, and Louise immediately opens the door.

  Miranda rushes to Louise's side to retrieve her purse, and again, my heart takes another hit. She wants to leave, and after everything that's happened, I get it. My mate needs a mental break, but I don't know how to calm her down.

  Louise leaves, and Miranda sits down on the edge of my bed. She pulls out her older-looking phone and scrolls through her notifications. I twist my hands again before using every ounce of courage I possess to step closer.

  "Miranda, before we retire for the evening...can we talk? I would love to learn a bit about you before going to sleep.. .maybe your favorite color. You don't have to share anything too personal. I realize we just met," I say while dropping into a deep crouch in front of her.

  Her beautiful blue eyes look at me with distrust, so I wait. I will show nothing but patience. I am in no hurry, and she needs the extra effort.

  After a brief moment, Miranda nods. She licks her pretty red lips, and Kratos purrs in my mind.

"My favorite color is probably turquoise... I enjoy eating seafood," Miranda says after thinking for another moment.

  A smile like I haven't felt since Sasha died spreads across my face.

  "I like the color red and like any other werewolf..I love meat. Red meat is the best, but any meat will do," I reply, and her cheeks tint just a smidge.

   She looks away from me shyly before a thought pops in her head. It's like witnessing a light bulb coming on. Her eyes light up and her lips part when a thought hits her.

  "Whose blood did you have on you," she asks, and I freeze.

   My blood runs cold before leaving my face. Her pleas from the diner sound in my mind, and Kratos growls at the memory of her defending his life.

  "Your boyfriend's...he is alive. We just roughed him up a bit for hurting you," I explain while looking away shamefully.

  The last thing I want to do is hurt Miranda even more than he has, but he must receive punishment for his crimes. They all must.

  "All that blood was his," Miranda whispers as her face turns pale green.

  I immediately grab her hand. Miranda gasps, and I smile briefly at her reaction to our bond before focusing on her thoughts.

  "Yes, it was. But he heals fast. Wolves are very different than humans. He inflicted injuries on you that would take months to heal...We administered pain quickly, and it healed quickly.....a blessing he doesn't deserve," I say while growling a little at the thought of his weak punishment.

  Miranda nods before dropping her head. Her shame is blatantly apparent, and it takes every ounce of strength I possess from going on a rampage. I want to cradle her to my chest, while snapping Bryan's neck. I want to slowly dismember him, while kissing all her doubts away. I think Kratos and I could learn to multitask.

  "Please don't make me watch tomorrow. I know he is an evil person, but once upon a time, I loved him. He made me feel so special before he broke me. He used to be so sweet....Then it slowly started to change. Little jabs here and there about not being as good as his mate..Then came the pain and the blinding jealousy..... He blamed everything on his wolf. And at first, I believed him. I know rejection is painful, and he always said that her rejection was why his wolf wasn't nice to me. I know it's stupid to care about someone like him. You don't know how many times I have called myself stupid for falling for his words...his empty apologies," Miranda explains before loud sobs begin to make her beautiful body curl in on itself.

  My heart stops beating as my mate's pain breaks my self-control. I pull her towards me immediately. Her arms go around my neck, and mine go around her waist. I lift her up as she buries her face against my shoulder and neck.

   "I will never think of you as stupid, Miranda. When I look at you, I see a compassionate heart. I see a person willing to accept pain in hopes her loved one will change his ways. You are beautiful and perfect....and Mine. You will never experience anything like that again, I swear. If you allow me to, I am going to cherish you...make you feel loved, truly loved...protect you. I would lay down my life for you before ever hurting a hair on your head," I say while stroking her hair and rocking side to side.

   Miranda's sobs grow faint, and her body slowly melts against mine. Kratos whimpers, and I sigh. After a few more minutes, soft snores start filling the air, and I can't stop the smile that spreads across my face. I tighten my hold and approach my king-size bed as carefully as I can.

Miranda adjusts a little but otherwise stays still as I manage to get her tucked into bed.

    I kiss her forehead before leaving the room to find my parents. Things need to be discussed before anything happens tomorrow.