Chapter 17%
Farah, once the bright star in Alpha Ethan’s immediate orbit, now felt the subtle, chilling shift in his gravity
It had begun the night of the Grand Ball, the moment his eyes, once so fixed on her, had snagged on Ivy. Since then, the air around Ethan had grown thick with a brooding silence, a restless energy that permeated the pack house like a gathering storm. Farah, sharp–eyed despite her self–absorption, noticed the changes, small at first, then glaring.
Ethan, the formidable Alpha, no longer moved with his usual decisive stride. His broad shoulders, once squared with unyielding authority now carried a subtle slump, as if weighed down by an unseen burden. His eyes, once quick to command, often glazed over, lost in a distant haze. He barely registered her presence some days, his focus fragmented, his Alpha duties performed with a detached efficiency that worried the elders and left the pack feeling subtly unmoored.
Farah knew. She had heard the whispers, the excited murmurs that had swept through the packs after the Grand Ball Ivy, the former Luna. was now Alpha Vincent’s fated mate. A bond, forged by the Moon Goddess herself, supposedly unbreakable.
Farah should have been overjoyed. Ivy was clearly out of the picture now, forever bound to another Alpha, to another pack. The last lingering thread of competition, of comparison, should have been severed. But instead, it seemed to have tangled itself tighter around Ethan’s mind.”
She finished baking a fresh batch of honey–drizzled oat cookies, their sweet aroma filling the kitchens. A small, domestic gesture, meant to soothe the Alpha’s troubled spirit, to remind him of her unwavering devotion. She carried the plate carefully to his office, the scent of the warm cookies a sweet counterpoint to the growing bitterness in her own heart!
The door was ajar, and she pushed it open gently, stepping inside. Ethan sat at his grand oak desk, but his hands weren’t on the stacks of reports. He wasn’t reviewing patrol routes or trade agreements. He was staring. Staring at a framed photograph on the comer of his table
Farah’s breath hitched. Her eyes narrowed, recognizing the familiar, hated image:
It was their wedding photo. Ethan and Ivy.
Their smiles, formal and posed, seemed to mock her from the frame. A wave of hot, furious blood rushed through her veins. Why was it still there? Why was Ivy still in the middle of everything, even after she had left, after she had chosen another Alpha, another mate??
Farah hated Ivy. She had worked tirelessly, relentlessly, to erase that woman’s presence from Ethan’s life, from the pack. She’d made herself indispensable, she’d given him the one thing lvy couldn’t–a pup. And yet, even now, with Ivy gone, with her carrying his child, the ghost of the former Luna still haunted his thoughts.
ut the plate.
“Alpha,” she said, forcing a cheerful lightness into her voice. “I brought you some fresh cookies. Just baked them.” She held out hoping the sweet scent would break through his brooding &
He barely glanced at the offering. “I don’t like sweets, Farah,” he grunted, his voice flat, devoid of emotion. “You should just eat them. yourself.“”
Her smile faltered, a prickle of hurt stinging her eyes. She hadn’t known. Ivy would have known. Ivy always knew his preferences, his silent habits, the small details he rarely spoke of. A wave of familiar inadequacy washed over her, fueling her simmering resentment towards the absent Luna.
She set the plate down on the corner of the desk, then walked around, her movements fluid and practiced. She reached for him, pushing lightly at his shoulders, urging him to lean back against the plush leather of the sofa that sat against the wall, Ethan sighed, a sound of weary resignation, but he allowed it. She sat on his lap, carefully positioning her body, her blossoming belly pressing against his body. She wound her arms around his neck, her soft scent of jasmine clinging to him. She leaned in, her lips hovering near his ear.
“You’ve been so distracted, Alpha,” she murmured, her voice a soft purr, her fingers, trailing lightly over the strong column of his neck. “Let me help you relax.” She kissed his jaw, his check, trying to draw him in, to bring him back to her. Her lips hovered over his, waiting for him to meet her, to claim her.!!
But he didn’t. His gaze, still distant, flickered to the wedding photo. Then, with a sudden, almost violent jerk, he pushed her. Not hard enough to hurt her, but hard enough to send her stumbling from his lap.
Farah gasped, catching herself before she fell. Her eyes widened, tears springing to them. He had never pushed her. Never. Not like that. Not with that cold, dismissive glare #
“I’m busy, Farah,” he said, his voice flat, his wolf radiating an icy displeasure, “Go to your bedroom. I need to work.”
Farah stood there, stunned, her hand pressed to her chest. The rejection pierced through her carefully constructed composure. Her hurt quickly morphed into anger. “Busy?” she demanded, her voice rising, losing its carefully maintained sweetness. “Busy with what, Alpha? Staring at her picture?” She gestled to the wedding photo, her voice laced with venom. “What are you thinking? Are you bothered about tvy having a fated mate? Are you worried that ivy is no longer your forever? The words, meant to sting, were fueled by her own burgeoning Insecurity!
Ethan’s eyes snapped to hers. The shift was immediate. His face, which had been pale and distracted, flushed a dark crimson
“Shut up!” he bellowed, the sound shaking the very walls of the office, rattling the framed certificates on the wall. His voice was raw, laced with a savage anger she had never heard directed at her. It was the very first time he had ever shouted at her.
Farah flinched, Instinctively taking a step back, her heart hammering against her nbs Fear pierced through her anger. This wasn’t the Alpha she knew.
Meanwhile, Ethan felt his blood rushing, a frantic, desperate surge through his veins. Her words, “Ivy is no longer your forever,” had struck a nerve, a raw, exposed wound that had been festering since the Grand Ball. The thought of Ivy, bright and vibrant, with Vincent, her fated mate filled him with a possessive fury that threatened to consume him. He didn’t like the idea at all. He hated it. The air in his lungs felt too thin, his vision blurred at the edges. He felt like he was going crazy.
9:08 PM
No. It couldn’t be. He wouldn’t let her be with Alpha Vincent. He wouldn’t. The very concept, the sheer injustice of it, twisted his gut inta) painful knot. Ivy was his.
