Ethan
My eyes drifted and landed on the elevator she must have taken sometime during the night. Where had she gone? Was she safe? The only possible answer was Gabe’s. She would have gone to her best friend because we were fighting. Maybe, no, she had to be there. I ignored the fact that Gabe would have informed me of her location or told Leo if that was the case. Deep down, I knew she wasn’t there but it didn’t stop my feet from moving.
She left me.
She left me.
She left me.
When did she leave? Why didn’t she leave a note? Had she planned this? If so, when? How long has she been set on leaving? When did she decide on this? Was it when she saw him at the meeting or was it when she heard he took over Half Moon? Goddess, I was insane. She wouldn’t go to him, would she? How long has she been gone? Maybe she’s out for a run. Fuck if that was true she would have taken Leo. What time is it now? If she was really doing this, would she run or drive? I needed to check the cars outside. Would I still be able to catch up to her if I left now?
She left me.
She left me.
Would I want to go after her? Fuck yes I would. She was mine. Even if she was running away from me, she was mine and I was hers. My feet delivered me to my mate’s best friend’s door in moments. I banged on the door for two minutes before Gabe opened it. Whoever he’d been expecting to be at his door at this time, it had not been me. His eyes were wide with surprise as he searched my face before he looked past me to the guard he stood behind me.
With the door ajar, I brushed past him. The lights were off and the curtains were slightly open and there was enough light to see. I must have woken him up but I was too panicked to care. Gabe was by my side as I checked the bed and the bathroom. He wasn’t angry, he knew something was up. He was asking me questions as I searched. When I didn’t respond, he turned to Leo, their voices were muffled as they talked.
She left me.
Standing in the middle of Gabe’s room, the truth was looking me right in the face. There were no excuses left, no other places she could be, and nothing else to say. She was nowhere to be found. My mate had left me.
We know her better than that. Our mate didn’t leave us.
She’s not here, Elijah! Where else would she be?
If she was done with us, she would have rejected the mate bond. It’s never too late to reject your mate. It would have weakened, if not killed us, but if she didn’t love us, she would have done it.
I never said she didn’t love us.
You sound as if you believe it.
Goddess, I’m not going to try and work through my feelings right now, Elijah. SHE’S GONE!
I was angry, so fucking angry. Where the fuck had she gone? My chest rose and fell as my anger took over. Was she going to him? That was the only explanation. She was leaving me and running to him. I saw red. I slammed my fist down in the middle of the table and it broke in half. Balling my fists, I fought the urge to break something, anything, everything else. Someone else ran through the door and slowly approached me.
“Ethan.”
It was Odis, my brother was here. The one who fixed everything, the one who kept things in place. At the sight of him, the pain in my chest expanded and threatened to explode. Concern was etched across his features and his eyes were filled with worry. He inched forward cautiously as if he were approaching a skittish animal.
“She’s gone.” My voice came out hoarse, it sounded wrong. I struggled to swallow. “Brother, my mate is gone.” I forced the words out.
“Let’s calm down so we can think rationally. I need you to be able to think straight, so we can gather the facts and figure out what’s going on,” Odis said, ignoring what I’d said. Nodding, I didn’t move as he came closer. He was right. I needed to come closer. “Elijah, I need you to let Ethan have full control.” My head snapped up and I locked eyes with my best friend.
“I do have control,” I said as I looked at him curiously. My head cocked to the side as I stared at him. Why is he talking to Elijah? What does he mean? Odis shook his head slowly. His guard was up, his eyes watched my movements, he was calculating. He was on edge and for what?
“I would like to believe that, and I mean this respectfully, Alpha but from your appearance, I would have to disagree,” Odis said.
His eyes lowered and I followed his gaze. My hands were turning into paws, my claws were extended, and hair sprouted from my arms. Looking down, I realized I stood higher off the ground, more so than usual and when I brought my hands to my face, my canines were extended, and my nose was partly shifted into a snout. My body was in the midst of shifting. I lifted my head and looked at Leo and Gabe. They both stared at me with wide eyes. Leo looked shocked, while Gabe wasn’t afraid, he looked worried for me.
“I’m in control,” I repeated. “I’m not sure… I don’t know why… I don’t know how… when…”
“I know,” Odis said, “and that’s okay. We can figure that out later but you know what? You’re right, you are in control, Ethan. I need you to take back full control and shift back.”