Shane didn’t move and for a moment, I thought he was unfazed by his attitude. That or he was really freaking pissed. Damn it, why was Ethan being so stubborn? This isn’t how you were supposed to act when you were at the mercy of someone as vicious and cruel as Shane. My mate had never been captured before and I worried for him. I’d never seen him so hurt, so weak.
At Shane’s question, I hoped to hear that he wasn’t alone. I hoped that he would admit the others were nearby, just out of sight and that they were ready to fight to get him back. Shane lifted his knee and the bottom of his shoe connected with Ethan’s face. Ethan cursed and spat out a mouthful of blood onto the floor.
Shane dropped his head ever so slightly and lifted his arms. His fingers slid through his hair. He straightened his back and dropped his head back as he stared at the ceiling. A habit I came to understand was Shane trying to calm himself because he was close to the edge.
“Is that the best you’ve got? That was a pussy kick,” Ethan laughed.
He flashed his teeth and blood dripped down his lips. It definitely wasn’t a pussy kick, Shane practically stomped him into the ground. When Shane lifted his leg it was at a height that rivaled my own. I wasn’t sure how I could do this but I steeled myself for it. I’d bite my tongue and stay where I was.
“Are there others or did you actually come in here alone?” Shane scoffed.
When Ethan didn’t reply and I had a sinking feeling that he actually did. Why had he done this? I had told him I was leaving and he decided to follow me to Desert Moon? Goddess. Shane chuckled darkly. He knew, and I knew. The chances that Ethan came here were looking greater. That or he was lying.
“So you are a dumb fuck,” Shane chuckled. “What was it they said at the meeting at the Alpha’s table? ‘You need to give notice to the Alpha before showing up on their pack’ and what did you do? You showed up and started killing? What would the Alpha’s table think?” Shane asked in mock shock.
“Alpha Ethan of the Desert Moon pack attacked Half Moon in the early morning, butchered countless warriors on guard, and massacred them brutally? I think that would put you on the naughty list, wouldn’t it? Wasn’t there something about breaking the treaty? Alpha Ethan, you’ve made so many fucked up choices. As soon as they find out, won’t you be stripped of your title?”
“Fuck you,” Ethan spat.
My stomach dropped as Shane turned away from Ethan and made his way to where I stood, to me. Ethan slumped his head and I wanted to sigh in relief but I knew I wasn’t out of the woods yet. It wasn’t over. Shane had brought me down here for a reason and I was about to find out what that reason was.
“No thanks, you’re not my type,” Shane chuckled. “I wanted to introduce you to my Luna.”
He walked past me but I knew he wasn’t leaving. His arm wrapped around my waist and I was pulled tight against his front. I held my chin high as his lips pressed against my neck. He paused and we didn’t move. I know what he was waiting for. It was antagonizing and I held my breath as we waited for Ethan to lift his head.
When he did, his nose was broken and blood oozed down his lips. He looked terrible and my gaze blurred as tears filled my eyes. He squinted and I knew he wasn’t seeing clearly. When his gaze landed on my face, the world around us disappeared.
The three of us were surrounded in darkness, suspended in time as we stared at each other. I expected sadness, anger, and shock even but to my surprise, there was none. The look on Ethan’s face was one of relief and gratitude. His shoulders dropped and I didn’t need him to link me to read his thoughts.
Thank Goddess.
The relief and gratitude quickly disappeared when his eyes traveled over Shane’s lips on my neck. His eyes darkened and the world, the dungeon reappeared around us. I was used to his eyes darkened the way they always did but this was different, the look in his eye wasn’t one of lust but of anger.
Murder was on his mind and a low growl rumbled in his chest and more blood dribbled down his face. Completely ignoring Ethan, Shane pressed his nose against my sensitive skin. I bit back the moan as a shiver made its way down my back. Fuck, I hated this. Ethan’s eyes gazed down my body and locked on where Shane’s hand rested on my hip.
“Get your hands off of her,” Ethan growled as he lurched forward. The chains rattled and his muscles flexed as he tried to get free. “Damn you! This is punishable by death, war is waged over touching another pack’s Luna. She’s mine!”
Shane didn’t flinch, he didn’t take his hands off of me, and he sure as hell didn’t stop what he was doing. His lips slid back and forth over my mark. I couldn’t help the way my breathing picked up.
His hand slid down from my hip to my exposed thigh. I fought the urge to squeeze my thighs together as his fingers dug into my inner thigh. I remembered what happened earlier at the Pizzeria and I wasn’t going to provoke him. That would only make this situation so much worse.
If I didn’t want to tease him, I needed to remain still. His lips parted and his tongue darted out. He ran it over my mark and I whimpered. I could feel Ethan’s gaze on me and I didn’t like it.