Chapter 72

Third Person POV

Ethan returned to his room later that night after saying goodnight to his family. He was planning on taking Irene home, but when he saw that she wasn’t there, he frowned. His room was completely empty. He grabbed his phone and checked his messages, seeing that he had a missed text message from her.

Irene: I went home. Enjoy your time with your family. I’ll see you soon. Love you.

Ethan sighed and shoved his phone back into his pocket. He couldn’t even say that he was upset; he was relieved that she decided to leave. It meant he didn’t have to pretend to be happy for another moment tonight. The memory of watching Judy leaving with Gavin Landry made an icy chill creep up Ethan’s spine. He remembered the way he stood up for her and how Judy looked at him as if he hung the moon. It infuriated Ethan more than anything.

Had she truly moved on from him? They were fated mates after all, and she still wore his mark on her neck. How could it be possible for her to harvest no feelings towards him? He felt sick to his stomach.

He didn’t want to lose Judy. He only wanted to marry Irene because of her status as Gavin Landy’s daughter. Gavin could single handily make him the new Alpha of the Redmoon pack. But he still wanted to keep Judy on the side. He was furious at the thought of her in the arms of another man.

He decided instead of going home, he wanted to go to the local pub. He needed a drink to get his mind off Judy and the idea of her with someone else. The bar wasn’t far from his family’s house, so he decided to walk there instead, taking in the fresh cold air and the beauty of autumn night.

The bar wasn’t super busy at this hour, but there were a few stragglers hanging out and talking amongst one another. Some of which Ethan recognized from the pack. They nodded at him as he walked by and he nodded back.

“What can I get for you?” The bartender, Charlie, asked.

“A whiskey,” Ethan murmured, putting his credit card on the counter. “And keep them coming.”

“Rough night?” Charlie asked as he took the card and opened his tab.

“Something like that,” Ethan said, running his fingers through his hair.

Charlie chuckled and grabbed his drink, sliding it across the counter for Ethan to catch, which he knew he would.

Ethan downed it in on go, which shocked even the bartender. Without Ethan having to ask, Charlie grabbed him another drink.

Once again, Ethan chugged it until the cup was dry. He slammed the glass cup on the counter, and slid it back to Charlie, silently asking for another.

Charlie obliged, knowing it would mean his death if he were to refuse his orders.

After his 6(th) drink, Ethan was practically seeing stars. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to walk a straight line even if he wanted.

Someone sat beside him on the barstool, but Ethan was too far gone to really notice the new presence.

“A classic martini,” the feminine voice said.

“Sure thing,” Charlie replied as he went to grab the woman a drink.

Ethan lifted his gaze, and he was shocked to find a beautiful girl who wore practically nothing. Her long hair flowed evenly down her back and when she glanced over at Ethan, she offered him a small smile.

What amazed him the most was the fact that she looked just like Judy!

“Judy…” he whispered, her image becoming distorted as the alcohol whirled around in his head.

She corked an eyebrow at him.

“My name is Hazel,” she murmured.

He didn’t care what her name was, all he cared about was the fact that she looked just like his mate.

“Are you okay?” the Judy look-alike asked after a beat of silence. She was now sipping on her martini and watching him warily. “Hey wait… I know you. You are Ethan Cash, right?”

“Yes,” he answered. “Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?”

She chuckled and took another sip of her a martini.

“On a daily,” she admitted. After another beat of silence, she grew wary of him staring at her and she cleared her throat. “Buy me another one of these and I’ll let you take me home,” she teased.

He glanced at the bartender and raised his brows.

“Get the lady another drink,” Ethan all but slurred.

Charlie laughed and glanced at Hazel with raised brows, as if to ask her permission. She thought about it for a moment, taking a look at him and then she glanced at the bartender.

“He’s a rich boy, right? Make it two and I want all my drink on his tab,” she declared.

“Yes, Mam,” Charlie replied.

After serval martinis, Hazel was just drunk enough to loosen up. She allowed Ethan to pull her into him as his lips crashed onto hers. He tasted like whisky and sadness, and it was enough to make her all sorts of hot. She fed of the weakness of men, and she knew she could get a pretty penny out of this one.

She wrapped her legs around his waist as he deepened the kiss. He nibbled on her bottom lip.

“Let’s get out of here,” he murmured against her.

She nodded and Ethan called one of his subordinates to come pick them up because he was far too drunk to drive. He took her back to his house and they had sex all night long.

…..

Judy’s POV

Pain coursed through my entire body starting with the mark on my neck. My body trembled violently, and tears streamed down my cheeks. I had felt pain starting in my neck before, whenever Ethan kissed Irene, but it was never anything like this.

This was a whole new level of pain that I wasn’t used to and I never wanted to feel again. My entire body felt as if it was being electrocuted. My wolf was howling in despair, and I couldn’t get the noise out of my ears.

Gavin ran out of the bathroom with a warm cloth; me waking up screaming scared him, and he rushed to the bathroom right away. The loss of contact from his warm body made it all feel worse but once he returned, I felt a little of the tension and pain subsiding.

“It’s okay,” he breathed, placing the warm cloth over my head. I reached up and grabbed his shoulders, pulling him into me. I needed him close; for whatever reason, his body made the pain more bearable. “Ssshhh…” he breathed, kissing the top of my head as his arms wrapped around me.

“It hurts…” I whimpered, my fingers trembling as I scratched at my neck.

“Stop doing that,” he said through his teeth, grabbing at my hand as he replaced it with the warm cloth. “You’ll hurt yourself even more.”

“I don’t understand what’s happening…” I said as tears flowed evenly down my cheeks. “I’ve never felt pain like this before… only when Ethan kisses Irene… but it’s never been this bad.”

He was quiet for a moment, and I could tell he was thinking intently about something.

“Do you think they could be doing more than kissing?” Gavin finally asked after a long silence.

I sucked in a sharp intake of breath; could that be what’s wrong? Could Ethan and Irene be having sex and that’s why I was facing this severe pain coming from the mark on my neck?

I could hear my wolf whimpering at the very thought. My body continued to tremble in Gavin’s arms, and he held me even tighter.

“Just take a deep breath…” he whispered. “You’re going to be okay. I’ve got you.”

His words lulled me enough to relax and I felt the pain subsiding just a little more. He dabbed at my neck with the warm cloth as his lips covered mine, taking my bottom lip into his mouth. It was like medicine and suddenly, the pain wasn’t there at all. I melted into his kiss, needing more of him because for some reason, he took the pain away.

He ran his fingers through my hair, massaging my scalp and sending a warm wave of chills down my spine, making goosebumps form on my flesh. When he pulled away, the ache in my neck returned, but it wasn’t as severe as it once was. I was left breathless, and my face was flushed from the heat. He smiled down at me as he kissed the bridge of my nose.

“Any better?” He asked, a smug look on his face.

“A little,” I murmured.

“Good,” he said, kissing my lips once more. “Hold this to your neck. I’ll mindlink Taylor and ask him if Irene returned last night.”

I nodded, still feeling dazed as I firmly held the warm cloth to my neck. The moment his arms were no longer around me, the pain returned, and I couldn’t help but scream in agony. I could see the look of remorse crossing his face just before his eyes glazed over. I knew that meant he was mindlinking his beta.

His frown deepened and I nearly blacked out from the pain until his arms were wrapped around me again. The pain began to subside, and I felt myself releasing the breath I had been holding.

“That’s strange…” he said softly.

It was very strange that his touch made the pain go away, so I nodded and looked up at him.

“Very…” I agreed.

He blinked a few times and looked down at me.

“What? No, I mean it’s strange that Irene returned home hours ago. She’s been sleeping in her room. No one saw Ethan returning with her,” he told me.

My heart sank. Then if Ethan wasn’t having sex with Irene right now… what the hell was he doing??

Was he having sex with another woman?!