The Alpha's Silent Bride: Seventh Time's The Charm

Chapter 70: 070: Ethan’s Trap

~ ROSELLE ~

I’m trying to ignore the voice in my head that keeps screaming, You’re at fault. But I’m not. I’m fucking not.

I know it’s hard to believe, but I’ve already made up my mind. If they really spent the night together... if he really did sleep with Mara... then I’m leaving.

It’ll be hard. Goddess, I know it will be. The thought of walking away from him, from this pack, from the life we were building together, it feels like asking me to cut out my own heart and throw it away.

But I can’t see myself staying with him after discovering he’s Mara’s mate, only to find out he shared a bed with the woman who almost killed me. The woman who orchestrated my torture. The woman who’s been plotting against me since the moment I arrived.

I just can’t.

Last night, we’d agreed to sleep in separate rooms, and he’d accepted without argument. Part of me had been relieved. I needed the distance. I needed time to think without him clouding my judgment with his touch, his voice, his presence.

Now, I wasn’t sure any amount of distance would be enough.

So I decide to get out of the house entirely.

I need fresh air. I need to clear my head. I need to remember who I am outside of Ronan, outside of this pack, outside of the curse and the mates and the Moon Goddess’s cruel sense of humor.

I slip out through the back entrance and make my way toward the gardens.

The gardens are beautiful in the morning light.

Flowers bloom in every color imaginable, roses and peonies and lilies all arranged in careful patterns. The grass is soft under my feet, and all these bring memories, the memories of the last time I came here with Ronan.

I can almost see him here, walking beside me, pointing out different flowers and telling me their names.

Now, standing alone in this garden, surrounded by the physical embodiment of memories I’d rather forget, I feel tears pricking at my eyes.

I was such a fool to believe in fairytales.

You know that eerie feeling when your skin prickles and every hair on your body stands on end? Yeah, that’s exactly what hits me.

It’s almost as if someone is watching me from the shadows. My breath catches the moment I notice the faint reflection of a shadow shifting in the morning light.

I freeze where I stand, every muscle in my body locking into place.

The atmosphere suddenly turns tense, every instinct I possess screams that something is terribly wrong.

My entire body snaps into high alert. I spin, my heart hammering in my chest, ready to fight.

Standing there is Ethan, Ronan’s supposed cousin, his dark eyes locked on mine with an intensity that makes my skin crawl.

His lips curl into a slow predatory smile, as though he takes pleasure in watching fear settle beneath my skin.

The sight of him sends a chill racing down my spine.

"Are you stalking me?" I ask, unable to keep the suspicion out of my voice.

"You look pretty," he says instead, his deep voice screaming one word: danger. "I can see why my cousin is so obsessed with you."

"What do you want?" I ask, taking a cautious step backward as I struggle to keep my voice steady, even though my heart is pounding against my ribs.

Something about the way he’s looking at me sets every survival instinct I possess on edge.

Honestly, who stares at someone like they’re deciding the best way to devour them?

He reaches out before I can move further away, his fingers brushing against my cheek with a casualness.

I jerk away from his touch immediately.

"Don’t touch me," I say coldly. "You’re disgusting, and your ambition reeks. If you think you can intimidate me, you’re even more pathetic than your cousin gave you credit for."

I expect him to get angry. Or at the very least, take a step back and give me some space.

Instead... He smiles.

"Is that so?" he asks, stepping closer instead of away. His proximity makes my skin crawl. "I wonder if Ronan knows how feisty you are. I wonder if that’s why he’s so ready to die for you. That spark, that fight in your eyes... it’s intoxicating."

He steps closer still, and I’m forced to back away, my body bumping against one of the garden’s stone benches.

"You smell weird," he says, his nose flaring as he leans in, inhaling deeply. "Different from most wolves. Aside from the fact that I know you’re wolfless, you smell... wrong."

I open my mouth to respond, to tell him exactly what I think of his observations, but he continues before I can speak.

"Your scent makes my heart thump," he says out of the blue. "It makes my wolf pace. It makes him demand to be released so he can get closer to you."

His eyes flash with something dangerous—something lupine and feral lurking just beneath the surface of his human form.

"All those signs," he says quietly, his gaze never leaving mine, "they narrow down to one thing. One singular, undeniable truth."

He reaches out again, and this time he doesn’t stop when I try to move away. His hand cups my face gently, almost tenderly, as if he’s touching something precious and fragile.

"You’re my mate," he says, and his voice carries the certainty of absolute truth.

The words hit me like a physical blow.

No. No, this can’t be happening. This can’t be real.

My stomach drops. Because this is worse than anything I could have imagined.

Ronan’s true mate is Mara. I’ve accepted that. I’ve come to terms with it, as much as it destroys me.

But if Ethan is also a mate... if there’s another connection...

"You’re lying," I replied. "That’s not possible. You’re just trying to manipulate me. You’re trying to—"

"I’m not lying," Ethan interrupts, his hand still cradling my face. His touch feels like a trap closing around me. "And I don’t care if you believe me or not. The bond will prove itself soon enough. My wolf recognizes you. And soon, you’ll recognize us too."

He leans in, and for a terrifying moment, I think he’s going to kiss me. I think he’s going to claim me right here in this garden where Ronan first showed me kindness.

But instead, he simply presses his forehead against mine, breathing in my scent like it’s the most intoxicating thing he’s ever encountered.

"This changes everything," he whispers. "My challenge for the throne, my plans for the pack... everything just became infinitely more valuable. Because now, I have leverage. Now, I have you."

He pulls back, and when he looks at me, his eyes are blazing with possession and triumph.

"And Ronan," he says with a smile that makes my blood run cold, "is going to have to choose. Me or you. The throne or his mate."

My heart is pounding so hard I think it might break through my ribs.

Because I understand, in that moment, exactly what Ethan has just done.

He’s given himself a weapon. And that weapon is me.