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

Chapter 80: 080: What’s Your Game?

~ ROSELLE ~

Everything hurts. My body feels like it’s been run over by a truck, broken ribs screaming with every shallow breath, deep bruises throbbing across my torso and arms, and fresh cuts stinging where Mara’s nails had raked across my skin. Blood trickles from a split lip and a gash above my eyebrow, warm and sticky as it drips down my face. I’m on my knees in the dirt of the training ground, the world spinning slightly as the crowd’s murmurs wash over me like distant thunder.

I try to push myself up, but my arms shake violently and give out. A wave of dizziness hits me hard.

"Can you stand?" Ethan’s voice is surprisingly gentle, almost concerned, as he crouches beside me.

Before I can even nod, he scoops me off the ground like I weigh nothing, one arm under my knees and the other supporting my back. I’m too dazed and hurting to protest immediately. His body is warm against mine, solid in a way that feels both comforting and deeply wrong.

Nikolai is there in an instant, fury etched across his face. "Put her down," he demands, stepping forward with clenched fists. "I’ll take her."

Ethan doesn’t move at first, his grip on me tightening just slightly. "She’s hurt. I’m not going to drop her."

Nikolai’s eyes flash with barely contained rage. "She’s our Luna, and I’m capable of helping her out as the Beta. Hand her over. Now."

Inasmuch much as im.awaew about Ronan hatred for his cousin, it seems to me Nikolai inherited it too. I mean, Ethan js a jerk, a complete asshole, but i have no reason why he would help me.

I’m caught in the middle, too weak to do anything but lean my head against whoever is holding me. Finally, Ethan relents with a low chuckle and carefully transfers me into Nikolai’s arms.

"Fine. Take your precious Luna," Ethan says, that smug smirk returning.

Nikolai doesn’t respond. He just holds me close, his steps hurried and protective as he rushes me toward the healer’s wing. Each time he takes a turn, the movement spins and sends fresh pain shooting through my broken ribs, but I bite my lip to keep from crying out.

Elias is already waiting when we burst through the door. One look at me and his face darkens with fury.

"What in the Goddess’s name happened?" he demands, his voice rising as he gestures for Nikolai to lay me on the examination table.

Nikolai carefully lowers me onto the bed, and Elias is already moving before I’ve fully settled.

His hands work quickly and expertly, pressing gently along my ribs, cleaning the cuts on my skin, checking for signs of internal bleeding, and assessing every bruise with practiced precision.

His expression darkens with every new injury he discovers.

"Broken ribs. Deep bruises. Multiple lacerations." He shakes his head in disbelief. "You just finished healing from the last round of stress and injuries, and now this?"

He looks up at me, frustration and concern warring in his eyes. "Again?"

I wince as he probes a particularly tender spot.

"Mara challenged her to a spar, and Roselle accepted. By pack law..." Nikolai explains, his voice calm as though he’s trying to make Elias understand that the situation had been completely beyond his control.

Elias’s eyes flash with fury.

"I know the pack law," he snaps. "I also know that Mara is a skilled warrior, and putting a wolfless girl up against a fully powered werewolf is nothing short of a death sentence disguised as a fair fight."

His jaw clenches so tightly that a muscle ticks in his cheek, and I can almost see the anger radiating off him.

"I’m telling Ronan," he says through gritted teeth. "He needs to know."

"No!"

The word escapes me before I can stop it.

I quickly grab his wrist with my uninjured hand, panic rising so fast it steals the breath from my lungs.

"Please... don’t tell him. Not until he gets back," I plead, tightening my grip just enough to keep his attention on me. "He’s already dealing with the Council and the dispute. I don’t want him worrying about me or rushing back because of this."

I swallow hard, searching his face.

"Please, Elias."

He looks torn, eyes narrowing between me and Nikolai. Finally, he sighs heavily. "Fine."

I nod weakly, relief washing over me even as pain pulses through my body.

Outside, the pack is clearly divided.

Through the open window, I can hear the murmurs drifting in from the courtyard. Some voices argue in hushed tones, utterly horrified by the brutality of the spar, while others openly praise Mara’s dominance, insisting that a wolfless Luna was never going to work anyway.

The opposing opinions blending together into a confusing mess that makes my head throb even more.

The noise only makes my pounding headache worse.

When Elias finally finishes bandaging me and gives me something for the pain, I step out of the healing room on shaky legs, supported by Nikolai.

Ethan is waiting just outside.

He straightens as soon as he sees me, that strange, unreadable expression on his face.

"You did well." I search his face, expecting to find at least a hint of his usual taunting smile or mocking sneer, but neither is there.

"For someone without a wolf," he continues, "you held your own against someone like Mara."

I stare at him, still wary.

As much as I’m tired of hearing she’s wolfless... she doesn’t have a wolf... I do have a wolf. She’s just suppressed by a fucking chemical that Elias still hasn’t managed to identify.

Then again... As far as everyone else is concerned, that still makes me wolfless.

I let out a slow breath, forcing myself to swallow the familiar sting of frustration. I’m getting tired of hearing it. Tired of being reduced to the one thing they think I’m missing.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I meet his gaze.

"Why did you help me?"

He shrugs indifferently, his eyes meeting mine for a brief second before looking away again.

I already know that look. Figure that out yourself.

I’m no fool. "I need words," I insist, quickening my pace because Nikolai is already several feet ahead of me.

"Quite the demanding Luna, aren’t you?" he asks, clasping his hands behind his back as he keeps pace with me.

"How do I say this...?" he mutters, unclasping his hands and gesturing in the air as though trying to put his thoughts into words.

"Because you’re important. And I don’t want to see you killed before we’ve had a chance to explore this... connection between us." His eyes darken with something possessive. "You owe me now, Roselle. I saved your life today and that’s a debt that matters, and I’m going to collect."

He leans in slightly, that dangerous smirk returning. "You know what I found fascinating? How hard you fought even knowing you couldn’t win. Most people would have given up after the first real hit. But you kept going. That’s the kind of determination I appreciate in a mate. It means you can survibe in any place... "

I shiver, the memory of his earlier threats in the library flashing through my mind.

He doesn’t say anything else. He just gives me one last lingering look before turning and walking away, leaving me standing there with Nikolai, my body aching and my mind reeling.

What the hell is wrong with him?

~~~

It’s evening, and I know I should be resting.

For some reason, though, even after Elias told me I had a broken rib, I barely feel it anymore. It’s almost as if something inside me stitched the bone back together... or healed it on its own. I can’t explain it, but the pain is fading far quicker than it should.

After spending the entire day lying in bed, replaying the spar in my mind and coming up with countless ways to get my revenge on Mara, and prove to the pack that I’m not weak, I finally decide I’ve had enough of staring at the ceiling.

I slip out of my room and make my way to the one place where I know I can truly breathe.

The library. If things ever go back to the way they were between Ronan and me, maybe I’ll suggest building a small reading corner in our room.

Then again... I’ll probably still end up coming here.

The pack library has a charm of its own. It’s enormous, with towering shelves stretching from floor to ceiling, the comforting scent of old books lingering in the air, and quiet corners that make it feel as though the rest of the world simply disappears.

The last person I expect to see in the library is Ethan.

He’s sitting in my usual spot, completely at ease, as though he owns it.

A sigh escapes me.

Ever since he arrived, he seems to be everywhere I am, and it’s starting to feel suffocating.

Even after he helped me today...

I still don’t want to be anywhere near him.

I roll my eyes.

Since His Majesty I Don’t Want You to Breathe has decided to occupy my favorite place, I’d rather go back to my room than share the same space with him.

I turn on my heel.

"Why are you out here?" his voice calls after me, stopping me before I can take another step. "You should be resting."

I hear his footsteps drawing closer. The sarcastic part of me immediately wants to answer, Resting... or inviting you to warm my bed?

I mentally smack myself. Absolutely not.

"I just decided to step out for a breath of fresh air," I reply, keeping my voice as neutral as possible without turning to face him.

I turn to face him. For the first time since we met, his usually unreadable expression is filled with concern. His hazel eyes rake over me from head to toe, lingering on every visible bruise as though searching for another injury.

"What exactly do you want, Ethan?" I ask, folding my arms across my chest. "Quit pretending."

He doesn’t answer. "You can’t just go from I came here to seize my cousin’s pack to I just found out you’re my mate..."

I take a step toward him, refusing to look away. "...then try to convince me to cheat on Ronan..."

I shake my head in disbelief. "...only to suddenly stand up for me, save me, and start acting like you care."

My eyes narrow. "So tell me... What exactly is your game?"

Before he could answer, someone clears their throat from behind us.