novelraw Chapter 106: She’s Mine
Chapter 106: She’s Mine
"Get out of my way, Liam," Ethan snapped, his voice trembling with a mix of guilt and fury. He looked past Liam’s shoulder at Scarlett’s pale face, and the sight of her in Leo’s arms made his skin crawl.
Liam didn’t move. If anything, he seemed to grow larger, his shadow falling over Ethan. "Hell no."
"Little cousin, I won’t hesitate to tear your face off," Ethan hissed, stepping closer until they were chest-to-chest. "Move away. Scarlett is my fiancée."
Liam let out a harsh, ugly scoff. "What irony. Your fiancée? You’ve been parading around this pack with Elara for everyone to see. You think I don’t know that you two are fucking? You think the servants don’t talk?"
The words hit Ethan like a physical blow, and the shame turned instantly into rage. Without a word, Ethan swung, his fist connecting solidly with Liam’s jaw. Liam’s head snapped back, but he recovered instantly, throwing a punch that caught Ethan right in the eye.
They were about to tear into each other like wild animals when Leon suddenly moved, shoving himself between them with a snarl. "Not here! You’ll worsen her condition!"
"Enough!"
The voice was deep and carried the weight of decades of command. Sir Levi, the triplets’ father, walked into the room. He took in the sight of the blood on Liam’s face, the wild look in Ethan’s eyes, and his sons’ defensive stances. His heart sank. It was happening. Exactly what he had feared was finally unfolding.
"All of you," Levi said, his voice tired but firm. "With all due respect, leave this room. Even you, Leo."
Ethan turned on him, his chest heaving. "Uncle, you can tell your sons to leave, but not me. I’m not answerable to you, and Scarlett is mine."
Leo, who was still shirtless and holding Scarlett tightly, didn’t even look up. "She is not yours, Ethan."
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. "You seem to forget that I bought her, Leo. I paid for her. She is mine. So do yourself a favor: listen to your father and leave with your brothers."
Leo’s grip tightened. "Not happening."
"Leo... now," Levi commanded, his commanding aura filling the room. It was a direct order from a father to a son, and it was impossible to ignore.
The brothers felt a surge of pure, blinding rage. They were being forced to leave their mate in the hands of a man they knew didn’t deserve her. Slowly, Leo pulled away from Scarlett’s warmth. His hands lingered on her skin for a second too long before he finally stood up.
The moment Leo moved, Ethan rushed to the bed. He was already pulling off his shirt, his movements quick. He climbed under the covers and pulled Scarlett against him. As his warmth hit her, Scarlett made a soft, comfortable moan, settling deeper into his chest.
The sound was like a knife to the triplets’ hearts. They watched, fuming, as Ethan claimed the spot that should have been theirs.
Levi gestured toward the door, and the three brothers walked out into the hallway, their shoulders tense. Levi followed them, shutting the door behind him.
"What is the meaning of that?" Levi demanded, looking at his sons.
None of them spoke. They stood in a line, three identical faces filled with silent, bitter anger. Their mate was in the arms of another man, and the thought of that was sending their wolves feral.
"Have you all forgotten you’re engaged?" Levi said, his voice rising. "Important alliances have been made."
"I never said yes to that engagement," Leon snapped, his eyes still glowing with rage.
Levi scoffed bitterly. "And why is that? You don’t want the engagement. Why? Because of Scarlett? A girl whose parents were traitors? They are the reason your mother isn’t here with us today!"
Leo stepped forward, his voice cold. "We know that, Father. Believe me, we do. But Scarlett is not her parents. She is innocent, and you know it."
"And stop treating us like boys," Liam added, his voice loud and authoritative. "We are twenty-two years old. We are Alphas. We make our own choices now."
Without waiting for a response, the three brothers turned as one and walked away, leaving their father standing alone in the dim hallway.
Levi watched them go, his expression darkening. He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes, opening a four-way mind-link.
"Guys?" he called out.
A female responded instantly. "I’m here. What’s wrong?"
"We have to start Plan B," Levi sent, his mental voice heavy with regret. "Plan A has failed."
Hours later, the pale, gray light of early morning began to crawl through the heavy curtains, hitting the messy floor of Scarlett’s bedroom. Ethan hadn’t closed his eyes once. He lay there, shirtless and exhausted, with Scarlett’s small body still draped over his chest. Her breathing was finally deep and rhythmic, a soft puff of air against his skin every few seconds.
His life was a wreck. A complete, absolute mess. He was staying in his uncle’s mansion, pretending to be engaged to a woman who was actually his cousins’ mate, while his own true mate treated him like a walking ATM.
Suddenly, a sharp buzz in his mind broke the silence. It was Elara.
"Alpha Ethan?" Her voice rang through the link, sounding way too cheerful for five in the morning. "I just saw this gorgeous designer bag online. It’s limited edition, and I really, really love it. Can you order it for me? I’ll send you the link."
Ethan’s brow furrowed. Spending money on Elara had never been the problem; he had plenty of it, and he would have given her the world if she actually loved and wanted to be with him. But hearing her voice now, after spending the night with Scarlett in his arms, made his stomach turn.
"Also," she continued, not even waiting for a response, "I need about ten thousand dollars sent to my wallet. There’s a few things I need to clear up. Can you do that now?"
Ethan’s grip tightened around Scarlett. He looked down at the girl in his arms. Scarlett, who had gone through hell, had never once asked him for a single cent. She had never asked for anything but her freedom.
"Are you there?" Elara’s voice grew impatient.
"Yes," Ethan sent back, his mental voice sounding flat. "It’s too early, Elara. Give me an hour."
"Oh, thank you!" she chirped, her greed satisfied for the moment. Then her tone shifted, becoming seductive. "And I hope you’ve booked that hotel for tonight. I’m going to make it worth your while, mate. I’m going to fuck you so hard you’ll go wild."
Usually, those words would have made his blood heat up. But they just felt dirty. Cheap.
Irritated, he frowned. "There will be no need for that," Ethan snapped through the link. "I’m not interested."
Before she could argue or ask why, he cut the mind-link, slamming his mental doors shut. He let out a long, shaky breath and looked back down at Scarlett.
She was starting to stir. Her eyelashes flickered against her cheeks, and a small, pained moan escaped her lips as she started to come back to the world. Her hand, still small and pale, moved slightly against his chest, her fingers curling into his skin.
Ethan held his breath, waiting. He knew that the second she opened her eyes, the peace of the morning would vanish, and the nightmare of their reality would start all over again.