Ethan's POV

Work has taken over my life. Day after day I have been in my office trying to keep myself occupied. I have felt the fear and confusion and anger of my mate. I've felt the hunger and exhaustion, my skin burning. And now, as I am trying to comb through financial reports my wrists feel like they are on fire. I clench my fists when my back suddenly feels a stab of pain. My eyes stare down at a point in front of me as I begin to focus on my breathing, willing myself to concentrate on something else, anything that will distract me from my mate's pain.

As I'm still trying to regain control of myself, there is a knock on my door. "Come in!" I call before the door opens and a familiar blonde struts in. Her tight skirt hugs her hips and thighs, going down to her knees and one too many buttons are undone on her blouse, allowing anyone to see her cleavage and black lace bra. She walks over and sits down on the corner of my desk like she thinks she belongs there. I look up at her, not trying to hide my annoyance. Unfortunately, she doesn't pick up on it. "Nicole," I say in greeting. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Do I need a reason to come and visit you Ethan baby? I've missed you! I haven't seen you in over a week!" she exclaims as she reaches out and caresses my cheek before sliding her hand around the back of my neck.

I remove her hand and nod as I look at the stack of papers on my desk. "Yeah. I've been busy."

"Too busy for me?" she asks as she pushes out her lower lip and gives me a pouting look. Then she gets up and slowly starts to walk around me. "You just need to relax baby. Let me help you with that." She stops behind me and puts her hands on my shoulders as she begins to massage them. Her hands then slowly start moving down my chest when another stab of pain strikes my back. I immediately jump up from my seat.

"Dammit Nikki! I don't have time for this!" I take a couple steps away from her and turn around before she walks up to me again.

"What's your problem babe?" She presses herself up to me and puts her hands on my biceps. I place my hands on her hips and gently push her away before sighing.

"I just can't do this right now Nikki. I need to get back to work."

She pouts again. "You can't take a break? Not even twenty minutes? I can make it worth your while."

I give her a tight smile, hiding the disgust that I now have at the idea of doing what she has in mind with anyone other than my mate. "Sorry. No. I need to get this done." I gesture to the waiting heap of files. Technically, I'm ahead of schedule since I've spent so much time working lately, but she doesn't need to know that.

"Okay baby. I get it. I'll see you later." She wraps a hand around my neck and pulls me in before kissing my lips. I allow it but can't help but to picture my mate instead. If I decide to accept her as my mate I'll need to let Nikki know that whatever we were doing is over now. I pull away and walk back towards my desk as she lets herself out, closing the door behind her. What am I going to do? I place my hands on my desk, leaning over it as I inhale deeply. A biting pain leaps from my back again and the breath falls from my lungs. My chest aches like never before.

"It's because you want our mate. You know she is hurting and you hate it," my wolf says in my head. It's the first time I've heard from him since leaving our mate in the dungeons. He still doesn't agree with me, but it needed to be done. Unfortunately, I haven't heard anything from Angelo about how her questioning is going. By the way I was feeling the strike of the whip, I'd assume it hasn't been going well. I should have been checking in with him, but I've been avoiding it. I knew that he would come to me if he had found out who the guilty party was, but I didn't want to know what my mate has been going through. I don't know if I would have been able to follow through if he gave me any of the details.

I slump down in my chair as I heave out a sigh and scrub a hand through my hair. Looking down at my reports, I realize that there is no way I'll be able to concentrate anymore. I pick them up and place them in a drawer before locking it and heading for the door. After securing my office, I walk to the elevator and swipe my ID card before hitting the button for the top floor. Our office building doubles as our pack house. The top two floors are mine and below that is a floor of conference rooms that are rarely used by anyone except me. I like having my privacy and only my siblings and beta have access to my living quarters. Below that each of my siblings and my Beta have their own floor before there are two levels dedicated to pack members. My office, along with Alex's, Xander's, and my Beta Caleb's are all underneath that. It doesn't take long before the elevator is letting me out into my entryway. I toss my keys onto the table sitting by the front door and walk over to the wall of windows that lines my living room. I can see all of Crescent City. The streets are busy as everyone else goes about their evening, completely oblivious to my inner turmoil.

Eventually I go to take a shower, throwing on a pair of sweatpants before climbing into my king-sized bed. I bend my arm behind my head as I stare up at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to take me. "How can you lay here like this while our mate is being tortured?" my wolf growls in my head.

"Will you just shut up! You don't think this is eating me up?! I would give anything to have her here with me?"

"Then go get here! What are you waiting for?!"

"Angelo is trying to get answers out of her about what happened," I answer, though I've begun to lose my resolve.

"It's been over a week. Maybe she doesn't know anything. Are you just going to leave her down there forever?"

"No..."

"Then how long Ethan? Two weeks? A month? A year?" My fists clench and I try to push my wolf out of my head, but this time he won't allow it. He refuses to be ignored any longer. "It's been long enough. If Angelo hasn't gotten anything out of her then he's not going to. Her wolf is getting weaker.... I can feel it." I squeeze my eyes shut as pain grips my heart. "Go to her."

When I open my eyes again it is with a new sense of determination. My wolf is right. I can't do this any longer. If Angelo hasn't gotten anything out of her so what? At least I tried. Now I just want my mate. I throw my covers back before slipping some socks and shoes on. Grabbing a t-shirt from my dresser, I pull it over my head and hurry towards the exit. As I head through the door, I pick my keys up from where I left them not even an hour earlier. The dungeons are below the basement, so I swipe my card for access and push the button with the letter B on it. From there I must take the stairs.

The ride down seems to take forever, both me and my wolf are impatient. Goddess, I hope she doesn't hate me. "Come on, come on," I complain out loud as I watch the numbers slowly counting down above me. Finally, the elevator dings and I rush out before running down a long hallway and opening the metal door that leads to the cells. When I reach the bottom I spot her lying on the cold, concrete ground with her back towards me. The back of the thin, woven cover she is wearing is torn to shreds and she is covered in blood. My breath stills as I watch her. She isn't moving a muscle.

I turn to Angelo. "Is she..." I begin, unsure of exactly what to ask.

"She passed out about an hour ago. Hasn't wakened since," he answers.

"I'm taking her with me. Unlock the door," I remark as I straighten my back, trying not to show how much the sight of her is killing me right now. He nods and does as I say. When the door swings open, I take a step toward her before Angelo grabs my shoulder.

I turn to look at him. "Her name is Scarlet," he states softly as he looks down at her still form.

"Scarlet..." I whisper back. "That's pretty. It suits her."

He nods before continuing. "She doesn't seem to know anything sir."

I sigh deeply as I look at my feet. Then my gaze wanders to her. "Thanks Angelo," I reply without even looking back at him. I sense him step away until he's against the opposite wall as I kneel and scoop Scarlet into my arms. I cradle her against me as I make my way back up to my living quarters. I walk down the hall to one of the guest bedrooms and carefully lay her on her stomach. Reaching over, I turn on one of the bedside lamps and gently peel back the scraps of her rags, revealing the long open slashes left on her fair skin from being whipped.

She is still passed out, so I quietly go to the en suite and rummage through the cabinets before I find the first aid kit. Once I've found it, I bring it out and sit on the bed beside her. She has an arm curled up under her so that a fist is tucked next to her chin. Her eyes are still closed and her red curls are partially hiding her beautiful face. I take out a cotton ball and wet it with antiseptic before I begin dabbing it softly against her injuries. She lets out a whimper of pain and her eyebrows furrow, but she continues to sleep. My chest tightens as I continue my work, next I gingerly apply bacitracin to each of the wounds. Finally, I place a thin layer of gauze over each and lightly blow on it. A shiver seems to run up her spine and my eyes travel up her and back to her face. Her eyes remain shut, but she looks more relaxed now and a slight smile seems to be placed on her lips. I reach for the covers and pull them up over her legs before leaning down and kissing her temple. "Goodnight Scarlet."