Ethan's POV

I storm down the hallway until I reach the two guards that are standing outside of my bedroom. "What was all that? What happened down there?" I demand as my gaze sweeps between the two of them. Their eyes widen and they gulp, instantly looking uncomfortable.

"Umm... we aren't totally sure sir..." Chris begins hesitantly.

"What do you mean you're not sure?!" I growl.

Nick clears his throat and says, "Well, we had stayed by the entrance because we thought it best if we give Luna Scarlet some space."

"No one was bothering her until Alpha Alex went over to talk to her for a bit," Chris chimes in. "But they were just talking and she didn't seem to mind."

"Anyways, Alex left and after walking out, he had turned back to us. He had wanted to know what you did to piss her off so bad," Nick continues before being interrupted by Chris again.

"Which we didn't tell him," he insists.

I let out a snarl of impatience as I ask, "Would you two get to the damn point?!"

They both frantically nod their heads. It's obvious that they know they messed up. "The point sir, is that by the time Alex left and we looked back at Luna Scarlet she was talking to Nicole and whatever they were discussing seemed to be getting heated. We immediately went over there, but only reached them just in time to restrain Nicole after Luna slapped her," Chris finally told me.

My head tilts back and I pinch the bridge of my nose in annoyance before turning my attention back to the guards. "Nothing like this should ever happen again. If it does you'll both be demoted. Lucky for you, this time you are only getting trash duty for the next two weeks. You're dismissed," I reply before opening the door.

I walk into the bedroom and find Scarlet sitting on the bed, facing the large windows that overlook the city. Her head is bowed and I hear a sniffle before she swipes at her cheek. My heart clenches. I hate that she's upset. Kneeling in front of her, I place myself in her line of sight and take her hands in mine. "Scarlet... what did she say to you?"

She deeply inhales a shaky breath and my thumbs stroke her hands as I try to comfort her. "It's nothing. It's stupid. I'm fine," she mutters unconvincingly.

Reaching up I stroke her cheek, making her meet my eyes. "It hurt you. It's not stupid. Tell me. Please."

She sighs sadly, her glance dropping to her lap before returning to me. Her lips purse together and she tilts her head like she's trying to read my face. "Why do you always get home so late?"

My eyebrows furrow, displaying my confusion. I don't know why she is asking me this. "I've been working. There are a lot of things I've been dealing with lately."

"Like what?"

"Like making all of the preparations for the Silver Shadow Pack, running multiple companies, meeting with lawyers to work on the alliance..." I begin cautiously. It feels like this is some sort of trap.

"And has Nikki been there to help you with any of that?"

"No, why?"

She stares at me long and hard, like she's trying to figure out if I'm lying or not. "Because one of the things she said was that you've been going to see her every night. She knew that you have been out late. How would she know that if she hadn't been with you?"

I let out a sigh and shake my head. "I don't know Scarlet, but I swear I haven't been going to see her. You're the only one I want."

She continues to look at me skeptically as if the truth must be written somewhere on my face. "So... why haven't you marked me yet?"

My eyes shoot up to her and my mouth goes dry. "Listen Scarlet... I haven't been completely honest with you..." I begin before explaining the situation with the Silver Shadow Pack, Nikki, and the alliance treaty. She listens silently without interrupting. I keep anticipating her getting mad, yelling or crying, but instead she sits there calmly until I've finished talking.

She stays quiet for a second, waiting to make sure I'm done. She then sighs and shakes her head before meeting my gaze. "I know."

I pause as my eyes widen in confusion. "You know? All of it? How?"

"Yes, all of it. And... I have my sources," she responds, seeming to enjoy the shock displayed on my face.

Finally, I manage to gather my thoughts. "You mean Isa and her big mouth blabbed," I grumble as I reposition myself next to her.

"I didn't say that," she remarks though I'm sure I'm right. Isa's never been good at keeping secrets. "I just wanted to see if you'd tell me the truth," she adds with a shrug.

"So, that was just a test?!" I question, dumbfounded.

She quirks her lips into a devilish grin and shrugs again innocently. I can't help but to laugh and shake my head. "How very devious of you Miss Denton," I exclaim with a chuckle.

"I have my moments," she teases. Being with her like this somehow makes me feel lighter. Seeing her joke around, smile, laugh... it's the best thing in the world.

I let out a chuckle before heaving a sigh. Shaking my head, I look up again to meet her mesmerizing violet eyes. "I seem to be making one mistake after another with you Scarlet and every time you manage to show me how amazing you are. I just... I am so sorry that I keep hurting you." My eyes drop to my hands in my lap as a wave of shame washes over me, thinking of everything I've done, agreeing to take Nicole as my Luna, not being unable to announce to my pack that I found my true mate, lying to her about it... her stay in the dungeons.... I gulp as my eyes suddenly sting. I've never been a cryer, but just remembering the state of my mate when I had finally gone down to retrieve her seems to be enough to break me. Scarlet's hand reaches out and takes one of mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze causing me to look back up at her. "I... I never really apologized before.... I think I was just too ashamed and didn't want a reminder."

She tilts her head questioningly at me. "What are you talking about?

I inhale deeply before letting it out in one big puff as I steady my nerve. I don't know if I've ever apologized to anyone before in my life. Suddenly, it seems as though I should be apologizing for everything. "I'm sorry about your treatment when we first brought you here. You're my mate and I should have trusted you from the moment I met you. I shouldn't have thrown in the dungeons to be questioned the way that I did." I stop and take a shaky breath as I shake my head. "I don't deserve you Scarlet, but I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying to make up for it."

She stares out the windows in front of us, silent. I can feel my heart begin to thump erratically as I await her response. After what seems like an eternity, she exhales slowly and turns back to me. "I forgive you," she begins and a smile instantly spreads across my face. She quickly holds her hand up for me to not interrupt her. "But, I'm not a doormat and I can only take so much bull. You need to do better Ethan. You need to BE better."

My heart swells with the love I feel for her right now. My mate has such a big heart and a beautiful soul. She'll be such a perfect Luna and mate, so sincere and understanding. "I will. I will do anything for you," I remark softly as I hesitantly dip my head down to meet hers, pressing feather-light kisses to her soft pink lips. When she kisses back, I wrap my arms around her waist as I pull her onto my lap so that she is straddling me. Her hands hold my neck as she kisses me back, deepening the kiss. Her body moves against me and I feel myself hardening underneath her. My tongue slips into her mouth and begins dancing with hers, tasting every inch of the warm orifice. She tastes sublime. My hands slip under her top, feeling her smooth skin underneath my fingertips. She moans against my mouth and I take it as a sign that I can continue the exploration of her perfect body. My lips begin kissing down her neck as I embrace her and lay her down on the bed, never allowing my mouth to leave her soft, sensitive flesh. I don't think I'll ever get enough of her.

My kisses make their way down to her chest as they move along the swells of her breasts. Her fingers dig into my hair and she arches her back, enjoying every second of my lips on her skin. My lips work their way back up as my fingers move down to the hem of her shirt. I begin pushing it upward until her breasts are exposed except for the lace bra that holds them. I push one of the cups aside and tweak one of her pretty pink nipples causing her to gasp. While my hand continues to massage and tease the one breast my mouth finds the other, sucking the nipple into my mouth. She moans and mewls as she writhes underneath me. I love seeing her like this, so sexy, so out of control and all because of me. After a while, my mouth begins to move down her abdominals and my fingers work the button of her jeans. "Ethan..." she murmurs and I look up at her. She is propped up on her elbows as she gazes at me. "I-I don't think we should be doing this..."

I raise myself up a little as I cock an eyebrow at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, we still have a lot of things we need to talk about and sort out before we throw sex into the mix."

"Like what?"

"Well, for starters, the reason we had been fighting in the first place," she answers seriously as she pulls the hem of her shirt back down so that her breasts and torso are no longer exposed. I heave out a disappointed sigh and sit up. I know she's right, but I certainly don't like it. My whole body is aching to feel her in every way imaginable.

"So... what did you decide?" I ask hesitantly.

"That you need to stop trying to control me."