Ares

“When will you be home?” Charolette asked over the phone.

I blew a breath through my nose, hearing her soothing voice, and leaned against the car that the Darkmoon Pack had graciously lent me to bring Aurora home. Tony stood at the edge of the forest, arms crossed over his chest, talking to Aurora’s parents. I let out a growl directed at him. Goddess, he was lucky I hadn’t ripped him piece by piece.

I’d promised Mars I’d take it slow with Aurora. But when I had seen Tony kissing her, I hadn’t given a fuck about promises anymore. He had been kissing what was and what would stay mine.

“Hello?” Charolette said again. 

There was some rustling in the background, and then she yelled to Marcel—my warrior in charge of guarding her and training the pack—to shut up.

“Soon,” I said.

“When you get home, come over. I have something for you.”

Aurora’s mother approached me, arms crossed over her chest. 

I glanced up at the sky and suppressed another growl. “I have to go, Charolette. I’ll see you soon.”

She hummed. And before I hung up the phone, she mumbled a sweet, “I love you.” 

It was enough to calm me down for now, but I knew it wouldn’t last. All I could smell was lemon drifting through the air from Aurora’s bedroom window, driving my wolf crazy. He wanted to run back up the stairs to show her what a true alpha male felt like, to prove to her that Tony was less than nothing, to make her obedient.

The mere thought of turning such a strong woman into a puddle for me … 

I clenched my jaw and held back a groan, composing myself as Alpha Theia started talking my fucking ear off about this agreement.

It was all nonsense I didn’t listen to because I wasn’t going to let her tell me how to treat my mate. 

All I needed was the answer to one question and one question only. “Why wasn’t Aurora on the battlefield this morning?”

Alpha Theia and her mate, Theron, glanced at each other. An eerie silence erupted throughout the entire forest, and some of the wolves from her pack stared over at us, waiting for her response.

My gaze drifted from Theia to Theron. Though Theron was from one of the greatest warrior families, he looked so weak, so exhausted after a short battle. Letting his mate do all the talking. Having no say in any decisions she made. It was pitiful.

Theia stepped forward and pressed her lips together, dark hair blowing in the breeze, showing me all the scars on her neck and shoulders from years of fighting. “We wanted to protect her from you,” she said strongly, but her gaze faltered.

Shame.

Written on her face. Etched into every one of her wrinkles. Shown in her slouched shoulders. Yet she tried to hide it behind her commanding alpha tone, behind her strong eyes. It was pathetic how disgraceful she was, how she could barter a smart and fierce alpha without a second thought.

“Then, why’d you trade her to me so willingly?” I asked. When neither she nor her mate answered, I growled. “Why’d you not wake her when the battle began? Why didn’t you tell her she would be your pawn? She’s a warrior and an alpha. She should’ve known everything going on in this pack, not just the things you want her to know.”

I didn’t know how Aurora was treated here, but things were about to change for her. And I’d be the one to change them.