24. Heart sick

The interrogation tower was just a brooding building near the borders.

The sun was probably up by now, but thick clouds darkened the sky, cold wind cutting through everything.

The guards saluted as Ethan walked up the stairs, casting questioning looks at the girl that followed behind. Angelina had taken even less than a few minutes to get ready. Clad in a trench coat that was the same coal black of Ethan's suit, red hair caught in a high ponytail.

No longer did she look like the worried girl standing in the doorway of his room. Right now, she was an emissary of the Alpha Supreme.

The tower was built closed, without a single window, occasional lights lined the narrow hallways.

Ethan made his way directly to the waiting room.

"Alpha," Eve Briar, still just a warrior in training, stood outside the thick metal door

"Good morning, Briar," Ethan nodded in her direction "How are our guests doing?"

"No one has put hands on them yet, Sir."

That couldn't be said for many people who'd entered this tower.

"Who's watching them?"

"Emery and Dalton, Sir. They just went inside."

She unlocked the door for him, letting him take the handle. The warrior put out an arm in the space between him and Angelina, cutting off her path.

"Ah, I nearly forgot to introduce you to our ambassador," Ethan told her "Ms. Angelina Vandor, from Winters' territory. Would you take her to the watch room for me?"

Eve nodded, if she was surprised, no expression crossed her face.

"I thought we agreed I could come." Angelina said to him

"We agreed you could observe," Ethan corrected her "The watch room is made just to fulfill that sort of request."

She opened her mouth to say something but Ethan cut her off.

"You don't want to enter this room if you value your lungs, ambassador."

That was all she was going to get out of him. Without another word, Ethan entered the waiting room, the door closed behind him.

The waiting room was small square with a single light bulb in the roof. A single metallic table stood in the center, fixed to the floor. On two chairs, Ethan spotted the new comers.

The men stood up as they saw him. Ethan recognized Lucas solely because of how utterly disheveled the man looked, dark eyes rimmed red, chestnut hair windswept. The composed one must be his Beta, Hunter Wilson.

Behind them, almost out of the small sphere of the bulb's light, two warriors stood so still, Ethan wouldn't have noticed them at all if he didn't know to look.

Lucas stood harshly as he spotted Ethan, his chair screeched backwards. He looked behind Ethan, as if expecting someone else, but came up short.

"Were you expecting someone else?" Ethan asked with mock sympathy

Lucas' face twisted in a rather ugly expression of anger. He took a threatening step forward.

"Where is she?" He demanded

"You will have to elaborate on that." Ethan said nonchalantly, and strolled to a chair across from the table

"My mate," Lucas slammed his hands palm first on the table "Where is Victoria?"

Ethan leaned back in his chair, and drummed his fingers over the armrest.

"How do you like our sunroom?" He asked casually "It's the biggest room in this tower, you know."

"You bastard—

Before Lucas could reach across the table and try to possibly punch Ethan across the face, his Beta grabbed his arm.

"We informed your people we wanted to see Victoria, or at least Vincent," Hunter said "We've been waiting for two hours already. Why aren't they here?"

A lazy smile curved at his lips "That's because they don't know you're here. You may tell me the reason of your visit. I'll consider relaying the message if it's worth my while."

Alpha Lucas was positively seething at this point, he briskly walked across the table, and grabbed Ethan's chair by the back, shifting it harshly so they were facing each other. Hunter shifted on his feet, as if contemplating whether to interfere or not.

"I'm getting real tired of your bullshit," The older Alpha growled "I want to see my mate, and I'd like see anyone try to stop me."

Ethan's expression melted into boredom.

"She's not your mate."

"What did you just—

"The moment you rejected her, you lost all rights to say that." Ethan rolled his eyes "Tell me you aren't stupid enough to not know that."

That did it. Lucas lost any semblance of patience he had.

He grabbed Ethan by the collar, violently pulling him to his feet.

"Shut the f—

Whatever wisdom he was going to impart would forever be lost to the world, since it dissolved into nothing as breath got knocked out of his lungs.

Dalton's elbow left the space between Lucas' shoulders, only to shove the Alpha to his knees. A small click issued, as happens when a gun is notched at the back of someone's head. In a moment, his beta's knees were joining the floor beside his. Emery did no discrimination in putting a similar gun to Hunter's head.

"Keep your hands off our Alpha, mutt." Dalton growled lowly

Realization came to Ethan's guests surprisingly quick, given the level intellect he'd observed so far.

"You're Ethan Parks?" Lucas huffed, breath still short

Ethan fixed his collar and tie, then put his hands in his pockets. He tipped his head to a side.

"Your senses dulled down sooner than I'd expected," He mused "Usually inhaling this amount of wolves bane in the air would take at least four hours to mess up an Alpha's senses."

Lucas' eyes widened, Hunter looked a little sick, face paling.

Ethan sat back down in his chair "It's a small dose, really. Barely noticeable."

"Impossible. If that was the case, you and your guards would never enter this room." Lucas spat out

Ethan leaned forward in his chair with a smile that was thrilled for all the wrong reasons.

"Do you know, when you step inside a room with air like this, it's pretty clear what's in the air." He told his guests delightfully "It burns all the way through your windpipe, a swift jab to your lungs, making it difficult to breathe."

He pulled back, and rested his cheek against a fist, elbow propped on the armrest.

"Once you're used to it, it's a rather enjoyable experience."

Lucas stared at him, disgust obvious on his face "You're sick."

"Oh? Don't you enjoy the occasional pain yourself?" Ethan feigned exaggerated surprise "You did willingly reject your soulmate."

The Alpha's jaw tightened and he looked away, hands clenched into fists.

"I want to see Victoria."

"So you keep saying."

Silence stretched out in the room. Ethan watched Lucas struggling to hold his composure. He saw the moment the fight broke from his frame, shoulder slumping.

"I know I've made a mistake." He finally said, shoulders dropping "I will anything for her forgiveness. I just want to see her once. I can't—"

A frustrated growl, he dragged a hand through his hair, fisting it halfway. His breaths were harsh, voice rough.

"I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't do anything." Lucas pressed his eyes close against his words "All I can do is think about her. I can't take it anymore, living without her near me. I need to see her, hear her voice. Even if just once, I have to. Please."

He stopped talking, chest rising and falling rapidly. He looked up at Ethan with anger, frustration and broken pride all mixed over his face. But most of all, determination.

Ethan stared back at him, waiting.

It seemed the other Alpha had nothing left to say.

"That's all?" Ethan asked dispassionately

"What?" Lucas breathed out, physically recoiling

"About your story, I mean." Ethan sat straight "Is that it? It wasn't half as entertaining as I was expecting."

Lucas and Hunter stared at him blankly. It looked like they were having a hard time reacting to such a remark.

"You see, Whitlock," Ethan started calmly "Everyone seems to have a story these days. Humans, supernaturals, the living, the dead. A story to depict their struggles, their strength, their pain. And they all simply love to tell that story, trying to make it look significant."

Ethan smiled at Lucas. Under the dim light of the single bulb, the shadows over his face seemed to paint the picture of an eerie portrait.

"I've listened to many stories, but not a single one with as much bullshit as yours."

"Are you even listening to yourself, you sociopath?" Lucas's eyes narrowed, repulsion thick in his tone

Ethan ignored his remark completely and shook his head

"You got tired, didn't you? Tired of dealing with the consequences of your actions, tired of paying the price." The younger Alpha stated "You just want something, anything, to rid you of it all."

He stood, and closed the distance between them. Ethan crouched down so they were at eye level, indifferent, composed blue eyes staring into the open disbelief of earthy brown ones.

"But you see, Lucas, there are some things you can't take back." Ethan said, his voice was cold, but it carried "No matter how much you regret, no matter how much it pains you, whatever God you beg to, it's useless. The world does not care."

Ethan stood to his feet.

"Every struggle of yours, is utterly meaningless."

Lucas stared at him like Ethan was something entirely different, something so deformed and twisted, he couldn't identify it. Something who looked like everyone else, but was put together wrong on the inside.

The younger Alpha put his hands in his pockets, and held his gaze unflinching.

"Get them out of my sight."

Dalton and Emery didn't waste a breath in hauling the two to their feet. Ethan started for the door.

"Wait—" Lucas was struggling against the warriors, but unable to do any real damage, his voice so loud it bounced off the walls "I'm going to take this matter to the Alpha Supreme! I'm not going to give up my mate to the likes of you, you sickening bastard!"

Ethan only stopped for a moment in front of the door, he turned halfway back, one hand on the door handle. He wore the same mocking smile he had when he'd entered.

"You might want to see a doctor for your lungs."