10 Chapter 10

Scarlet's POV

My mind is reeling and my mouth seems to be gaping like a fish, unsure of what to say as I watch my mate receding to the exit. Is there anything I can say? At least I have a better understanding of Ethan's hatred towards the packless. However, something doesn't add up to me. I've never heard of anything like that happening in The Scourge. Maybe I'll ask Jo. She's been around long enough. Surely she would know something about it.

When did my life get so complicated? And overwhelming? It feels like I've gone through so much in such a short period of time. I've felt so many emotions. I still feel like such an idiot for breaking down in front of Ethan the way that I did. I don't normally get so emotional, but it was like I had finally had enough. I just couldn't keep my emotions in any longer and suddenly the freaking dam just broke. I heave out a sigh and shake my head as I try to reign in all of the feelings that are trying to suffocate me. I've got to get it together.

I allow my mind to wander in an attempt to distract myself from everything else. Walking around the room, I notice how tidy it is. I run my finger along the fireplace mantle and there isn't a speck of dust. The room is sleek and sharp. It doesn't look lived in at all. The room is luxuriously decorated but lacks personal touches. There are no pictures of my mate or his family sitting on any of the tables or walls, nothing on the mantle either. I sit down on the edge of the bed and eye the drawer of the bedside table next to me. Is it okay for me to snoop? I mean, he left me here alone. And I am his mate. So, isn't it my right to have a look around?

My hand slowly reaches out for the small knob, my mind still debating on whether I should or shouldn't. However, curiosity wins out and I pull it open. There is a stack of pictures that I instantly scoop up, immediately noticing the one on top is of a woman. My fingers lightly trace around her features. Despite the photo being a bit faded, it is easy to tell that she was beautiful with fair skin and bright blue eyes that shine like sapphires. Her dark blonde hair falls in curls past her shoulders and her smile seems to radiate pure joy. Flipping the image over, I see that there is a single word written on the back. 'Lenore.' I shuffle through the photos and find one of the same woman with her arms around three small boys. They all have the same wide grin on their face and I bring it closer to my face to get a better look. "Ethan," I murmur softly as I realize exactly who I'm looking at. Ethan, Alex, Xander, and their mother Lenore.

There is a loud knock on the door causing me to jump like a five-year old who just got caught in the cookie jar. I'm trying to stuff the pictures hastily back into the bedside drawer when the door opens and a young woman I've never seen before strolls in wearing a designer dress and stilettos. She is gorgeous with her caramel colored skin and her brown doe eyes. She has long dark hair with honey highlights and looks like she could have walked right off a runway. She has several shopping bags hanging from the crook of her elbow. Her eyes immediately land on me and a knowing smirk appears on her face. I've totally been caught red-handed.

"You must be Scarlet. I'm Isa Kane. Ethan's favorite sister," she says as she smiles at the stunned look on my face. "Okay... well, his only sister. But that makes me his favorite by default."

"Umm... hi! Nice to meet you," I reply as I stand from the bed and walk over to her with my hand held out.

She raises her eyebrow at me and swats my hand away. "Girl please! Give me a hug!" She quickly grabs me and pulls me into a tight embrace. Once she loosens her grip she places her hands on my shoulders and squeals. "We are going to the best of friends! I just know it!"

My eyes widen at her excitement. I'm feeling so confused and overwhelmed... again. I didn't even know that Ethan had a sister. And she is completely different from him in both appearance and personality. "That's great!" I exclaim back as I try to match her enthusiasm and seem to fail miserably. Upbeat and bubbly are two adjectives that aren't usually used to describe me. "So, umm... what brings you by today?"

"Oh! My bad! Ethan asked me to bring you some necessities," she answers as she throws the shopping bags onto the bed and begins dumping the contents out for me to see. I notice my mouth hanging open and instantly close it as I look at the array of stuff she has laid out. There is an abundance of make-up and hair supplies along with actual essentials such as shampoo, toothpaste, and deodorant. She also bought numerous outfits for me, all of them designer.

"I don't know if I can accept all this..." I begin.

She waves her hand at me dismissively. "Nonsense. You need all of this. You can't very well walk around dirty and naked when you're going to be named Luna. If my brother can iron out the details of the alliance treaty anyways."

"Alliance treaty? What do you mean?"

"Oh.... Uhh... Ethan hadn't mentioned it to you?..." Isa stammers, seeming uncharacteristically uncomfortable. Anxiety instantly shoots up my spine. I feel like I'm not going to like hearing the details.

"No, but you're going to need to explain it now."

"Oh no. My brother is going to kill me for spilling the beans. I'm not about to tell you more," she states sternly as she backs away from me, shaking her head adamantly.

"Isa!" I begin to argue.

"Sorry girl, but you're going to have to take this up with him. I need to head out anyway. You should shower and change. I doubt my brother will be happy if you are still dressed like this when one of his men come in," she says as she gestures to me. I look down and see that I'm still in my tattered shirt with my torso exposed. I instantly close Ethan's leather jacket around me and grimace.

"Fine... but if you tell me what you're talking about then I don't have to ask Ethan about it and therefore he doesn't have to know that you said anything," I point out, fighting the smile that threatens to spread across my face as I watch Isa's facial expression change.

"Ooh... you play dirty. I'll tell you, but you can't tell Ethan that I said anything."

"Deal."

"Alphas are expected to take a mate by the time they are thirty. If they don't find their fated mate by then they choose a mate since they are stronger with a Luna. Ethan will be turning thirty next month. He was in the middle of courting Nicole Fairchild of the Silver Shadow Pack. She is the Alpha's daughter. Luckily no contracts had been signed and nothing had been officially announced, so now that he's found you he is trying to renegotiate an alliance."

My chest tightens and I feel like I can't breathe. He had been planning on marrying someone else, taking her as his Luna. Was he sleeping with her? Is she still here? Did he fall for her? My stomach churns inside of me, making me feel like I might vomit. I swallow hard and try to regain my composure before Isa continues. "Anyway, once he knew you had nothing to do with the death of our pack members, he wanted to complete the mating process with you and make you his Luna. Unfortunately, he can't do anything official until the alliance treaty is settled."

I manage to nod, not feeling as though I could even put a coherent string of words together. I don't even know what to say. She reaches over and pats me reassuringly on the knee. Clearly, she can tell that I'm not taking the news very well. In reality, I'm surprised that it bothers me as much as it does. So far, my mate isn't exactly my favorite person right now. I, myself, haven't even decided if I want to accept him as a mate yet. He's stubborn, bossy, and hot-headed. Though, he also seems to be thoughtful, caring, and affectionate... when he's not pissed off anyway. I shake my head as I try to empty it of all the thoughts that seem to be clogging my brain. "Well, thanks for telling me," I finally manage to say.

"Of course! Though you didn't exactly give me much of a choice. Just remember not to tell Ethan I said anything. I had assumed he would have told you, but I guess I should have known better. He's not exactly an open book." She stands up from where she had taken a seat next to me on the bed. "And don't worry. You're the one he wants to be with."

I give her a weak smile before she pulls me in for another hug. We say our goodbyes and I watch as she walks out the door, noticing that there are two men standing guard outside the room. I wonder if I'm even allowed to leave the room. It's not like I have anyway to leave the penthouse. I've seen that they use ID cards in order to gain access to the elevator. I push that thought aside as I dig through all the stuff that Isa had brought me. Once I've found what I'm looking for, I go to the bathroom to shower.

After taking my time again, I get out and pat myself dry before throwing on a pair of dark jeans and a flowy black top. Once I've dried my hair, I take a deep breath and open the bedroom door. Two men flank the doorway and don't move a muscle as I step into the hallway. I take this as a sign that I'm allowed out of the room and slowly begin meandering down the hall, observing all my surroundings and checking all of the doors I pass. I notice that the two men are following me at a reasonable distance and I try to ignore them. I find a guest bathroom, a study, and a personal gym until I reach the end of the hallway and it opens into a grand living area. There is a wall of windows along one side and I can see all of Crescent City. The living room is modern and minimal just like the master bedroom. The kitchen is the same with its stainless-steel gourmet appliances. A large table, big enough to sit twenty people, is positioned underneath an exquisite modern chandelier. Everything looks expensive and I can't help but to marvel at the grandeur as I walk around the open concept room.

I continue to explore the massive penthouse with my two shadows following closely behind me. I find seven guest rooms, including the one I had originally been in, each with their own bathroom. There are two other guest bathrooms as well. There is a huge media room with reclining chairs and a big screen. The room also had a wide array of games that you could play, a wet bar with a refrigerator and microwave. There was a full library, an indoor spa, and a room that was locked that one of the men said was Ethan's home office.

Once I was done wandering the penthouse, I went back to the library and grabbed a couple books that looked interesting before bringing them back to the main living room. I grabbed a throw blanket off the back of the large sectional sofa and curled up in the corner with the books, picking one to start reading. The book is interesting, but I'm getting restless. I don't like being trapped here and I don't like not doing anything productive. I should be at the shelter helping to prepare dinner, but instead I'm lounging around doing nothing of importance.

Eventually I close the book with a sigh and focus on trying to mind-link Will. "Will?" I ask.

For a moment there is no response until I hear his voice in my head. "Scar? Where are you? Are you okay? What happened when Alpha Ethan took you away? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

A small smile crosses my lips at Will's concern. He has always been a bit protective of me. We grew up together in The Scourge and has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. "I'm fine. He didn't hurt me or throw me in the dungeons again or anything. Actually, he took me back to his room and had the pack doctor look me over. And I got my necklace back! The doctor had brought it with her. Anyways, I've been given fresh clothes and everything too. Only bad thing is that he still has me under house arrest. I guess I expected as much though."

There is another moment of silence as if he's thinking of what to say next. "For how long? When will I get to see you? Are you going to be able to continue helping at the shelter?"

"I hope so. I don't know how long he plans on keeping me locked away though. Apparently, he can't even announce I'm his mate at the moment."

"What?! Why not?!"

I let out an annoyed sigh before answering. "He had been in the middle of negotiating a marriage contract with someone else that now has to be corrected. I guess him announcing a new Luna before they have come to an alternate agreement could cause problems."

"So, he's keeping you hidden away from this other girl?!"

My wolf lets out an irritated growl at Will's insinuation. I hadn't even thought about that possibility. Is that why he hasn't once allowed me to roam freely? Is that why he hasn't even given me a tour of the pack house or introduced me to anyone? Is he trying to keep me a secret? I take in a deep steadying breath trying to calm myself down. "Scar?" Will's voice asks uncertainly. I guess I've been taking too long to respond.

"Yeah.... I'm here. I just... had to sort through my thoughts. I don't know if that's why he's keeping me locked up. Before you had said that I just thought it was his overbearing way of protecting me. But now... well... now I don't know."

"Oh... I'm sorry Scar. I didn't mean to make you worry."

"It's okay Will. Besides—" I'm interrupted when someone clears their throat and I instantly jump, startled. I hadn't even heard anyone come in. "Will, I gotta go!" I hurry up and say before cutting off the mind-link. Then I turn my focus back to the man standing in front of me with a large pizza box in his hands.

He gives me a mischievous smirk before walking over to the dining room table and setting the box down. He looks very similar to Ethan except that his hair is shaggier and his eyes are dark brown. I get up from my spot on the sofa and slowly walk over to him. "So, who were you talking to?" he asks as soon as he has turned around to face me. His chocolate eyes bearing into me as though daring me to try to lie to him.

I shift uncomfortably from foot to foot, trying to decide if lying or telling the truth would be in my best interest. "Umm... just a friend," I state vaguely, hoping that he'll just drop it.

But of course, I'm not that lucky. "And who is this friend of yours?"

"Just someone I grew up with..."

"Hmm..." he begins, the devilish grin still plastered on his face and his eyes twinkling brightly. He moves over to the kitchen before pulling out a couple plates and bringing them over. "And this person you grew up with.... Does your mate know about them?"

"He's met him," I reply. It's not exactly a lie. They didn't even exchange two words to each other nor were they introduced, but they did see each other. That counts, right?

"Oh! A 'him' is it? I'm surprised this friend of yours is still alive and well if my brother has already met him," he replies teasingly as he grabs a couple drinks for us and sets them down by the plates.

Brother?... "Xander?"

"The one and only," he exclaims as he holds his hands out to the side.