Alpha Ethan novel Chapter 3

I turn to leave once more, but stop in my tracks as I look down to the other side of the alley. There are screams and growls coming from the opposite end where several of our occupants were chilling out and enjoying the fresh evening air. "Shit!" I hear Ray say from behind me and I quickly spin on him.

"What the hell did you do?!"

He doesn't bother answering me and only gives me an evil smirk before he and his men scramble to get out of there. I scowl before turning to where I see both wolf and human forms fighting. I quickly run in their direction as my claws elongate into fierce points. I watch as a man in all black strikes down and kills one of the innocent packless men before turning to another. I make a flying leap to attack and am suddenly hit with a strong, overwhelming scent of vanilla and citrus.

"Mate!" My wolf yells in my head.

My conviction evaporates and confusion hits me, but I don't have time to think about what this means. Before I even have the chance to realize what is happening, the unknown man who had been my target spins to face me. We are mere centimeters apart and pain explodes through my stomach. I look down to find a black hilt sticking out of me and crimson spreading out around it. The man drops his hand from the dagger and I look up to meet his eyes. There are so many emotions swirling through his gorgeous sapphire eyes, confusion, shock, sadness, fear, anger. I don't get the chance to contemplate this as I stumble backwards, my consciousness slipping away from me. And then everything goes black.

Ethan's POV

I stand in the corner of the dark hospital room with my arms crossed over my chest. The consistent beeping coming from the machines that are hooked up to my mate are setting my nerves on edge. My eyes stay on her, watching her chest rise and fall with each breath. She hasn't regained consciousness yet and it's eating away at me. She looks like an angel laying there. Her skin is a flawless ivory and her soft curls fan out around her in a fiery red halo. Her body is thin and lithe with gorgeous curves that I am aching to run my hands over. Unfortunately, I can't see her most stunning feature while she sleeps. Her eyes were a gorgeous violet with golden flecks in them. I have never seen eyes like that and I long to see them again. The few seconds where our eyes met was not enough for me. However, I can't forget the fact that she has something to do with what happened this evening.

Half a dozen of my men were killed in cold blood while at one of the local bars. We followed the scent all of the way to The Scourge and that same scent is all over my mate. Either she was there, or she knows who was. I'm determined to find out exactly what her connection is before I allow myself to get too close to her. I can't afford to let our mate bond get in the way of justice for my pack. We lost good men including one of our lieutenants. Some of them had mates, families. My pack and I are out for blood and hopefully she will hold the answers. I just pray that she will be innocent. I'd hate to have to kill my mate when I have been waiting to find her for so long.

There is a light knocking on the door and I turn to see who it is. The nurse comes in followed by my brothers Alex and Xander. Alex took after our mother with lighter hair and royal blue eyes. His skin is fairer too. Xander and I both look more like our father with dark hair and harsher features. The only difference for me is that I got our mom's sapphire eyes and Xander got our father's chocolate brown ones. I turn my gaze to catch the nurse eyeing me up with a little smirk before she walks over to check the monitors hooked to my mate. I ignore it and turn to Alex and Xander as they approach me and Alex speaks softly, "How is she? Any change?"

My eyes shift back to her sleeping form. "No. No change," I respond simply.

"Or she may be innocent. I mean look at her. She doesn't look like a cold-blooded killer," he replies back as he waves his hand in her direction as if making a point.

"Shows how much you know. She had been ready to pounce on me with her claws. I think the only reason I didn't wind up dead is that she caught my scent," I stated.

"And you didn't catch hers?" Xander questions with a raised eyebrow.

"I did... but it was mixed with the scent we had been tracking. By the time I realized that she was my mate, the dagger was already buried hilt-deep in her abdomen."

Bile seems to rise up in my throat as I remember the heartbroken look she gave me as she realized her own mate had stabbed her. And just like before a swirl of emotions instantly invades me. Thanks to the mate bond I instantly wanted her. I want to mark her and make her mine. But now, because of what happened, everything is so complicated. I can't take her as my Luna if she has done anything to make herself an enemy of my pack.