After another loop around his living room, Ethan cursed. Twenty minutes had passed since Ella called with an update on the shifter auction. The description of the sale’s main offering—a male with dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and a lean build—fit Owen. Not a guarantee. The combination of traits was common among shifters. Instinct told him it was his brother. Or maybe he just wanted to believe it. Either way, Ella had promised to call back with the final word.
“I need to be patient. Owen’s going to be the last sale, and these things take time.”
He rolled his shoulders and forced his fingers to unclench. The tension tightening his muscles and the anxiety squeezing his chest weren’t helping him. He needed to mentally prepare for the upcoming full moon ceremony and the death he’d soon deliver. Necessary or not, Ethan dreaded taking Michael’s life. The male deserved it. Ethan didn’t question that. It was the fact that he’d have to willingly embrace his primal side and become a killer.
A lifetime he’d fought to keep his wolf contained. In mere hours, he’d give the animal free rein, and the two people who could tame it weren’t going to be close by once he emerged from the ring.
He glanced from the clock on the wall to the landline sitting on his desk. The urge to hear their voices took over. A quick call would soothe him. He snatched the phone and dialed Hannah’s cell. She was still adjusting to their relationship and would appreciate knowing he needed her.
She answered on the first ring. “Ethan, are you okay?”
The concern in her voice warmed him. “Yes, I’m good. I just wanted to hear your voice.”
“Thank goodness.” Her relieved sigh sounded loud on the line. “I’ve been a wreck thinking about what you’ll be facing tonight.”
“Don’t be. I’ve been preparing for this fight all my life. I’ll win it, especially now that I have a future to look forward to with you and Noah.”
A long moment passed before she cleared her throat. “Did you know he was going to…”
Her words trailed off but the excitement in her voice told him what she referred to.
Ethan grinned. “Ask you to marry him?”
“Yes.” Her breathy exhale was easy to hear. “I didn’t know if he jumped the gun and asked too soon because you weren’t there.”
“No. I told him I didn’t mind. With the full moon tonight, we’re short on time. I wanted both of you to know I see Noah as your mate too, not just your lover.”
“You’re an amazing male, Ethan. I love you.”
He closed his eyes. Her words seeped into him. Strengthened him. Too bad he wasn’t there to pull Hannah into his arms and kiss her. Make love to her. Soon, he would. A couple more hours.
“And I love you.”
He glanced around his neat living room. If he mated Hannah while the full moon was at its peak, it wouldn’t stay organized for long. Their child would turn it upside down. At fifty-five years old, he was ready for a baby and all that came with fatherhood. Hannah, though? Whether she wanted to hear him say it or not, she was young. They had centuries ahead of them, and their relationship was new. She might not feel the same way.
“Hannah, there’s one other thing we need to talk about.”
“What’s that?”
“I want to mate you while the full moon is high, right after I become alpha. If I do, you’ll conceive.” He paused a moment, giving her a chance to get her emotions in order. “Are you okay with that? Or do you want me to wait until the peak fades? It’s completely up to you.”
One hour of every month had the potential to change the course of the pack, from conceptions to challenges. Once that magical time passed, their fate was locked in place, at least until the next full moon. The only exception was matings. Those could happen anytime the mood struck. A good thing too. Love didn’t follow a lunar cycle.
“No. I mean yes. I want you to mate me tonight while the moon is high.” Her words rushed out.
“Are you sure? We went from tiptoeing around our attraction for months to planning a life you never expected with two lovers instead of one.”
“Did it seem as if I minded last night? I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing both of you. If anything, I’d say I’m extremely lucky.”
Ethan leaned against the back of the couch and closed his eyes. Memories of their night together flashed before him. He wanted to repeat them and make new ones. The possibilities open to them excited him beyond anything he’d considered before.
“I’d say we’re all lucky, but my point is I don’t want you to regret what we’ll do tonight.”
“Creating a child? Never. I’m looking forward to it, but maybe I should be asking you the same thing.”
A weight lifted off his shoulders, despite the confusion over her words. “The only thing I regret is—”
His cell phone beeped with a new message. He yanked it out of his back pocket. Noah’s image showed on the display. His confusion mounted, but Ethan swiped his finger across the screen and read.
Call me.
He read the message a second time and frowned. “Will you put Noah on?”
“He’s not here.”
Ethan straightened. “What do you mean he’s not there?”
“Umm…” She sighed. “Exactly how it sounds. He’s not here.”
He gripped the phone tighter. “You’re at his house.”
“Yes. I’m in his bedroom.”
“Alone. Is that what you’re telling me?” His voice deepened, and anger stirred his wolf. The animal paced. “Noah left you alone in his house, knowing full well what might happen to you if Michael found out what you mean to me.”
“Nobody knows I’m here, and he’ll be back soon. It’ll be okay.”
“No.” His wolf’s growl added to his making the word nearly incomprehensible. “It is not okay. I’m coming out there. Stay where you are and away from the windows.”
“Ethan, wait. If you come running out here, Michael will learn how important I am to you. Do you really think he’s not watching you?”
“I don’t care. You are important to me. If you die, I do.”
“You’re not soul-bonded to me. You won’t—”
“I’ll follow you. I am not living another day without you.”
“Hearing that makes me feel special, but there’s no need to rush out here. Noah said he’d be back in an hour. It’s already been close to forty-five minutes. I…”
Her words trailed off.
“Hannah?”
She didn’t answer. His pulse sped.
“Hannah! What’s happening? Are you okay?”
“Somebody’s here.”
Her whisper sent a wave of dread through him. Michael had found out about her. He was going to kill her.
“Noah has a gun in his nightstand. Use it. Don’t die on me, Hannah. You hear me? You keep fighting until I get there. I’m coming. Fast as I can.”
He ended the call and ran for the door. Fifteen minutes. That was how long it’d take to get to Noah’s house. Maybe ten if he sped. Too long. Noah lived on the opposite side of their pack lands.
Regret choked him. He shouldn’t have insisted she be waiting for him after the challenge. Her safety was paramount. Whether she wore his bite or not didn’t matter.
Hannah was his life.
He would not face eternity without her.
One question plagued him—why didn’t Noah feel the same?
Maybe because he’d never be her mate or his. Noah was only their lover. And maybe Ethan’s choice to share his precious mate with Noah was the wrong one to make.