Chapter 46
Leon’s POV
Today. I have just today to stand in front of everyone and declare that Scarlett is my mate. She didn’t just challenge me; she dared me. But how do I stand before the entire pack and say it out loud—that the so-called “traitor’s daughter” is mine?
My jaw clenched. The pack will mock me. My brothers will laugh at me. And my father? I could already see the disgust in his eyes.
Why do you still care, Leon? My wolf snapped inside my mind. Do you love her or not?
“Of course I do,” I muttered, dragging a hand through my hair. I’ve always loved her, even when I tried not to. Even when I ignored her and walked past her like she meant nothing while she suffered. Guilt burned in my chest, but this was different. This was war with my family, my name, and everything I’ve been raised to protect.
Stop acting like a child, my wolf growled. You’re about to become an Alpha, yet you don’t even have the backbone to claim your own mate? The words hit harder than any blow. I was supposed to lead and protect, yet I hesitated.
You watched another man put his hands on her, my wolf reminded me, his presence heavy. You watched him call her his woman and said nothing.
“I know!” I snapped, my voice echoing in the empty hallway. The following silence was suffocating because he was right. I leaned against the wall, dragging a shaky breath into my lungs. One day. She gave me one day. If I fail, I lose her forever.
My throat tightened, but then something shifted inside me. Fear and doubt were still there, but beneath them, something stronger began to rise.
“I won’t lose her,” I said quietly. My wolf stilled, then growled in approval. Then prove it.
Hours later, we were all seated for breakfast. The dining hall was unnaturally quiet. Father Lennox sat at the head of the table, his face calm, but I could see the tension in his jaw. Liam and Leo were silent beside me; no one was eating. Ethan, on the other hand, looked completely relaxed, like he didn’t feel the tension in the room at all.
“I want her here,” he said casually, reaching for his drink. “Send a maid to get Scarlett p>
Father’s eyes snapped to him immediately. “This is a family breakfast p>
Ethan didn’t even look at him. “I know.” Then he leaned back slightly, his voice calm but authoritative. “And Scarlett is my woman p>
Silence filled the room. I expected Father to shut it down, to remind Ethan whose house this was. But he didn’t. Something flickered in Father Lennox’s eyes… and it wasn’t just anger. It was hesitation.
My chest tightened. That wasn’t normal. Father never hesitates. He never backs down. So why now? I looked at Ethan again, really looked at him. The way he sat there, calm, like he already knew how this would end. And suddenly, I felt it. Something was wrong. Ethan wasn’t just making a claim. He was holding something over him—something big enough to make even my father stay quiet.
Ethan turned to the maid. “Go get her p>
The maid looked at Father, waiting for his permission. Father nodded at her before she hurried away. I exchanged glances with Leo and Liam, who looked as confused as me.
Soon we heard footsteps, and Scarlett walked in. She looked confused, her eyes instantly finding mine. That one-day clock in my head started ticking louder, drowning out the sound of my own pulse.
“Sit,” Ethan commanded, gesturing to the empty chair beside him.
Scarlett hesitated, her gaze flickering to me—her fated mate—sitting like a coward while another man claimed her. My wolf was screaming at me to move, to pull that chair out for her, to tell the table exactly who she was to us. But I was a coward… I couldn’t p>
Scarlett took the seat, but before she could even reach for the silver tongs, Ethan was already filling her plate. He moved with a practiced, possessive ease, piling her favorite fruits and a slice of toasted bread onto her dish as if he’d been doing it for years.
I just sat there watching, my heart breaking in slow motion. I risked a glance at Liam and Leo; they were both staring intently at their own plates, their forks moving rhythmically but without any food actually reaching their mouths.
“Thank you,” Scarlett whispered, her voice small and tentative.
Ethan smiled—a slow, satisfied curve of his lips that didn’t reach his eyes. It was the smile of a man who knew he was winning a game we hadn’t even realized we were playing.
“Ethan,” Father Lennox said, his voice breaking the awkward silence. “How long exactly do you intend on staying here? Surely your own pack requires their Alpha’s presence p>
“One month,” Ethan replied casually, leaning back as if he hadn’t just dropped a bomb on the table.
My eyes widened. One month? The silence was shattered by the sound of Liam’s fork clattering to the table.
“One month?” Liam spat, his voice thick with a sudden anger. “You’re an Alpha, Ethan. You can’t just abandon the Obsidian Pack for four weeks p>
Ethan turned his cool, gray gaze toward my brother, his expression bored. “I’m taking a break to rest, Liam. Managing the strongest pack in the north is exhausting work.” He paused, his eyes flickering to my father and then back to us. “Unless, of course, you’re trying to drive me away? I thought we were family p>
The way he said family made my skin crawl. He was mocking us. He knew we were trapped, and he knew Father was paralyzed by whatever leverage Ethan held over him.
“One month is a long time for a guest to stay,” Father Lennox muttered, but he didn’t command him to leave. He didn’t even argue.
I looked at Scarlett.
She was staring down at her plate, her shoulders slightly hunched, like she was trying to make herself smaller… invisible.
My chest tightened. This was wrong. Everything about this was wrong.
And I was sitting here… doing nothing. Again.
Ethan reached for his drink, completely unbothered by the tension suffocating the table.
“After my vacation,” he said casually, like he was talking about the weather, “I’ll be getting married p>
My brows furrowed.
The words didn’t make sense at first.
Married?
Father Lennox stiffened slightly. “You have a fiancée p>
Ethan didn’t answer immediately.
He picked up a piece of pineapple, placed it into his mouth, and chewed slowly… like he had all the time in the world.
We all waited.
The silence stretched. Heavy and uncomfortable.
Then he swallowed.
“Yes,” he said calmly.
My heart started to pound.
Something wasn’t right.
Ethan leaned back slightly, his gray eyes flicking across the table… then settling in one direction.
On her.
“I’m getting married he continued, his voice commanding and loud.
His gaze locked directly on Scarlett.