Chapter 22
“You… have no idea how sorry I am,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. “I only wanted
to protect you.”
I almost laughed. “If this is your version of protection, then I want nothing to do with it.”
Without looking back, I walked out, my heart pounding.
Despite the doctors‘ attempts to shield me, Ethan had little trouble shoving them aside, his Iron grip lifting me effortlessly. He pressed me down onto the blood draw table, his fingers tight around my wrist, as if anchoring me to the table itself.
“If you won’t help, I’ll do it myself,” he growled, his voice rasping with barely–contained frustration. His tone was unyielding, a voice that radiated Alpha dominance, sending chills
through the room. The doctors exchanged uneasy glances but didn’t dare intervene. Ethan’s presence demanded submission, and they knew better than to challenge him.
“Ethan!” I said quickly, trying to defuse the situation, forcing myself to keep my tone soft and calm. “I’ll do it, okay?” I could feel my voice wavering. “The fact that you remembered me after all this time… well, it actually makes me happy…” I admitted, hoping he’d back
down.
His grip on my wrist eased, but he didn’t let go. My heart pounded as I kept my eyes. downcast, fixed on his chest. My lower back was pressed against the table, one hand
bracing against its cold, hard edge, while the other remained trapped beneath his.
The scent of vodka hung around him, mingling with the faint cedarwood musk that I remembered all too well. He was close enough that I could feel the heat of his body through his shirt, the strength of the muscles underneath. If I looked up, my gaze would move from his chest to his neck, where his pulse beat visibly under his skin. And just above that, the carring I’d given him long ago glinted faintly.
Leaning closer, I whispered with a low intensity that matched his own, “But don’t humiliate me like this. Let me do it myself, alright?” My voice was firm, even as I ground out the words, cursing him mentally for his lack of sanity. Did he truly believe brute force would make me cooperate?
Torsaken Matic Alpha’s Second Chance at Love
Chapter 22
The years had only made him more erratic, more intense. It was as if time had chipped away at whatever sanity he once had. But in that moment, I was beyond caring; I just wanted to end this encounter and get away from him as quickly as possible.
At last, he released my hand. Without a word, he turned and stalked out of the room, leaving a tense silence behind him. As the door clicked shut, I finally let out a long, shaky sigh, feeling the weight of his presence lift from me like a storm cloud passing. He was a whirlwind, always disrupting the hard–won peace I’d fought to build.
Ilumped against the blood draw table, rolling up my sleeve as my mind raced. My life had become my research–trying to develop better treatments for werewolf heart conditions, a way to give back to the community that had shaped me. I’d poured myself into it, finding solace in the cold, logical comfort of data and experiments, something Ethan could never disturb. Or so I thought.
Yet here he was, tearing into my life again like he had a right to. I’d convinced myself he
was a ghost from the past, and I’d left him buried there when I left the pack. I’d never
expected to see him again.
Nora’s voice brought me out of my daze. “What’s going on here?” she asked, crossing her arms as she eyed me with a mix of curiosity and concern.
I straightened up, trying to gather myself. Nora was Mark’s assistant. My ex–husband, my former partner in every sense. Marrying him had seemed logical back then–he was my mentor, my confidant, and we’d worked well together. But the bond that had drawn me to Ethan was something Mark could never replicate, something neither of us could ignore. We weren’t fated mates. No blessing from the Moon Goddess had ever graced our union, and the bond between us always felt fragile, like a thin, translucent veil that separated us.
During those years, my wolf had continued to call for Ethan, even as I tried to suppress her cries. It had left me in agony, the severed mate–bond clawing at me from within. Eventually, Mark and I parted ways. It was mutual, gentle, even if painful. His last words to me echoed in my mind now, words I could never forget. *Maybe we shouldn’t go against the Moon
Goddess.*
I shook my head, trying to push away the lingering guilt. “It’s complicated,” I told Nora with a forced sigh, hoping that would be enough to stave off further questions.
Half an hour later, I had the test results in hand, and as I glanced over them, a part of me
Second Chance at Lov
Theptes 22
was tuned. The lab’s efficiency had improved significantly, likely because Ethan hád Joomed over them, not allowing anyone a moment’s rest. It was no surprise that he’d ensured I’d have to see him again.
Leaving the lab, I headed outside, feeling the weight of the report in my hands. Under the shade of an unfamiliar tree, Ethan stood, tall and intimidating, a cigarette dangling from his lips. His eyes met mine, challenging me even before he said a word.
walked up to him and held out the report, raising an eyebrow. “You know smoking kills Werewolves faster, right?”
He coughed, then grinned as he extinguished the cigarette on his wolfish paw. “Didn’t expect you to still care,” he replied, though his tone held more sarcasm than warmth.
