Chapter 76
“I promised *that human* that I would protect her. I promised her I would marry her, and I will not go back on the marriage,” I say coldly, my father’s alpha command not affecting me at all.
“Why is she in danger? What aren’t you telling us, Ethan?” Dad sighs, but I can tell he’s controlling his temper.
“You don’t need to know all the details. For now, you just need to know that she’s in danger. That’s why I promised Alicent that I would protect and marry her.”
“Why would you ever do that without consulting us first, Ethan?” Dad snaps.
Before I can answer, Mom speaks first. “Why would you even do that? If you were going to marry someone as, uh, a last resort, you would have candidates in this pack lined up glad to marry you, honey,” Mom says, shifting around on the loveseat. “Who I am certain are much better qualified than this human.”
I growl. “She isn’t yours, Ethan!” Dad answers my growl. “You can’t be really involved with her, and you know it.”
“That’s none of your business,” I say firmly.
Mom’s mouth drops open. Dad leaps to his feet. “There’s no need to be so snappish,” he says.
“Ethan, she’s human! What the fuck is happening with you?” Mom rubs her hand to her chest. “A human. We raised you better than that.”
“Ethan, you cannot and will not get married to this human,” Dad barks. “That’s just... that’s...”
“Unworthy,” Mom replies. “Maybe she should go—”
“She’s not going anywhere!” I snarl, my eyebrows scrunched together.
“What about your fated mate, then?” Mom inquires.
“I told Alicent that she will always be my second choice,” I tell them.
“Oh. My. Goddess!” Mom exclaims in horror.
Dad follows right after, “What kind of female would accept such an absurd thing?”
“No. Just no! Uh-huh.” Mom shakes her head, her shiny earrings swinging. “Of course, she didn’t accept it. If she said yes, she’s clearly not telling you the truth. But then again, she’s human. They know nothing.”
“Ethan, this is completely unacceptable, son. Your Mom is right,” Dad says. “Think of your fated mate. Think about how she will feel. She’s going to feel so disrespected when she finds out that you had married someone else before. And worse, married a human!”
“Imagine if the human accidentally gets pregnant with your pup, honey? And you end up having a child out of the sacred mate bond. A bastard, Ethan. Please, think about it,” Mom begs, and suddenly, the weight of this decision starts to weigh on my shoulders. “Imagine how Alicent would feel when you broke up with her even though she had your child? Imagine her having a child with each man and none of them taking responsibility for her? It’s just too cruel.”
“I would never let her need anything!” I furiously reply through gritted teeth.
“Still, your fated mate deserves better than this, honey. You’ll regret it so much when you see your fated mate sad and disappointed in you because of this marriage,” Mom says. “Please don’t do this to her.”
Out of respect, I stay silent to let them speak their minds. But Goddess, help me, the former Alpha and Luna of the pack really like to talk.
“We are your parents, Ethan. We only want the best for you. Look how happy we are and how we complete each other. The werewolf’s mate bond is sacred by the Moon Goddess. You need that! Your wolf needs that!” Dad reminds me. “So you want to have something with the human? Fine. She has a bright aura, I get that.” He runs his hand over his face. “But you can’t marry her.”
“She’ll never fill the huge void in your soul. It’s not fair to Alicent to be your damn second choice, Ethan,” Mom says, her face twisted. “I raised you better than that.”
I feel ashamed of myself. What was I thinking? I lean my elbows on my thighs and lower my head.
I notice Mom standing up and smoothing down her silk robe before approaching me. She places a hand on my shoulder. “You need to get back to searching for the witch. You have obligations, Ethan. You need to remember that. Speaking of the curse, what is Vi doing in Summerville?”
I don’t look up at them as I answer, “We found a very promising lead on where we could find the witch after we got someone selling potions that only powerful witches could make in my nightclub. When we arrived at the location, I knew for sure we were at the right place. That’s because that would be a perfect place for making strong potions during the Full Moon and even better during the Dark Moon. Yet, the place looked like no one had visited it in years.” I run my hands over my face. “Vi is in Summerville, trying to figure out what went wrong... if what we knew was leaked. She’s looking for anything.”
“Just like you should, too. You should be focusing your time and effort on breaking the curse,” Mom says before sighing. “It’s because of Jordan that she’s also there, right?” she asks in a sad voice.
“Yes,” I confess. “They fought again.”
“Anyway, I’m hungry, and I miss my grandpup,” my father says, placing his hand on my shoulder. “So we’re on the same page on this subject.”
“You’re right,” I say, defeated. I was too selfish. It must be because I’m such a bad person that it was my fate to be cursed.
“Son, we’re here to support and guide you on the right path. You can always count on us. Everything will be fine.”
“And finish up with the human,” Dad adds. “You can date her, but getting married is too far. End this illusion, Ethan.”
“Your fated mate is waiting for you, Ethan. The least you can do is find her,” Mom spits. “And for Goddess’ sake, do not encourage Alicent that you two might have a future together.”
“Even though you haven’t told us her whole story, it’s clear that she’s truly in danger. And don’t worry, we’re all going to protect her, especially since she’s Azrael’s mother, and he’s our little Lily’s fated mate. Truthfully...” my parents go on, but my attention shifts to my mind with my wolf’s words.
‘Stop lying to yourself. You know you want her,’ Kral says firmly, aware of the turmoil in my head. ‘I want her too. It’s not entirely your fault that we’re in this situation.’
‘What do you mean?’ I ask in surprise, not believing what my wolf is suggesting.
‘I want her as our precious chosen mate if we can’t break this fucking curse.’
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