Ethan's life was going well... sort of. With three months to his wedding and almost enough savings to finally quit his stripping job, everything seemed almost perfect…
 
Till his fiancé suddenly dumps him, and he loses everything he's ever built... in the span of one week.


Standing at the edge of a storybuilding, he's about to throw himself off to end the suffocating pain when he suddenly gets a call... for an interview with a high-ranking company he never applied to. 

A company under the renowned Alpha Aurelian Vale. The S-tier Alpha who would change his life forever, and just may be tied to Ethan's present and past in more ways than he could even begin to imagine.

The Alpha he THINKS he doesn't know.


*******

"Why should I trust you? Isn't playing games the core of your business? Everything is a game to you. Even this... "He says, and I step closer to him... pushing myself against him, as I see fear return to his eyes.


"You don't know me, Ethan. "I remind him, and I watch the anger in his eyes melt into stubbornness.


"And you also don't know me, Mr. Aurelian! "He retorts, and I smirk. That's the Ethan I like. Feisty.


"But I do know you. "I say, and he visibly gulps as beads of sweat begin to form across his forehead.


"You're impulsive, stubborn, and daring. You are broken and hurting inside, but you mask all that pain with a smile. Never really healing from them, but burying them. Praying the day doesn't come when they rise from their graves. Your humour is your defence mechanism. It makes you feel stronger when you're intimidated or scared. "I continue, and his jaw drops as he gawks at me.


I lean in closer to him, enjoying the heat of the proximity, as I drop low enough for my lips to brush against his ear, and his delicate orchid scent fills my lungs.


"Am I wrong? "I question him, and he just blinks back. Visibly stunned by my words. I smile in satisfaction at him before stepping away from him, and once again I hit the emergency stop button.


"I know you better than you think, Ethan. The sooner you understand this, the better. "I add before reaching for a cigar in my breast pocket and lighting it. I know it's against the rules, but I don't care.


"You might want to cover that. "I say, pointing at the bulge in his pants, and he immediately turns red as he tries to drag his shirt down to cover it.

Just then, the elevator doors open, and I smirk as people pour into the elevator, looking between Ethan and me.


I see the stink eyes I get because of the cigar in my hand, but I only step out of the elevator because of the infant I see a mother carrying. As I leave Ethan behind, I send him a text.


*Meet me in the car.*

As I pull out of Keahi's territory, I know I have done something I can not go back from.


The gates close behind us with a mechanical smoothness that feels almost too polite for what they represent. No alarms, no shouting… and none of the chos they can unleash mercilessly at Keahi's command. Just steel sliding into place, sealing off a decision that has already been made irreversible.


Zane asked me a thousand times over if I was sure about this. Not about turning Anore in. Blood does not excuse stupidity, and I refuse to protect a man who mistakes recklessness for power. He knows that.


What he kept asking me about was if I was sure I wanted Ethan see me in this light. 


Before, I was 100% certain. But now, fear is slipping into that confidence.


Chapter 44 - Questions