My fingers tighten around the phone 118

Leo’s POV
“She’s my everything…” Ethan mumbled drunkenly before his head hit the bar with a dull thud. He kept repeating those words like a broken record until they faded into soft snores.
Fantastic. As if getting friend-zoned by the most breathtaking woman to ever cross my path wasn’t enough humiliation
for one night, now I had the pleasure of babysitting this drunken mess. In all our years together, I’d never witnessed
Ethan this completely wrecked. Mr. Always-Has-His-Shit-Together was currently drooling on a sticky bar counter, and
somehow that had become my problem.
The bartender caught my eye, gesturing toward the battlefield of empty glasses surrounding Ethan’s slumped form. “Your
friend’s been trying to drink himself into oblivion for the past two hours. You might want to get him home before he slips
into a coma.”
I ran my fingers through my hair with a sigh. “Yeah, thanks. I’ll handle it.”
I’d known early on I couldn’t compete with him. Ethan was one of those rare souls who makes you feel completely
inadequate at whatever you’re trying to do, yet somehow never makes you feel bad about it. He always stands beside
you, supporting you every step of the way. If I’d been thinking clearly, I should have known Aria and Ethan were destined
for each other.
It’s something I could never acquire, learn, or imitate. I have my own strengths – I can hold my own as heir to the Northern Territory – but those two are on an entirely different level. I knew the moment Aria asked about him that my
chances of winning her heart were as slim as they’d been for the past five years.
Anyone who watches them together for more than five minutes can see they’re meant to be.
Something kept nagging at me like a splinter under my skin – the story Aria had shared about that fateful night at the
resort. The way she described it, compared to what I knew had happened to Ethan… the pieces clicked together with a
synchronicity that couldn’t be coincidence. Same hotel, same night, same bizarre circumstances. A chill ran down my
spine as I connected these dots.
Those two souls had actually found each other that night, only to be ripped apart by Emma’s venomous schemes before
they even knew each other’s names.
Ethan let out an enormous snore, and the bartender looked at me sympathetically. “Your friend’s a big guy. Need help
getting him to your car?”
I chuckled, running a hand through my hair. “Maybe. This big idiot fell in love with a woman who loves him back. And
these star-crossed lovers just can’t seem to realize they’re meant to be together.”
The bartender laughed as he started clearing the glasses scattered around Ethan. I pocketed Ethan’s phone and car keys,
then grabbed my friend and hoisted him over my shoulder in a fireman’s carry.
“Holy mother of—you’re heavier than a damn bear!” I gasped as my spine threatened to snap in half. The unconscious
alpha might as well have been made of concrete. Each step toward my SUV felt like I was trudging through quicksand,
sweat beading on my forehead despite the cool night air. Years of training alongside him and David at Silver Moon’s elite
combat sessions had shown me exactly what this beast was made of—pure, unforgiving muscle. When I finally reached
the passenger side, I fumbled with the door handle and basically catapulted him inside.
Miraculously, the jarring movement shocked him awake. Ethan blinked rapidly, somehow managing to right himself into a
sitting position. He squinted at the dashboard like it was some alien technology he’d never encountered before.
I collapsed against the car door, wheezing like I’d run a marathon. My lungs felt like they were on fire. “Un-fuckingbelievable,” I panted between breaths. “You sleep through me hauling your carcass across the parking lot, but wake up
the second the hard part’s over?”
Ethan swiveled his head in my direction, his glazed eyes gradually focusing on my face. A sloppy grin spread across his
features as recognition dawned. He smacked his palms against his thighs enthusiastically. “What’re we waiting for? Let’s
roll! Places to go, people to see!”
“I swear to god, I should leave your ungrateful ass right here,” I snarled, slamming his door with enough force to rock the
entire vehicle.
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A muffled chuckle escaped from inside as I stomped around to the driver’s side. I jammed the key into the ignition with more force than necessary and pulled onto the empty street, the tires squealing in protest.
As we drove, I noticed Ethan’s speech becoming less slurred. Those micro-naps were sobering him up just enough to be
coherent. I caught a red light and drummed my fingers against the steering wheel, the words I’d been holding back
finally bursting forth.
“You know what burns me up? I spotted her first. Years before you ever laid eyes on her. Then you just waltz in and—” I
cut myself off, the jealousy tasting bitter on my tongue.
“Spotted who?” Ethan mumbled, his head lolling against the headrest, eyelids at half-mast.
“She was this… brilliant flash of light in my monotonous existence,” I muttered, not entirely sure if I was talking to him or
myself anymore. “Made everything around her seem more alive somehow.”
“You talkin’ ’bout Aria?” Her name on his lips carried a reverence that told me everything I needed to know. Even drunk
off his ass, he said her name like it was a prayer.
“No, I’m talking about the tooth fairy,” I snapped, then sighed as I pulled up to the curb outside his building. “Yeah, Aria.
The woman who’s head over heels for your stubborn ass, though god knows why. Don’t screw it up again.”
“She hates me. Sometimes I think we’re good. Every time we make love, she’s so honest. Like she was made to be with
me. I dream about us having this warm, perfect thing. Then morning comes, and all that bullshit gets in the way again,”
Ethan slurred.
My stomach twisted with a flash of jealousy sharp enough to make me wince. So they’d been slept multiple times. The
mental image made me want to punch something, preferably his perfect face. But watching him now—this powerful
alpha reduced to a lovesick mess—I couldn’t hold onto my resentment. These two idiots had somehow found each other
across time and space, only to keep tripping over their own stubbornness. The goddess clearly wanted them together,
and who was I to fight destiny?
I leaned back in my seat, ready for whatever answer a drunk Ethan might give to my next question. “If I could prove to
you that Emma wasn’t the woman in that hotel room that night six years ago, what would you do?”
Ethan closed his eyes, remaining motionless and silent for so long I thought he might have fallen asleep. Suddenly, he let
out a deep, rumbling laugh. “I’d give you anything you wanted. I wish she’d go away.”
“So you’d do absolutely anything, huh?” I prodded with a smirk, unable to resist teasing him in his vulnerable state.
The change was instantaneous. Ethan’s head snapped toward me, his eyes suddenly ablaze with a golden fire. The skin
around his jawline rippled as canines elongated beneath his lips. “Touch Aria and die,” he snarled, his voice dropping two
octaves into something barely human.
I held up my hands defensively, fighting back a laugh. “Easy there. Message received loud and clear.”
“And the boy.” The words rumbled from deep in his chest, each syllable vibrating with primal possessiveness. “Lucas… is… MINE.”
The raw intensity in his claim sent a chill down my spine. This wasn’t just drunk Ethan talking—this was the alpha wolf
beneath the human skin, staking its claim on its mate and cub.
Ethan’s ferocity melted into something more vulnerable, his massive frame seeming to deflate against the leather seat. He
whispered, eyes sliding shut as exhaustion claimed him once more. “Just wanna go home. Take me home