NovelEnglishThe Alpha King is unavailable 56
Ethan remained still, his amber eyes unreadable as they stared straight ahead. | had expected him to be at least
slightly affected by my proximity, but he seemed completely unmoved.
"Chen," Ethan's voice cut through the silence, startling me. "Take Ms. Frost home."
10 <
Clogies 41 The Sting of B
| froze, my hand still on his thigh. "But Ethan," | protested, dropping the pretense
of intoxication. | thought we
were going back to your place."
"I have business to attend to," he replied, his voice devoid of emotion
Before | could respond, he had opened the door and stepped out of the vehicle. | watched in disbelief as he
shut the door firmly behind him.
"Wait!" | called out, but he was already walking away, his powerful figure
disappearing into the shadows of
the parking garage.
| sat back against the leather seat, my carefully constructed facade crumbling. Had he seen through my act?
Was he still angry about the Pack Healer's Crystal Competition?
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
"Would you liketo take you hnow, Ms. Frost?" Maxwell asked from the front seat, his voice professional
and detached.
| swallowed my frustration and nodded. "Yes, please."
As the car pulled away, | stared out the window, my reflection staring back atwith worried eyes. For the first
time, | felt a flicker of doubt about my hold on Ethan Stone.
(Olivia's POV)
The solid chest | had collided with belonged to none other than Ethan Stone. His amber eyes looked down at
"Counting steps now, are we?" he asked, his deep voice vibrating through his chest.
| immediately tried to push away, but my inebriated state made the movement too forceful, | stumbled
backward, nearly falling before Ethan's strong hands caught my elbows.
"Let go," | demanded, my voice sounding slurred even to my own ears.
"So you can fall flat on your face? I think not," Ethan replied, his grip remaining firm.
The moonlight illuminated his features, highlighting the sharp angles of his face. He looked unfairly handsome,
his black hair slightly tousled by the night breeze. "Where's Victoria?" | asked bitterly. "Shouldn't you be taking
her home?"
A shadow crossed Ethan's face. "Victoria is on her way home."
| laughed, the sound hollow and pained. "So you've cto check on your other responsibility? How dutiful of
you, Alpha King."
| tried again to pull away, and this tEthan released me. Without his support, |
swayed dangerously, the garden spinning around me.
"You're drunk," he stated flatly.
"How observant," | shot back. "Did you figure that out all by yourself?"
My foot cat on
| took an unsteady step toward the stone bench, determined to reach it without his help. My foot ca
an uneven paving stone, and | pitched forward.
Once again, Ethan was there, catchingbefore I could hit the ground. This time, he didn't just steady me- he
sweptinto his arms, cradlingagainst his
chest.
0000
[11]
"Putdown! i protested, pushing weakly against him,
"Stop struggling," he commanded, his Alpha voice sending a shiver down my spine.
| fell silent, too dizzy and too tired to fight anymore. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat against my ear was
oddly comforting.
"Why are you here?" | asked quietly after a moment. "Why aren't you with her?" Ethan didn't answer
immediately. He carriedto the stone bench and setdown gently, then took a seat.
beside me.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
"You shouldn't drink if you can't handle it," he said, ignoring my question.
| turned my face away from him, staring at the moonflowers that lined the garden path. “You didn't answer
my question."
"| don't owe you an explanation for my actions, he replied coldly.
The familiar sting of rejection washed over me. Of course he wouldn't explain. He never did.
"Then leave," | whispered. "Go back to Victoria. She needs you more than | do." Ethan remained seated, his
presence both comforting and torturous. The silence between us stretched, filled with unspoken words and
buried emotions.
"Can you walk?" he finally asked, his voice softer than before.
| nodded, though | wasn't entirely sure. "I just need a minute."
"I'll wait," he said simply.
We sat there under the moonlight, the fragrance of moonflowers enveloping us in
a sweet cocoon. For a brief moment, | could almost pretend we were just Ethan and Olivia again, not the Alpha
King and his discarded
mate.
| closed my eyes, fighting back tears that threatened to fall. When | opened them again, | carefully counted
my steps once more.
"One... two... three..." | whispered, focusing intently on each placement of my feet.
Ethan watchedwith a mixture of coldness and amusement. As | reached "eight," | stumbled forward, directly
into Ethan's broad chest, my hands instinctively clutching his formal jacket for support.
Visit our social media platform to read fascinating stories every day and connect with the community!
