The Rejected Warrior

5. Forever Silent

“Do you have any idea what she is?” Ethan asked, addressing Nick in an annoyed tone.

“Rose?” The beta asked in a slightly confused tone.

“Yes.”

“A werewolf?” He answered matter-of-factly.

“No s**t sherlock,” Ethan quipped, rolling his eyes at the man.

“What?”

“I respect you and all, Nick, but sometimes you are so dumb,” he shook his head negatively at the man.

“Hey, I take offense in that,” Emmeline, Nick’s mate, appeared next to the men.

“He means no harm, love,” Nick was quick to say and tried to placate her, knowing his mate’s temper.

“Want to get a taste of what loss is, Harper?” Ethan then taunts Emmeline.

The she-wolf shudders at once, and not in the most pleasant way.

“We’d rather you stayed where you are and remained civil,” Nick deadpanned at that.

“I’ll tell you what she is,” Emmeline then began in a sad tone, “A girl obviously too young and too naive, intrigued by the wrong man.”

The way she described him made Ethan tick, but he’d rather die a thousand times over before showing any kind of reaction to it.

“Well, be useful, Harper,” he let out in admonishment, using her last name again, “and spread the word - Ethan Young said he’d never settle. Solo life is his way of live.”

She looked at him with troubled eyes, “Are you concerned about her?”

“She’s a kid, a troublesome one at that,” he sighed. “She doesn’t know me like I know me. I’m a panty-ripper not a cradle robber.”

“Damn!” Nick let out in surprise. “You’ve got more principles than I gave you credit for.”

“I don’t know what to say to that,” Ethan, offended, raised an eyebrow.

“But I’d say she is of age to get herself someone… Is it because she rejected her mate?” Emmeline dared to ask.

“Her former alpha is no concern of mine,” he said in earnest, even as he stiffened slightly.

And with that, he left.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

Ethan would have to admit he felt funny around the young Rose, and that was why he avoided her. She was young, lively, and downright fascinating… In short, she was a problem waiting to happen.

He was in his cottage when there was a knock on the door. He frowned at once.

His fellow pack members rarely ever went out of their way to seek him out.

Could it be one of his hook-ups?

“Hey, you scaredy cat,” she called out angrily, and he recognized Rose’s voice immediately.

He had half a mind not to open the door.

But he was no scaredy cat, and thus he went to get it.

“Pardon?” He said as he opened the door, challenging her to say that again.

“The kid is here to tell you some facts,” she glowered at him.

“Kindly don’t annoy me so early in the morning,” he let out dismissively.

“Not going anywhere till you’ve listened to me,” she said challengingly.

Oh, how he wanted to tell her to run along, but he was sure it wouldn’t go down well.

Kids nowadays were stubborn.

“Okay,” he conceded. “I’m listening.”

She smirked at him, and part of him long since forgotten came out to play. His wolf purred. It was brief. It was sudden, and oh so comforting.

“Are you even listening to me?” She shrieked out after a few seconds.

“I spaced out?” He let out almost apologetically, as he felt the devastating strings of fate play a dirty game on him.

Why wasn’t he using the affirmative anyway? He had long since forgotten any indecisiveness.

“This might seem like a child’s admiration but it’s not. I want you. I want you to be mine.”

He chuckled and shook his head negatively at how brutally honest she was. So naive! “My own mate chose another man over me.”

“I’m not Annabelle,” she told him softly. “And need I remind you that my mate chose someone else as well?”

A small growl escaped him and he concealed it with a cough.

Ten years absent, and this is when you choose to come back? He mentally sighed.

Would you rather I remained forever silent?