Chapter 35: Unnoticed Signs: Part Two

"Woah, did you have fun in the cave!?" Callum joked from behind them, his arm relaxed over his mate's shoulders as they approached the dancing Alpha and Luna. Ethan didn't growl, but he glared at Callum. Esme spun around as Ethan's arms did not move, still keeping her close to his body.

She ignored his weird behaviour and looked at the Beta questionably. Callum grinned and looked at her neck; Esme glanced at Sophia, who blushed and nudged Callum to be quiet. Esme tried to look down, but of course, she couldn't see her neck, but she did notice a few bruises on her arms. She shrugged it off; they did do it quite roughly, so a few bruises were expected, especially when her back was against a rough cave wall.

"What I do with my mate is none of your business," Ethan snapped, his voice boomed across the beach, stilling the pack members who were enjoying their time on the beach. They looked over warily at the two couples; some even grabbed their children and scattered, hushing them as they did so.

"Ethan.." Esme placed her hand on his chest. "He was just joking.."

Esme could tell his temper was fuelling him and overtaking his thought process, so she stayed silent. She quietened and lowered her gaze after feeling his eyes pierce into hers like whatever she said right now did not matter. She was his Luna and had to obey him; if anything, Callum had been by his side longer, so he must know what would work in this situation.

"I was just pointing out the obvious," Callum tried light-heartedly, though he started to look nervous. He raised his hands and shrugged, a smile still on his face, "You know.. the hickeys and bruises.. You lovebirds-"

Ethan let go of Esme and grabbed Callum by the throat, his hand an iron grip making the Beta go red. Sophia and Esme gasped as the Beta's blue eyes widened in shock. "I think you should stop eying MY mate. You have your own," Ethan growled. "Do I make myself clear?"

Callum nodded his head vigorously, and Ethan threw him away. The Beta splashed in the water and swiftly stood; keeping his eyes low, he bared his neck and said quickly, "I understand Alpha. I will check in on Gamma Grant and the borders now." Callum spun around and marched in the direction of the road and woods. Sophia bared her neck to them then quickly followed her mate.

Esme was still in shock at the turn of events, her eyes still following Callum and Sophia. Ethan had never raised any issues about Callum and her speaking before. At first, the Beta didn't even hold back, showing his hatred towards her and in front of Ethan. But after a few weeks of living in the mansion together, the pair started getting closer and began sharing jokes with one another. Esme was relieved because she didn't want to deal with someone on a daily basis who hated her guts. It was a lot of effort.

Maybe they had been too friendly with each other?

But Esme was mated to Ethan, and Callum mated to Sophia; it wasn't like he was an unmated wolf. Everyone could see how he adored Sophia. Yet as she slowly raised her eyes to meet Ethan's darkening ones, it didn't matter. If he didn't feel comfortable and was even upset enough to grab his Beta by the throat, then she would be more careful with her friendship with Callum.

Esme placed her hands on his chest and kissed his right pectoral muscle. He wrapped his arms around her petite body and pulled her towards him, and turned around, so she faced the shore, and his large body hid hers. Ethan lowered down and kissed her neck, then nibbled on her ear before whispering, "You're too fucking sexy to show your body like this to others. That is what happens."

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A shiver ran down her spine at the slight growl vibrating in his voice. Esme knew he was complimenting her, but for some reason, it didn't quite affect her how his compliments usually did. Was there something a little.. stranger or darker to his words this time? Esme shook her head; she knew Alpha's had a tendency to be more possessive and aggressive with their mates, and this was one of those occasions, it seemed.

Later that evening, she returned to the packhouse alone, wearing Ethan's shirt as a dress over her bikini. The Delta, Bryant, her bodyguard, had kept his distance the whole way and did not even look in her direction. But before she could ask him about his change in behaviour, he bid her goodnight, and she found herself alone in the mansion.

As soon as Esme stripped out of her clothes, she stepped into the shower and relaxed under the steamy water. That was until she hissed from a stinging pain in her back. Esme looked down and watched as droplets of blood mixed in with the water. After cleaning herself gently, she wrapped her hair up in a towel. Drying herself with a soft towel, she lightly patted herself, grimacing slightly as the material scraped against her back.

Esme dropped the towel wrapped around her and frowned at how tender her back felt. She checked herself out in the mirror and gasped. Esme's neck was covered in hickeys and fingertip bruises from where he choked her during sex. There were also a lot of bruises on her arms and back. But the part that stood out the most was the large lesions and abrasions on her back.

They were raw but clean from the shower. It didn't matter that the wounds would heal overnight. It was still a bit of a ghastly sight.

Although her body ached and her core was sore, she thought their afternoon session in the cave was like any other time they'd had sex. It seems Ethan was a lot rougher than usual. Was it because of his sudden anger?

Esme turned back around, looking at the marks on her neck and then at the crescent-shaped mark under her collarbone. When Ethan returns, she would need to speak to him about the bruises and lesions on her back. He never mentioned it or apologised for leaving such markings on her.

But when Ethan returned with a bloodied face and told her about some rogues trying to attack the pack territory, her worries vanished, and new angst-filled her. She couldn't bring up what didn't seem important now. Ethan looked deadly on his return and still angry from the fighting. While he showered, she thought more about the rogues who attacked the pack and wondered if she knew them.

When Ethan climbed into bed, his handsome face scowling at her, her stomach dropped, and she knew there was a high possibility that those rogues might have come for her. Esme pursed her lips and slid into Ethan's arms that tightened around her, almost suffocating her. His arms shook, and he stared down at her, "Who is Marcus?"

Esme's face paled, and she gulped, knowing she couldn't lie to him. "An old friend," She whispered, not knowing why. She wasn't scared of her mate but more scared of what he might uncover.

"He attacked the pack and asked for you." Ethan's fingers dug into her, his claws grew slightly, piercing into some of the already inflamed skin on her back. With tears swimming in her eyes, she blinked back at him, finding it hard to swallow past the lump forming in her throat.

"If he comes for you again.. Your friend is dead." His eyes gleamed menacingly, making her shiver. But he kissed her cheek almost like covering a blow to her face, "He is a rogue after all.. One trespassing into our territory."

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