Page 36 of Brutal Alpha

Eve’s eyes were kind, and her hand soft where she pressed it gently against my belly.

“Honey, you’re pregnant.”

Chapter 16 - Ethan

Julia was pale as she emerged from the witch’s cottage, staggering across the clearing like a sleepwalker. She flinched when I reached out to steady her, staring at me like a frightened rabbit stares at a wolf. Fear looked wrong on her face, and I hated that it was directed at me.

“What did she do to you?” I asked urgent, but Julia shook her head.

“Nothing. She was nice.”

“You’re pale,” I insisted. It was an understatement, to be honest. Julia was pale and shaking; she looked worse than when we’d fled Arbor, even worse than when she collapsed on the bridge.

“Am I?” Even her voice sounded weak, as if she were barely present. “Eve just—she asked me to show her some of my magic. I guess after yesterday, it really took it out of me.”

I started to ask if she was sure, but Julia held up a trembling hand to stop me.

“She didn’t hurt me, Ethan. I’m fine. She’s going to come to town tomorrow and help me train.”

I frowned.

“Is that a good idea? If just a little demonstration wiped you out this much—”

Her eyes lost their glazed look, so she could glare at me. It was a relief: if she was too weak to fight with me, that was a sign that she was really in trouble.

“I said I’m fine. You’re not my brother, Ethan.”

“I’m incredibly aware of that,” I replied, utterly deadpan. Julia blinked at me, her expression frozen with surprise.

“Did you just crack a joke?” she asked, and I shrugged.

“I guess?”

With that, Julia abruptly turned her back on me and set off back toward town. Beneath the crunching of twigs and leaves beneath her feet, I heard her mutter,

“Now he cracks a joke.”

As we made our way back toward town, Julia seemed to improve; the hike brought a bit of color back to her cheeks, and she no longer looked haunted and shocked. She remained taciturn, though, refusing to start up a conversation or respond to any of my questions. I might only be her temporary husband, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t interested in her developing power. I wanted to know what the witch had told her, but far from being excited to share as I’d expected, Julia gave me nothing but one-word answers all the way back to town.

I tried to remind myself that she didn’t owe me any of that information. In fact, I should take it as a good sign: if she was keeping me at arm’s length, then perhaps we were returning to normality. Perhaps she’d finally accepted that we weren’t mates, and had returned to uncomplicated hatred of me. The thought sent an unexpected pang through my chest. As difficult as she was sometimes, I had been beginning to hope that this little excursion of ours would soften her attitude toward me. I knew it would take more than a couple of compliments, but I was working on something. I was working on giving her the respect she deserved, on treating her like she was a capable person and not just my best friend’s little sister.

When we reached the outskirts of town, I stopped giving her space. Even a woman like Julia—especially a woman likeJulia—wasn’t safe walking through Ensign town. Women here were considered the property of their father or their mate, and they rarely ventured out alone. Julia, at least, was sensible about this, allowing me to lay a possessive hand on her arm as we walked. I felt the now-familiar spark of electricity at the touch of her skin against mine, but this time it didn’t inspire lust. This time, all I wanted was to gather her close, to comfort her until she was no longer strange, distant, and upset. I pushed the urge away. We’d simply been together far too long, suffered too much alongside each other. It didn’t mean anything.

The streets of Ensign weren’t busy in the late afternoon, which was a mercy, and we arrived back at Xander’s without incident.

“You should eat something,” I said as soon as the front door closed behind us. “I don’t know how long dinner’s gonna be, and you need—”

“Do me a favor?” she asked, and I nodded.

“Anything.”

“Leave me alone.” Then she was gone, rushing up the stairs, and a distant door slammed.

“Trouble in paradise?” Xander said from behind me, making me jump. When I turned, he was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. “Don’t tell me my favorite newlyweds are already out of the honeymoon stage?”

“Stop acting like you know shit, Xander. It only makes you look stupid,” I snapped.

“Wow, okay. Struck a nerve there.” He was grinning like this was all a spectacular joke, and maybe it was, to outsiders. Julia Thorne and Ethan Cain, who famously hated each other,getting married at an illegal auction on Arbor: it was enough to keep the gossip mill turning for a year. I gritted my teeth.

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