Page 9 of Stuck with my Pack
That connection had unraveled me, and the pain of his rejection still lingered like a bruise that refused to fade. Eight years later, here I am, my body responding as if I haven’t learned my lesson.
Tyler’s gaze locks with mine, his eyes darkening with something primal, and for a moment, I swear he might jump me. His hand shifts, his fingers twitching like he’s fighting his own instincts. My breath hitches when his hand cups the side of my face, his palm warm and grounding against my skin.
The touch is gentle but electrifying, and it pulls a sound from my throat—a sound I didn’t even know I was capable of making. My lips part, words lost as the heat between us grows, threatening to consume the fragile control I’m clinging to.
“Sophie… “ he says with a depth of want that knocks me off my feet, and I know in that moment, that he’s going to kiss me, and I’m going to let him.
The moment shatters like glass when a deep, familiar voice cuts through my hazy thoughts.
“What the hell is going on up here?”
I jolt back from Tyler so fast I almost lose my footing again, my heart leaping into my throat. My head snaps toward the doorway, and there he is—Ethan, his broad frame filling the doorway, silhouetted by the dim light of the hallway. The sight of him is like a punch to the gut.
His dark eyes flicker between me and Tyler, narrowing slightly as they land on Tyler’s hand, which still hovers in the air where I was a second ago. His jaw tightens, the muscles flexing in a way that makes my stomach drop.
Heat floods my cheeks, and a rush of embarrassment and something sharper—humiliation—washes over me. My skin burns as I realize how it must look: me, standing inches from Tyler, my face still flushed, the tension between us almost palpable, our scents mingling with each other.
Ethan steps fully into the room, his presence overpowering. His gaze locks onto Tyler’s, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. His familiar scent takes on an edge—possessive, territorial. And now my embarrassment turns into hot fury.
“I was helping fix a leak,” Tyler says, his tone casual, but there’s an underlying note of defiance in his voice. He crosses his arms, casually placing himself in front of me, but I can feel the tension humming beneath the surface.
Ethan’s eyes flicker to me again, sharp and unreadable, before settling back on Tyler.
“You sure that’s all you’re fixing, Hawk?” His tone is calm, but there’s a dangerous edge to it, a quiet accusation that makes my face burn even hotter. And I realize for the first time that these two have a past.
“Relax,” Tyler says, his easy grin not quite reaching his eyes. “Just helping out your new neighbor. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do around here?”
Ethan’s jaw clenches tighter, his fists flexing at his sides. The air between them feels thick enough to choke on, and I wantnothing more than to disappear into the floorboards. I settle for playing peacemaker.
I step forward. My voice is shaky but firm. “It’s fine. Tyler was just helping with the leak. That’s all.” I glance between them, willing the situation to diffuse itself, but the heat of Ethan’s gaze makes it impossible to fully meet his eyes.
“Good to know,” Ethan says, but the sharpness in his tone cuts deeper than I expected it to, and I can feel his jealousy simmering just beneath the surface.
Tyler’s grin widens, and he steps back, brushing imaginary dust from his hands. “Well, I’ll leave you two to…whatever this is,” he says lightly, his voice dripping with amusement. He sweeps me into a crushing hug, running his jaw and lips along the column of my neck before turning toward the door, marking me with his scent.
My cheeks flame. I know that I’m swimming in the summer storm scent of his Alpha pheromones. And I can’t tell if I want to slap him or thank him for the distraction of marking me without permission, knowing he only did it to piss off Ethan. Maybe I want both.
As Tyler brushes past Ethan, the two exchange a glance that’s all unspoken challenge, and the air crackles with tension. My chest tightens as the door swings shut behind Tyler, leaving me alone with Ethan.
“What are you doing here, Sophie?” Ethan says finally, his voice quiet but firm. And I’m not sure if he means what am I doing with Tyler or why I’m in Twilight Harbor.
“This is my home now,” I reply, my voice trembling with a mix of defiance and uncertainty.
Ethan’s eyes soften for a fraction of a second, like he wants to say something different, something kinder. But then the storm rolls back in, his frustration and something deeper flashing across his face.
“Things aren’t the way you left them, Sophie,” he says, his voice low and steady, but there’s a sharpness to it that stings. He takes a step back, his gaze drifting to the water dripping from the ceiling. “You can’t just walk back in and pick up where you left off.”
“I’m not walking back in,” I counter, my voice rising slightly. “I’m trying to start over.”
His lips press into a thin line, and he turns to face me fully. “Starting over? With Hawk? In a house falling apart? In a town you ran away from? This town was always too small for you.”
The words feel like a slap. The hurt crashes into me before I can seal up the hole. Those words used to be true. But a lot has changed, and I find myself wanting Ethan to see me not as the little girl who left but as the woman who’s returned.
My chest tightens, anger something else twisting together in my heart. “Why do you care what I do? Or who I am? You never stopped to see ME!”
Ethan lets out a low, bitter laugh. “Is that waht you think? You fucking left, with out a good bye, wiht out shit. I go to pick you up and YOU. WERE. JUST. FUCKING. GONE!”
My cheeks burn. “I was a kid. I didn’t know how to?—”
