---- Chapter 5 His woman? He couldn't be talking about me. We'd severed our mate bond five years ago. Five years-that was long enough to strip a person clean of pride, of dignity. Long enough to forget titles that used to mean something. Daughter of the Wilson House. Luna of the Duskrend pack. All of that... gone. The family I once wore like armor, the man I once trusted with my life-both had vanished from my world. Ethan strode in, flanked by his men, an imposing force that made everyone on deck freeze. The moment his eyes found me, they sharpened like blades. He came straight toward me, shedding his coat mid-stride, and wrapped it around my soaked body. ---- There was urgency in him. Worry. Maybe even guilt. "I'm sorry, Joy. I was late," he said, breath tight. But I'd never expected him to come. So I hadn't waited. I hadn't had even a flicker of hope. Any hope I once had for him had already been crushed beneath the weight of his repeated vengeance. Jason recovered first, stepping forward. "Ethan... what brings you here?" Ethan's eyes swept over the crowd with a cold, commanding calm. Only after everyone had felt the weight of his gaze did he answer. "I'm here to take my woman back." Jason froze. His gaze drifted to me, something calculating behind it. The air shifted, tense and uneasy. ---- One of the drunken bigwigs couldn't take it anymore. He'd spent too long at the top of the Nightclaw ranks to let anyone walk in and trample his pride. He hurled his glass to the floor, shattering it." Who the hell do you think you are? Barging onto my turf and ruining my night? You'll leave here in a body bag!" He turned, ready to call in reinforcements. But no one moved. Everyone knew-Ethan had already locked the place down. His men were everywhere. Someone pulled the drunken elder back, whispering sharply, "Are you insane? That's Ethan, the Alpha of the Duskrend pack. The Lycan Chairman. You wanna end up dead tonight?" Reality finally sank in. The man's face went pale, bloodless.