Page 145 of Roaring Flames

Does he have a support system in place?

Ethan continues to stare at me, his eyes unreadable, before he jumps to his feet and takes off in a run.

“Dammit!” Emery curses, taking a step as if he means to go after him.

Ashton holds up a hand to stop him. “You need to stay here and start damage control. People here find you…” His lip curls. “They find youcharming. Use that. Rally support. I have a feeling Peter will do something sooner rather than later, and we’ll need people on our side.”

Peter.

That must be the man’s name.

I fucking hate it.

Emery looks as if he wants to protest but nods once. “Fine.”

Without a word, he disappears into the crowd.

“What’s going to happen now?” I ask nervously.

Ashton pinches the bridge of his nose. “Because of the twins’ idiotic proclamation, we can no longer hold up our end of the deal. That means Peter is free to take legal action against Ethan if he so desires.”

“Not normal legal action,” Christian adds. “They’ll face the Council, and they’ll decide Ethan’s punishment.”

A tiny bit of hope flares to life. “That’s good, right? I mean, his dad is on the Council.”

“His dad and packmates won’t be able to vote,” Reid rumbles, his tone gruff. “Conflict of interest.”

“The vote will go to the second most powerful pack, which happens to be close friends of Peter’s,” Ashton finishes, his jaw tick-tick-ticking away like a tiny clock.

A finger of ice touches my spine, and an invisible spike spears my chest. “Fuck.”

“Yeah. Fuck.” Ashton scrubs a hand over his buzzed head. “He’s an idiot. I don’t know why he would do such a stupid thing?—”

“Maybe because, unlike you, some things are more important to him than power and prestige,” Christian remarks softly. “Maybe because he didn’t want to lose his mate before he even had the chance to have her.”

My heart thunders against my rib cage.

Ashton whirls on his older brother. “Is love more important than freedom?”

“Is that what you think the mating bond is?” Christian asks, frowning. “A cage?”

Ashton blanches as if he’s been struck. “This has nothing to do with me or the mating bond but everything to do with Ethan spending the rest of his life in prison. Because you know that’s what they’re going to vote for—despite the fact that no one got hurt, and we repaired the house. Peter’s a vindictive man. He’ll want revenge for the way the twins humiliated Desiree.”

“I never…” I swallow and try again. “I never would’ve asked them to do this for me. I swear.”

Ashton turns towards me, and I swear his face softens for a fraction of a second. Then it hardens, turning to stone once more, his eyes keen knives that slice at my skin.

“I won’t allow Ethan to spend the rest of his life rotting away.”

“I’ll see if I can talk to some of my old friends,” Christian says. “Remember Bobby?”

Reid’s brows furrow. “The nurse?”

“He was one of my old buddies before I…before I moved away. And he’s also the son of one of the men who will be voting on Ethan’s fate. I can talk to him. Try to get him to set up a meeting with his father and the rest of his pack. Make them see reason.”

Reid’s scowl deepens. “I can make them see reason.”

His dark, threatening voice causes goose bumps to ripple up and down my arms.

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