JEAN's POV

I carried Ember away from Paris, hoping to put as much distance between Ember and Paris. I was not kidding when I told him he had done enough. In truth, all he had ever caused Ember was unending pain. And now, she wouldn't wake up.


I looked down at her sleeping form and felt a deep ache within me. She was no longer pale or clammy, but she still would not wake up, and I cursed myself over a thousand times for being so caught up in my fight with Paris that I had not paid attention to her when she ended me too.

When I got to my car, I laid her gently in the back seat and wanted nothing more than to leave. But I had to wait for my beta and his men.

"but why the hell was he taking so long anyway?" I checked the time and just as well, it had been nearly an hour since I called him.


Just then, I heard a car coming close and looked to find the bloke's car driving towards mine, and I had a mind to give him a piece of my mind,

"Son of a gun. took you long enough," I said when he stepped out of his car, and he raised his hands in surrender,


"I know I took a while, but in my defense, you did ask me to gather some men. I had to look for the strong available ones."

"and where are they?" I asked, looking at Jean's car, "I don't see anyone."

"they are coming. Promise. So tell me, where are the men I'm supposed to be dealing with, and where is your woman?"

"she's not my woman." I grumbled, "And the men are over there?" I pointed a the heap of disabled bodies, "Gather them to the prison, and when they wake up, pound on them until they tell you who sent them to attack Ember."

"very well." my beta replied, "but if those are the men on the ground, who is that?" he asked, pointing at Paris who surveyed the mangled bodies,

"that's Alpha Paris."

"Ember's husband?" my beta asked, and irritated me further,

"Ex." I spat out, "Yes. "

"Does he have anything to do with this?"

I shook my head no, " I don't know how he found out that Ember was here, under attack, but he got here to save her."

"you don't seem to be pleased about this." my beta said with some amusement, and I wanted to slap the smile right off his face,

"I don’t think you would be either if your mate was in such a position." I said, and I started opening the door to my car, "Don’t let those men get away."

"I won't. But if you ask me, Alpha Paris seems very interested in this entire case as well."

I looked over at Paris who was making a call to heaven knows who and decided that it was the last thing that I wanted to make my business,

"that's on him," I said stiffly and began getting in. I would have loved to give Paris a piece of my mind for how insufferable he had been, but getting Ember to safety was what was most important right then.

"but where's Ember?" my beta asked scandalized and I pointed to her sleeping form at the back,

"she's sleeping?" he asked bewildered,

"she passed out," I said, and my uneasiness returned. I needed to find a solution to Ember's problem as soon as possible,

"Oh. Wow. Well, you go right ahead, sir. I'll take it from here."

I nodded at him and finally got into my car, and without another word to him, or a single glance at Paris, I drove off to the one place where I hoped to find answers.

PARIS'S POV

I watched as Jean drove off with Ember and felt torn. I wanted to get into my car and drive after him so that I could at least know where he was taking her to. But I couldn’t. Jean really seemed hell-bent on getting Ember away from me. Pushpin would been, seeking a fight. I wasn't scared of fighting Jean, but I was worried about what fighting him would do to Ember. So I had to stay out and at least wait for my men to come take one of the attackers away. It was tantamount that I got out of one of them who had sent them to Ember,

I didn't fight Jean, but I had the greatest evil in mind to whoever had done this to Ember. They were going to pay with their blood,

"good day sir." said the man who had been conversing with Jean, and I nodded in acknowledgment,

"good day." his aura told me he was most likely Jean's beta, and I supposed he was there for the same reason I was waiting,

"I had the mind to take one of the men for questioning." the man thought of my words for a moment before nodding,

"it would not be bad to have two people working on this simultaneously." he turned to see some men approaching, "Those are my men come to pick up these sons of b*tches, I'll make sure to leave one,

In the end, they ended up leaving the one with the mangled nose. It would be some extra time for that nose to heal, but I thought I could work with that. Perhaps I could simply deepen the breakage every time he failed to comply.

However, when I got home, it wasn't a prisoner with a bloodied nose that preoccupied my mind. It was a certain curly-haired woman with big brown eyes and the thought h of her unconscious in the back seat of Jean's car, paralyzed me with anxiety and sorrow.

In all my years, I don’t think I have ever felt this way before.

I walked to the bar and got a glass, as well as a bottle of whiskey. Filled the glass, down it in a matter of seconds, and simply tossed it aside, before walking back to my chair with the entire glass of whiskey.

I kept fighting losing myself in a bottle these past few weeks, believing that the answer wasn’t really in the bottles and that I could deal with every problem life threw my way. Or at the very least punch my way through.

But when the problems swept over me, and overwhelmed me. When the problems were problems of my heart, just how was I supposed to punch my way through? How was I, a man who used his fists to survive, meant to fight?

I took three heavy gulps from the bottle and was grateful for the way it quieted my thoughts, quieted my racing heart. This was simply all that could help me right then. I didn't see any other way.

Ember didn't love me and I was going to lose her to Jean. Worse yet, was the fact that it was all my fault.

"Paris? Paris, my God, what are you doing?" late said, rushing to my side and tried taking my bottle from me, but pushed her hand away.

"let me be, woman. Can't you see that this is the only thing that takes the pain away?"

"pain? Are you in pain Paris?" she asked with concern, and I ran a finger down her nose,

"I am in the worst kind of pain, unthinkable, Kate. I can't think past it. It hurts so much."

"tell me about it. Maybe I could help you, Paris. Getting drunk isn't the answer." she said gently and I burst into laughter,

"help me? You can't help me! No one can. I lost her. I've lost her for good this time."

"lost her? Lost who, Paris?"

"Who else? Ember of course. Who else would it be?"

"ember?" Kate asked, and I saw the anger come into her expression, "this is about ember?" she asked and I took another gulp from my bottle before slowly nodding again,

"yes, this is about Ember. She was attacked, do you know that?"

"attacked. I see." Kate said and looked away from me, but something in her eyes right then gave me cause for concern,

"do you know about it?" I asked and she quickly shook her head, but I didn't believe her. I took her chin in my hand and looked into her eyes intently,

"What are you doing, Paris?"

"I don't believe you. I don’t believe that you know anything about this. You're hiding something. I can see it in your eyes." she slapped my hand away from her face and got up,

"what you see in my eyes, is concern for you. And perhaps a bit of heartbreak, even in a stupor, you still think so much about her!"

"don’t yell at me, woman. You'll give me a headache."

"I'll yell if I want to because you’re being so unfair to me!" she shouted as tears filled her eyes and had me shaking my head,

"crazy woman." I spat and drank some more, but she wasn't done with me,

"Why do you treat me this way?" she asked, trying to get close to me again, but I waved her off,

"I already tried to avoid hurting you further, but you have decided that you won't let go. Fine and good. But don't come asking for love where there isn't. I can’t give you that."

Her lips wobbled and hated myself for causing her pain, but I had pain of my own, and how was I supposed to ease hers when I was incapable of easing mine?