(Luca's perspective)
"What the—" I growled, flipping over just in time to catch another punch to the jaw.
"Ethan?" I blinked through the stars in my vision, seeing him standing over me, looking like he was ready to rip my head off.
"You've got some nerve, Luca," he spat, stepping back as I slowly got up.
I wiped the blood from my lip, cracking my neck like his punches barely registered. Which, to be fair, they didn't. "Is this about me being in Quinn's room?" I smirked, knowing full well it was.
Ethan's jaw clenched as he turned on his heel, starting to walk toward his truck, which he'd parked a mile away from Quinn's place so neither she nor her parents would hear us. I followed, brushing the dirt off my shirt. "You know, if you're gonna tackle me, at least let me see it coming next time. Cheap shots don't count."
He shot me a glare over his shoulder. "Oh, trust me, Luca. That wasn't a cheap shot. That was me holding back."
I couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, is that right? So, what was that punch then? A love tap?" I mimicked rubbing my jaw dramatically, even though I felt nothing.
Ethan spun around, clearly frustrated. "You were in her room, Luca! My girlfriend's room! You can't just do that."
I shrugged, keeping my tone light. "Relax. It's not like I haven't been in there before."
Ethan's nostrils flared, and I could see his hands curling into fists again. "That's not the point. The point is she's mine, not yours."
I raised an eyebrow, strolling casually beside him. "Not the way the mate bond works, Ethan."
He scowled at me, his footsteps heavy on the forest floor. "I'm serious, Luca. You don't get to just waltz into her room whenever you feel like it. You wouldn't see me sneaking around your girlfriend's room."
I chuckled. "Yeah, because you wouldn't dare."
Ethan stopped and glared at me, his face red.
I clapped him on the back, grinning. "You're lucky I'm your brother. No wolf would keep challenging their alpha like this or that punch would've been the least of your worries. Also, what Alpha in the world is letting their beta date their mate? Just think about that for a second."
He growled under his breath, but kept walking. "This isn't a joke, Luca."
"Oh, I'm not joking. I mean, come on, you're the beta, Ethan. That's basically, what? Second in command? You're supposed to be helping me, not dating my mate or punching me because you're jealous."
He shot me another look. "I'm not jealous."
"Yeah, right," I snorted. "You punched me in the face and tackled me to the ground because you're totally calm and secure in your relationship. Got it."
Ethan huffed, picking up his pace, clearly trying to get away from me. "You sense her fear every time something happens, don't you?"
"I can't help it if she's my mate," I said, not even bothering to deny it. "And, no, I'm not gonna stop just because it makes you uncomfortable."
"I don't need you swooping in every time she feels nervous."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, because you've got it all handled, right? That's why you came back to her room after leaving like a total idiot?"
Ethan groaned, rubbing his face like he was trying not to strangle me. "You know what, Luca? I don't get why you don't take this seriously."
I shrugged again. "It's hard to take you seriously when you're trying to beat me up because I was hanging out with my mate. I'm not phased, Ethan. Not by you being with her, not by your punches. No wait, that's not entirely true - I want to throw your corpse into the river every time I think of you touching her but it would make Mom pretty sad."
"I swear," he muttered, shaking his head. "Sometimes I think you enjoy pushing me to the edge."
I grinned. "Wouldn't be fun if you weren't so easy to rile up."
We finally reached his truck, and he stopped, leaning against the side of it like he needed a second to catch his breath. I could tell he was still angry, but the tension between us had settled into something a little more manageable. For now, at least.
"You know we've gotta meet the seer tomorrow," Ethan finally said, his tone more serious now. "Figure out what's happening with Quinn, with the pack."
I nodded, my joking demeanor fading. "Yeah, I know. We're running out of time. If we don't figure this out soon…"
Ethan crossed his arms, his expression grim. "We'll have to update the clan, let them know what's going on. They're already on edge."
"I know," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "But we can't say anything until we know for sure. The seer's our best shot at getting answers."
Ethan nodded, though I could tell he was still pissed. Not just at me, but at everything. The pressure, the uncertainty. The fact that we were both stuck in this situation—me with Quinn, him with the pack's safety. It wasn't easy for either of us, but we had to deal with it.
"Well," I said, trying to lighten the mood again, "maybe next time you try to tackle me, I'll actually let you win...well, get me drunk first."
Ethan glared at me, but I could see the corner of his mouth twitching. "Yeah, right."
I grinned. "Admit it, you'd miss me if I wasn't around to annoy you."
He rolled his eyes, getting into the truck. "Just get in, Luca."
As I climbed into the passenger seat, I couldn't help but chuckle. No matter how many times we fought, he was still my brother. But that didn't mean I'd stop pushing his buttons. Where would the fun be in that? Now that he was dating my mate because she made a choice – a terrible one at that, I would push him even harder.