Note: thank you to my Beta LadyEros for her wonderful job and patience.

Thanks for reading!

Danny told himself that he was not going to sit around moping about Ethan. He needed to get into a different routine. Ethan's memory needed to be the last thing on his mind. He figured going to the Jungle would be the perfect solution to his problems. Wasting his time away dancing with good-looking guys, throwing back a few drinks, and committing a few unmentionable acts with strangers was the perfect night to him.

When Jackson was around, Danny would usually exchange weird porno videos and get incredibly drunk. Unfortunately for Danny, the motherfucker left him alone with Lydia and he refused to have another movie night with Lydia. Danny refused to be that gay friend.

Danny looked around at the crowd of people in the Jungle tonight. It was packed from wall to wall with bodies. He took a brisk sip from his glass of whiskey when he noticed a couple grinding on each other. From the angle that Danny was looking at, it appeared to be Ethan. Danny centered his focus on the couple and realized that it was Ethan. Danny was pissed. Ethan constantly told him that he hated clubs and repeated numerous times that he was a bad dancer. Ethan was usually so sweet and took his time with things, but now he was being completely aggressive and definitely not like his usual self. Ethan was not the kind of guy to settle for a one-night hookup. There was no judgment here since Danny was the kind of guy, but it still upset Danny greatly. Ethan hadn't just lied about who he was, but everything about him.

The guy with Ethan let his hand move further down Ethan's body until it reached Ethan's ass. Without even taking a second to consider his actions, he felt himself moving towards the couple. Why couldn't Danny just let Ethan go? He was doomed.

Ethan was completely taken off guard when he felt a hand on his shoulder. When he saw that it was Danny, his eyes widened. Ethan knew Danny's scent almost as well as he knew his own, but Danny had the perfect element of surprise. All the people sweating and colognes mingling in the air, allowed him to sneak up on Ethan. Ethan sprung away from the guy from he was with, completely embarrassed. There was no way Ethan could be faking that, but he remembered that Ethan was good at faking.

"Danny-"

The guy that was dancing with Ethan threw his hands up in the air. "I saw him first!" When the guy realized that he was being ignored, he turned and found himself a new dance partner.

Danny grabbed Ethan's arm and pulled him towards the bathroom so that they could get more privacy and could actually hear each other.

Ethan couldn't lift his eyes from his feet; ready to hear whatever Danny had to say.

"Was anything you told me true?" Danny questioned Ethan, completely exasperated.

"Yes," Ethan responded.

Danny moved onto the next question. "Why have you been avoiding me? I'm the one who should be upset, not you!"

Ethan still didn't look up from the floor, which further infuriated Danny.

"Don't you think I deserve that you at least look at me when I'm talking to you?" When Ethan didn't respond to Danny again, he continued. "Damnit, Ethan! Look at me!"

When Ethan finally looked up at Ethan, his eyes were dull and practically burning into the eyes of the human in front of him.

"What for, Danny? So I can see the way you're looking at me now? Like hearing you telling me how much you hate me, isn't enough?

"You deserve it, Ethan. Everything. I deserve a little respect from you and that means eye contact."

Before Ethan could reply, a guy entered the restroom.

"Okay, but not here," he whispered to him.

They had decided that the best place to talk was at Danny's house. Ethan was settled on Danny's bed while Danny stood across from him, resting his shoulder against the wall.

"First of all, I want you to explain yourself," Danny said.

"I thought you were already told everything," Ethan stated.

Danny rolled his eyes at Ethan. "You better start now."

Ethan sighed. "We knew you were a potential threat. I was told to watch you so, I had to get close to you. It wasn't the first time that we've done that and I was lucky my target was a guy—you. We knew Jackson left and that you shared an important connection with him."

"How did you know all that?"

"We had our ways. You weren't an exception to that rule. You were really easy to seduce."

Danny frowned, clearly upset.

"You were really easy, Danny. You can't be that way anymore."

"I've learned my lesson, Ethan. Twice."

Ethan smiled as he reminisced. "At first I thought I was so lucky. You were really hot." He remembered the first time he saw Danny. He was so nervous and Ethan found it adorable. "After I spent time with you, I realized that I wasn't lucky at all. I thought I would have to kill you. Breaking up would have been easier, but I couldn't do it either. I was selfish and I wanted you."

Ethan spoke with no emotion in his voice. He spoke as if everything he said was verbatim. Danny wanted Ethan to speak about his emotions, not ignore them. Danny thought back to the moment he heard Ethan say that he loved him. It was such a sweet memory, but not it hurt him to think of it.

"How many people have you killed?" Danny was afraid of the answer, but he had to know.

"You already know about Boyd. I helped on that one, but someone else killed Erica. I've only killed five people—my old pack."

Danny's face twisted in disgust. "They were your family?"

"No, they... kind of adopted us." Ethan didn't want to bring up the abuse he endured, the days he was punished without food or the constant beatings. He could always talk about Aiden crying every night and how he hid his tears from his brother, because he already had too many reasons to cry. Everyone thought that Aiden was the stronger one, but Ethan was the stronger one, by far. His brother had the stronger bark, but Ethan had the most bite.

"And it was all about power?"

"Kill or be killed," Ethan said, simply.

"How did Boyd threaten your life?"

Ethan didn't answer.

"Am I in danger/"

Ethan shook his head, confused. "What?"

"You said you thought I was a threat. Does that mean other werewolves think that?"

"No, you're safe. If someone tries to hurt you—"

Danny stopped him in the middle of his reassurance. "Let me guess, you'd kill them?" Danny's voice was bitter and the look in his eyes broke something inside of Ethan. It hurt Ethan to his core.

"Yes," he admitted, no more lies between them. "I'd kill for you, but I am also willing to die for you."

Ethan climbed to his feet and closed the space between him and Danny. Danny didn't move. They were completely alone and Danny knew that Ethan had the power to rip his throat if he wanted to, but Danny wasn't afraid of him. Ethan reached for Danny's hand and lifted it to his chest, resting his hand on Danny's heart. Ethan obviously knew Danny couldn't listen to heartbeats the same way he could, but the sentiment would be there.

"Without hesitation," Ethan said, earnestly. Danny's facial expression grew soft as he looked at Ethan. He couldn't resist the gesture. Danny came towards Ethan the rest of the way and pressed a kiss to his lips.

This kiss wasn't the same as the other kisses they had shared before. Ethan wanted to remember this kiss for several lifetimes. He could feel the magic in the air when his lips on Danny's. Even when he was sure that Danny thought he was a monster and hated him, he could feel something warm and it felt like love.

"Sorry," Danny said, as he began pulling apart from Ethan. He backed roughly five feet from him to give each other space. "I can't do this with you, right now." The unsaid 'not yet' hung in the air.

"You have anything more to ask or anything else to say to me?"

Danny considered asking more about Ethan's old pack and learn more about the abuse, but Ethan looked so vulnerable as if one word would cause him to break. Danny knew he had to think of something. He felt as if he wasn't asking enough questions.

"How much of it was real?"

"Except for the beginning and the lies, everything was real."

Danny sighed; relieved from the answer he received. "You really hurt me, Ethan. You've hurt me more than anyone I've ever been with. I want you to know that." Taking Ethan back wasn't in the cards for now. He didn't want to be harsh, but he knew that he had to.

"I know," Ethan said. This was killing him. It felt like a slow and painful death. "Can I go now?"

"What?! Why do you always have to run away, Ethan? I'm right here; just talk to me!"

"I'm sorry I can't tell you what you want to hear, Danny. I'm not good at this and you know that. I'm trying, because I know you still care about me. Even though it hurts me to see you mad at me, I think you're worth the pain. Am I worth the pain to you?"

Danny wasn't a werewolf, but he was sure that this was real. "I'm not answering that. Not yet, but I will."

He couldn't fight or deny his feelings for Ethan. Everything felt new and completely different to him. The supernatural bit terrified him and he knew he would need more time to understand everything. He also couldn't look at Ethan the same way either.