KESTER.
I didn’t expect anything less, considering the fact that I didn’t allow any man near her all her life. But I know how younger ones could be. They were good at sneaking their way around without the adults finding out.
Relief washed over me so hard that I almost felt dizzy. This only meant one thing… I was going to be the first and only man in her life.
“You’re a virgin?” I asked, and she looked away. She was probably shy about it, but she replied with a small nod.
“Fuck, Mine. You should have said so,” I brushed off some strands of hair from her face, my hand lingering for a moment behind her head before pulling her close and planting a soft kiss on her lips.
She hesitated this time and held on to the hesitation. “Don’t worry, Mine. I won’t hurt you,” I said softly, “At least, not tonight.”
“I have to go now, Kes,” she said suddenly, her voice breaking the moment as she moved to jump off the countertop.
I caught her wrist before she could. “Why the rush?” I asked, a sly smile tugging at my lips. “Got something waiting for you in your room?”
Her cheeks flushed, but she didn’t answer.
Gods, I was falling deeply for this girl. Everything about her was made for me.
I let my fingers graze her cheek, studying every detail of her-the way her almond-shaped green eyes danced nervously, the way her plump lips parted slightly as if searching for words. She looked like she wanted to say something but couldn’t bring herself to.
“Speak,” I said, although I didn’t intend to sound as harsh as I did, but my patience was wearing thin. She couldn’t just… Be here… While I do nothing to and with her. It was like seeing your favorite meal and not eating.
“Claire wants to come over to the house this weekend. She says we could watch movies and order food… You know?” She said, and her words made me realize something – this was the first time in ages my sister had ever requested anything from me.
The realization left a sour taste in my mouth. Was she scared of me? Or had she just grown so used to me saying no that she’d stopped trying altogether? Either way, it didn’t sit well with me.
That was in the past now. I was going to make sure she felt free enough to ask me for favors whenever she pleased.
“Is that all?” I asked, leaning against the counter. One hand brushed against her curls, fingers threading through the soft, brown strands.
I had once cut some strands of her hair and put it under my pillow so I could sniff her scent. It was intoxicating in a way I couldn’t explain. But that was some five years ago before I decided to buy her exact hair products and kept them in my bathroom. I sniffed them every morning and night like a daily ritual. It made me feel closer to her.
“She said we could also go shopping…?” She sounded unsure about this part. She knew I didn’t allow her to go out for any reason. She was used to being at home.
“Would that make you happy?” I asked, watching her closely.
Her eyes lit up, a spark of genuine excitement and disbelief flashing across her face. She nodded eagerly, her smile as radiant as the sun breaking through a storm. At that moment, she reminded me of my bird, Mel Selene bless her poor soul – testing her wings for the first time after I had kept her in a gilded cage for almost two months for fear of losing her. I was only nine then.
Unfortunately, when I released Mel, she flew off for almost a week before returning to me a habit she had developed over time. I had killed her out of anger and frustration because she had obviously found a new owner whom she was growing to love. And since I couldn’t have her entirely, no one else should.
But for Kasmine, it would be different. I’ll make sure of it. I’d do anything to keep her happy with me. Including tolerating Claire stepping foot in my home, something I wouldn’t have otherwise allowed. I’d give her the whole world if it made her smile like that.
“Then, that’s fine. You have a deal,” I announced, and her eyes lit up.
“Thank you, Kes,” she said, her grin softening into something sweeter. “And…” She paused, chewing on her bottom lip like she was debating whether to continue.
“Say it,” I prompted.
“Mum’s leaving on Friday instead of Saturday,” she said cautiously. “Can I go with her? Just for a little while? I’d come back Saturday morning. And… I have to be at school on Friday for-” I knew where this was headed, and I didn’t like this part.
I am eager to please her, but not with this.
“No, Mine,” I stopped her mid-sentence. But I tried to keep my voice as even as possible.
Her brows furrowed in confusion, and I could already see the protest forming in her mind.
“From now on, you won’t have to visit your school on Fridays.” I declared, and she narrowed her brows in confusion.
“How…? Why? Uhm…” She licked her lips, and I swear I was tempted to claim them in my mouth and kiss her until they were red and swollen, “You know how important it is that I attend school on Fridays. I…”
“… don’t have to do that anymore,” I finished her statement for her, even though I knew what her protest was going to be about, “I’ve spoken to the school. They’ve agreed you’ll only attend when necessary, and that’ll be when I have business at the packhouse.”
I heard her frantic heartbeat. She was angry. I could feel it from the way she clenched her jaws and fisted her small palms.
But all I could think about was the way her tongue darted out to wet her lips, the way her mouth opened and closed as though she were searching for the right words to defy me. My gaze lingered on those lips, small and plump, and I had to keep fighting the maddening urge to claim them, to kiss her until she couldn’t remember why she was angry.
“You can’t just-” she began, her voice trembling with restrained fury.
“I can,” I said, my tone low and final. “I am Alpha. My word is law.”
Her anger simmered, and the fire in her eyes burned hotter. And, God help me, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stop her or let her burn me alive.
“No, Kester! You can’t do this!” Her voice cracked, her words laced with desperation. Tears shimmered in her wide, doe-like eyes, making her look heartbreakingly beautiful in her torment. “How about letting me visit Mum and Dad? You can’t take that away from me, too!”
Her tone was strained. And I knew what she’d do next – the same thing she always did when she felt cornered-she’d try to run to her room.
Not happening.
Before she could make a move, I leaned forward, planting both hands firmly on the counter, caging her small frame in place. Her chest rose and fell in uneven breaths, and her lips trembled as she stared up at me.
“I promise to make time and take you to see our parents occasionally,” I said, hoping it would make her feel better.
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head, her tears spilling freely now. “You’re taking my freedom away from me. It’s getting worse, Kester. Day by day, you’re suffocating me. Please, stop.”
Her words stabbed at me, but instead of retreating, I let the intensity of her anguish fuel me.
She peered into my eyes, searching for an understanding that wasn’t even there to begin with.
“You have no idea how much control I want to have over you, Mine. There is no freedom without me,” I lifted one hand to her face. My fingers brushed her cheek, wiping away a tear as I gazed into her eyes. “I want to be your everything. The only freedom you’ll ever know. The only place you’ll call home.”
Her lips parted as if to retort, but the words got caught in her throat. Then she pushed back with sudden force, her small hands shoving at my chest. “You are demented. You need help!” she screamed into my face before jumping down the counter. But I grabbed her by the wrist before she had the opportunity to move a step.
“Kasmine, behave,” I said through clenched jaws, my patience thinning.
“I’ll tell mum about this… This control of yours. I’ll tell her all about it. I don’t want to stay with you anymore!” She cried. Tears like a fountain fell from her eyes, and I felt like licking them off her face.
Her words were like a blade to my chest, but instead of wincing, I smiled-a dark, cruel smirk that made her breath hitch. “Oh, Mine,” I murmured, “I’ll be glad to also tell her how sweetly you had sucked my cock last night. We both have something to tell her, don’t we?”
The blood drained from her face in an instant, leaving her pale and trembling. “You wouldn’t dare,” she whispered, her voice quivering with disbelief and fear.
I raised a brow, my grip on her wrist tightening just slightly to make my point. “Wouldn’t I? You know me better than that, Kasmine. Try me.”
She wrenched her arm free, stepping back as she wiped the tears from her face with trembling hands. “Stay away from me,” she spat, “I never want to see you anywhere around me, Kester.” Her voice became firmer as she looked at me with disgust and disdain.
I tilted my head, studying her as if she were a child throwing a tantrum. “We had a deal, Mine,” I reminded her, “Jake is only alive because of you. Don’t make me take back my words the way you are trying to take yours back,” I said, almost counting my words.
“You’ll do no such thing. I’ll warn Jake. He’ll leave-leave your company, your pack, and every part of your twisted life!” She shot back, and I almost laughed out loud at her naivety.
This girl still undermines me. She didn’t know the extent I’d go to make her mine alone.
I pulled my phone from my pocket, watching the way her eyes darted nervously between my face and the device.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice trembling but laced with suspicion. She tried to peer at the screen, and I saw the raw panic on her face.
I ignored her, scrolling until I found what I was looking for. When I turned the screen toward her, her breath caught in her throat, and a loud, horrified gasp escaped her lips.
Aha. Now, I had her exactly where I wanted her to be… Again.