KASMINE.
The car pulled over at the parking lot, and only then did I realize how much I had missed home. It’s been a few weeks since I last visited.
The pack was busy as usual, with people going about their usual activities.
We arrived less than five minutes after our heated session. It took me a surprisingly short time to arrange my hair. My hands trembled as I adjusted my dress, smoothing out imaginary creases.
I reached for the door handle, my fingers curling around it, ready to bolt-but before I could step out, a strong hand latched onto my arm, pulling me back.
A breath hissed between my teeth.
“Let me go,” I snapped, whipping around to glare at him.
Kester’s deep green eyes locked onto mine with an amusement that made my stomach churn.
“Behave yourself. Don’t go showing everyone how angry you are, or they might begin to ask questions,” his gaze fell from my eyes to the side of my lips where he had bitten, and something dark crossed his eyes.
His tongue darted out to wet his lower lip.
“Unless,” he mused, “you do want everyone to know what we’ve been up to.” His smirk sent heat rushing up my neck. “I don’t mind, Kasmine,” he said in a velvet-smooth and taunting voice. “Not one bit.”
Rage coiled tight in my gut, and I felt like punching him in the face.
“Let. Me. Go,” I bit out, even though my will at defiance was struggling within me. A greater part of me was being compelled by an unseen force to do as he had said. The grip of the Blood Claim was already sinking its claws into me, compelling me to obey him.
“Now, be a good girl,” he murmured, his fingers brushing down my arm, leaving a trail of possession in their wake. “Go inside. To your room. Do not come out until I say so.”
I humphed and stepped out of the car, ignoring the chorus of greetings from the guards and maids outside, my skin still burning, my pulse roaring in my ears.
When I pushed the door open, I paused when I saw Mum and Dad. They weren’t exactly in a happy welcoming mood. They looked like they were in a heated argument, and I just walked in on them.
They hadn’t even noticed me walk in.
But the moment my mother caught sight of me, she transformed. “Kasmine, darling,” she cooed, her voice so smooth and her expression shifting like a well-rehearsed act.
She smiled, stepping forward with an outstretched hand. “You’re finally here.”
My gaze shifted from her to Dad, who ran a quick hand over his face before taking in a deep breath, obviously to calm his nerves.
“Dad? Mum?” I asked, pulling away from Mum’s embrace. My stomach twisted as I scanned their faces, “Were you two arguing?”
I had to ask because I’d never seen them argue before. Even though I spent most of my time in school and most weekends with Claire, Shantel, and the rest of my friends, talking about boys that I could never have, I was certain my parents never raised their voices at each other.
“Nothing is wrong, baby. Just go to your room and freshen up,” Dad said, standing at akimbo.
If I didn’t know how much they loved me, I would have thought I was an inconvenience at that point. They made me feel like they couldn’t wait to get back to their argument.
A sharp pang lodged in my chest, but I swallowed it down, forcing my expression into something equally blank.
Standing there and looking at their almost blank expression wasn’t something I wanted to do all day. So, I stepped aside without saying another word and headed toward the stairs.
But just as my foot hit the first step-
“Wait, Kasmine.”
Mum’s voice stilled me.
She closed the distance between us, eyes narrowing as she took in my appearance.
A strange prickle crawled up my spine.
I suddenly felt exposed. She… Did she notice something?
“Why do you look so disheveled? You’re angry, too,” she asked, her eyes sweeping over me like she could read through my skin. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said quickly. Too quickly. “Just had a rough flight.” I made to leave, but she stopped me.
“Then why do you have a man’s scent all over you?”
The breath ripped from my lungs.
My fingers curled against the banister.
Yeah. Of course. She knew.
Sometimes, the fact that I hadn’t gotten my wolf yet made me forget how acute a wolf’s ability can be. They smell, hear, and see beyond our human selves. Something I couldn’t wait to experience.
“What are you saying, Mum?” I managed, forcing myself to steady my breathing. If I panicked, she’d hear my heart racing.
She took a step closer. “A man’s scent is all over you, Kasmine,” she pressed, her voice dipping into suspicion. “Did anyone touch you?”
A bitter laugh almost bubbled up my throat.
For the first time in my life, my mother actually cared about me being touched by a man.
How surprising.
I turned to her, feigning annoyance and letting my anger mask my fear.
“I was in a house, a plane, and a car with Kester, my brother. Is it surprising that you can smell him all over me?” I asked in irritation, meeting her gaze and daring her to question me further.
“Let her be, Jorja.” My father stepfather said in an exhausted tone.
I got used to calling him “father” and calling Kester “brother” because they never treated me as a step-family. And that’s why I loved them so much.
“What’s that mark on your lips, baby? Are you hurt?” Mum asked, bringing her hand close to my lips, but I quickly pulled away.
I totally forgot about it. As a girl without my wolf, I couldn’t heal as fast as other wolves did. Not yet.
“I bit my lips when I… Uh… When I was eating,” I swallowed, “I need to rest now.”
Taking the stairs two at a time, I hurried out of her sight before she took note of anything else.
The hot shower did a lot to soothe the ache all over my body. I soaked myself in the tub for more than an hour, eyes closed, savoring the scent of soap mixed with steam while I reminisced on everything that had happened so far during the trip.
Some memories made my pussy pulse, while others made my heart ache. Like Kester killing my ex, killing those three boys who had tried to force themselves on me, throwing a vase at June… A lot of his actions made me a bit scared of him.
Even though I knew Kester would never do anything to hurt me, a part of me was greatly terrified. And now, I had become curious to find out if he truly did finish therapy and if he was truly cleared by the psychiatrist.
He wasn’t crazy or anything… He just had this extreme anger issue that really needs to be dealt with. Otherwise, everyone around him could be in danger.
The thought was enough to get me out of the shower. I had to get dressed. This was the only chance I had to find out about this.
I couldn’t tell for how long he’d want us to be here before returning to his house, so I had to make use of this time wisely.
***
KESTER.
As I entered my office, the blood in my veins pumped faster than usual. I was tensed and on the edge.
Lance and James, my Gamma, trailed behind me. They had the nerve to suggest I visit my father first-pay my respects before anything else.
As if I owed that man a damn thing.
He was the reason for this mess in the first place.
“Good day, Alpha,” Dylan, the head of my council, rose from his seat and greeted.
I barely spared him a glance, tossing a lazy nod in his direction before stalking toward my seat at the head of the mahogany table while Lance and James sat beside Dylan.
“What is this I am hearing?” I asked, going straight to the point. I had no time for pointless drivel.
The forty-something-year-old man shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat.
“Well, Alpha Kester…” He stalled, probably trying to find the least offensive way to phrase the bullshit he was about to spill. “The Alpha position is being threatened, and…” He was saying but I cut him off.
“And more than half the council think I am unfit for the position?” I asked with raised brows.
I laughed.
It wasn’t even anger I felt-it was amusement.
The sheer stupidity of it all.
He didn’t answer.
“What is their reason?” I leaned back, my elbow propped against the armrest, fingers idly brushing my chin as I watched him squirm.
“The pack feels alone and abandoned. We feel like there is no Alpha leading us. You are hardly ever around.”
Ah. There it was. The predictable whimper of the weak. Though, I was impressed at the amount of guts he had finally gathered to speak out.
“Poor little pups,” I mocked, tilting my head slightly. “Crying because their Alpha isn’t holding their hands?”
He stiffened.
“So, you think she is a better fit than I am…” I said, but it wasn’t a question. I was only quoting what the council had said… And I couldn’t hold myself responsible for the death of more than half of my council.
The Alpha position was not up for debate. It wasn’t a fucking democracy.
I leaned forward, voice dropping to something slow and lethal. “And whose side are you on?”
I watched his throat bob when he swallowed and the sweat that trickled down his left temple… It gave me an answer his mouth couldn’t give.
“I’m on your side, Alpha,” he gave the response anyone in his position would at this point. He told me what I needed to hear, even though I already knew what his original answer was.
He wasn’t on my side. He just lied, and I may have just found my first scapegoat.
The door to my office pushed open, and in that instant, my blood turned to ice while my gaze narrowed to slits with a blinding flood of red swaming my gaze.
A slow, ugly smirk curled at my lips as I sat back, watching her enter like she owned the room.
Karina.
The nerves.
The audacity.
She came to a stop in front of me, ignoring every other person in the room, her lips heavily painted with a deep shade of red curved into a knowing smile as she spoke.
“Hello, brother. It’s been a long time.”