KESTER.
“Leave us,” I said to Lance, James, and Dylan.
They hesitated for a fraction of a second-perhaps debating whether it was wise to leave me alone with her. But one deathly look from me sent them moving. The door clicked shut behind them.
I leaned back, studying her as she moved with that aura about her-the kind that suggested she belonged anywhere she pleased.
She sat down.
Bold of her.
I hadn’t even offered her a seat.
“It’s been a while,” she mused, tilting her head just slightly, her gaze raking over me. “You’ve grown into a fine young man, Kester.”
Her voice was smooth, like fine silk wrapped around a blade.
Her short, blonde hair still looked as silky as I remembered, only, this time, it was more well taken care of. Because the last time I had that hair wrapped in my hands, it took a good number of able-bodied men to tear her away from my grip. I left it in a mess.
“Good thing you’ve had your hair fixed, Karina,” I murmured, my tone as empty as my patience, “I see your hair isn’t the only thing you’ve fixed. Your audacity is back in perfect condition as well.”
“There isn’t a single thing money can not fix, little brother,” She replied smoothly.
Little brother.
The words grated like rusted steel against my ears.
I wasn’t little.
I wasn’t her brother.
She was my father’s bastard. A stain on our family. Born two years before me to the whore who had poisoned my parents’ marriage beyond repair.
I hated her with every fiber of my being. She was as cunning and soulless as the woman who birthed her.
“I never thought I’d see you after the last time we met,” I emphasized the last word, relishing the look of anger on her face. “Too bad people don’t learn their lessons.”
She smiled. That same serpent’s smile I remembered from years ago, the kind that coiled around a room, waiting to choke.
But I wasn’t seventeen anymore.
“You don’t seem surprised to see me,” she said in a deceptively light tone, as though this was a casual reunion between long-lost siblings.
I allowed a slow smirk to curl my lips. “Oh, I’m surprised, Karina,” I said, watching the way her fingers toyed with the buttons of her blazer. “I was under the impression that corpses didn’t just stroll into my office uninvited.”
The corner of her mouth twitched, but she didn’t let the insult land fully.
“You tried to make me a corpse once before… Funny,” she murmured, “Seventeen years old, shaking with rage, your hands wrapped around my throat, the other around my hair-what was it you said to me that night?” She tapped a finger to her lips, mockingly thoughtful.
My jaw clenched.
I remembered what I’d said to her like it was yesterday.
I’d told her that she should never have been born. That her existence was a stain that needed to be scrubbed out. And that I would do what my father hadn’t had the balls to do-erase her.
And I had tried.
But they’d pulled me off of her before I could finish what I started. And Karina had vanished.
Until now.
“Funny how you remember that night so well,” I said, my voice low and smooth. “But then again, I suppose you would. Dying tends to be a memorable experience.”
She let out a breathy chuckle, shaking her head. “Kester, Kester, Kester,” she tsked, leaning forward. “Still the same cruel little boy, aren’t you? I also heard you ended up in psychiatry.”
Fuck.
She was at it again. Stirring my demons and wanting me to snap. As always.
She was the reason I was admitted to the hospital for “therapy.” when she was the one who always, always pushed me. Although I knew I had a terrible temper, it wasn’t enough to end me up in a psychiatric hospital!
Fuck it! I hate her, and I’d kill her even before she had the chance to breathe properly in my pack.
I tilted my head, ignoring her insults, “And you’re still the same manipulative bitch who should’ve stayed gone.”
“You almost had your wish, you know,” she murmured, eyes dragging over the room like she was claiming it with just her presence. “I barely made it out that night. I had to crawl my way out of this godforsaken pack with my throat still burning from your fingers.”
I said nothing.
She leaned back, crossing her legs, “But look at me now,” she continued, dragging her fingers along the armrest of the chair. “Alive. Thriving. And back where I belong.”
I didn’t say a word. I watched her make a fool of herself.
“The council has already started the process, Kester. The pack has spoken. They’re ready for an Alpha who actually cares about them.”
Something inside me snapped taut.
I was done with the drama.
“Bold of you to think you, a bastard child, could claim the position of Alpha in my pack,” I stood up, adjusting my suit jacket.
I had come here expecting a real threat. A fight worth having.
But standing before her now, I realized the truth.
She wasn’t a threat.
She was a corpse waiting to happen.
I could finish what I had started years ago, and no one would even blink an eyelid about it.
“Stand up and leave my office, Karina. And don’t forget to leave my pack while at it. I don’t have time for such childish delusions.” I made to leave, but her next words stopped me.
“You and our stepsister are quite close, Kester. I wish we were as close as that, you know?” She stood up and straightened her red, short gown before turning to face me with that smile I’d do anything to stop seeing.
I did all I could not to let my face betray any emotions at all. I only scoffed, “It’s much easier wishing a pig would fly, Karina.” I said, and I walked out on her without looking back.
Karina is crazy. But I won’t let her get into my head.
My relationship with Mine was still a secret, and no one except Norlan knew about it. And it stays that way until I said otherwise, at least, for Mine’s sake. So, whatever the fuck Karina was suggesting was just her own way of getting into my head, and I won’t let her.
As for Mine, I had to be sure she was safe and out of Karina’s reach.