Chapter 13

Kieran just watched the whole exchange, his eyes dark and unreadable. He was probably waiting for me to slip up, to embarrass myself in front of Chloe’s smug entourage. Chloe lived to put me in my place, like I was some kind of insect she enjoyed stepping on. But this time, I wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction.

Just as Chloe opened her mouth to lash out, I cut her off, “Isn’t it exhausting, Chloe?” I asked, voice thick with mockery “Always working so hard to prove yourself as my superior? Doesn’t it get boring after a while?”

Her smile faltered, like I’d caught her off guard. The usual confidence wavered, just a flicker, but it was enough. I’d gotten to her.

“What did you say?” she snapped, eyes narrowing.

I leaned in just slightly, smirking. “If I’m just a lowly half-wolf, then what’s your reason for always trying to outdo me? Why do you try so hard? What exacttly do you think you’re going to win?”

Her expression twisted. She was actually considering my words, wrestling with the truth I’d thrown at her.

I’d never really challenged her like this before. There had never been any point to it. She was younger, and our father’s favorite. I’d just look like a bully, picking on my younger sibling, even though her bloodline gave her several distinct advantages.

Now, though, things were different. Our father wasn’t here to tell me to be patient with my little sister. She wasn’t automatically the Alpha’s favorite. Kieran didn’t care one thing for her; he had to keep me at least mostly happy if he wanted me to keep to our bargain.

Chloe lunged, hands reaching for my hair. She apparently decided beating me down was as good as beating me in an argument. Quick as a flash, I dodged, feeling the whoosh of air where her fingers had been. Before she could recover, I twisted and kicked her leg out from under her. She stumbled and hit the ground with a heavy thud.

That was the spark that ignited Chloe’s fury into a full explosion. She scrambled to her feet, rage flashing in her eyes as she barked orders to her followers. They swarmed me, a cruel pack of shadows eager to tear me down.

I was fast, ducking and weaving between their attacks, but numbers don’t lie. One of them slashed my arm, hard, and a sharp pain shot through me. She had shifted her arm enough to expose claws. My breath hitched, but I refused to fall to a minor scratch. I wasn’t going to collapse, not now. Not with him watching.

I glanced toward Kieran, expecting the usual cold detachment, maybe even enjoyment as he watched the chaos unfold. I expected he’d love seeing me put in my place.

Instead, Kieran looked irritated by the whole situation. And then, to my surprise, he moved. He stepped into the middle of the fight with a calm confidence that stopped Chloe’s shadows in their tracks.

“Enough.” His voice cut through the noise like a blade.

Chloe froze, startled, and quickly found her defense. “I’m punishing her for disrespect, Alpha,” she said, trying to sound reasonable, though the edge of panic betrayed her. She could tell Kieran was angry but she didn’t understand why. No one had ever so much as scolded her for attacking me.

Kieran’s gaze landed on me for a moment before snapping back to Chloe. “She is my pet,” he said flatly. “No one else touches my property.”

A flicker of fear flashed in Chloe’s eyes, quickly replaced by desperate pleading. “Please, Alpha Kieran. I didn’t mean anything…”

He raised a hand, and with a cold finality, he commanded, “Kneel.”

Chloe dropped to her knees without hesitation, head bowed.

“Stay there. All day,” Kieran ordered.

I watched her kneel, the proud girl reduced to submission before us. My chest tightened. I couldn’t stand it—seeing her like this sickened me, even if she had started the fight. Although there had never been much affection between us, she was my sister.

“Enough!” I broke the silence, voice sharper than I intended. Does he really enjoy watching people kneel that much? The thought gnawed at me, twisting in my gut. I can’t tell anymore if this is about discipline in the pack, or if it was all just some sick game to feed his ego.

His eyes flicked to me, surprise flashing across his features. “Unnecessary sympathy will get you killed,” he warned.

I clenched my fists but refused to back down. Chloe might live for my humiliation, but I wasn’t going to sink to her level. I was determined to be the bigger person.

I looked Kieran straight in the eye. “Since when was I your property? I’ve always belonged to myself.”

He said nothing for a moment, then waved his hand at Chloe. “You’re free to go.”

When Chloe finally stood, she shot me a final glare, venom thick in her voice, “Save your breath—if you’re expecting a thank you, you’re delusional.”

KIERAN

Zara was young, foolish, and far too kind for her own good. She had an infuriating blend of softness and stubbornness, like she actually believed her heart could change anything. Could change me.

She reminded me of someone I buried long ago. A ghost of who I used to be. That naive boy who smiled too easily. Who thought mercy was strength. Who watched his parents die because he hesitated. Zara had his eyes—not in color, but in conviction. That same reckless belief that goodness could survive in a world carved by fangs and blood.

She would learn better. If she was lucky, she would survive the lesson.

My eyes drifted to the wound on her arm. Still unhealed. It would’ve closed in seconds on a pureblood. But on her, it lingered. Red. Raw. Clinging to her like a curse. Pathetic. Weak. Hybrid.

I sneered. “A pureblood would’ve healed that already,” I muttered under my breath.

The sight should’ve made me feel superior. It didn’t. It made something under my skin crawl. That blood—hers—stirred something dark in me. Not desire. Not hunger. A sick kind of unrest. I wanted to rip it away. Rip her apart. Just to make it stop.

I moved without thinking. Grabbed the front of her shirt. Yanked her toward me like she was weightless.

She fought me. Of course she did. She always fought, even when she had no chance of winning. I dragged her down the corridor, ignoring the servants, the guards, her flailing arms and shouted protests. She clawed at my forearm once. I barely felt it. She didn’t have a wolf’s claws, only normal fingernails.

I shoved the door to my room open and threw her onto the bed. She hit the mattress hard, bounced once, then scrambled upright to snarl at me like a cornered animal.

“What the fuck do you want to do?” she spat at me, fire in her eyes.

I stared at her, jaw tight. I supposed I might as well answer. I’d even tell her the truth.

“I want to fuck you,” I said flatly.

It wasn’t about sex. It was about power. About control. About how someone else touched what was mine.

I hated her because she didn’t break when she should’ve. Because she made me feel things I had spent years locking away. I hated her because she was vulnerable, and that made me vulnerable. Because seeing her hurt made something inside me hurt, and I couldn’t defend myself against that.

She was mine. My pet, my toy. No one else was supposed to be able to touch her, to leave a mark on her. But they had, and I had to do whatever it took to erase it.