Chapter 96
Bradley ran a hand through his hair, a nervous habit he’d had since childhood. That night, I was in a terrible mood. She refused to take me back, and I was angry.”
So you fabricated a story that she betrayed you? I pressed, fingers tightening on the armrests of my chair. The leather creaked under my grip, my claws beginning to emerge under unconscious command.
The image of proud, capable Erin being disgraced because of my brother’s lies sparked something dark and violent inside me. I remembered how the Pack had shunned her, how rumors and gossip had followed her. How much of her pain had been caused by Bradley’s selfishness?
Bradley flinched at my tone. “I didn’t think it would spread so far. I was just angry.”
“She didn’t betray you,” I stated, making it clear this wasn’t a question. “You betrayed her.”
“Lily seduced me,” he explained weakly. “She’d been flirting for weeks, and that night, I just… couldn’t control myself. My wolf took over.”
His attempt to blame his wolf nature made my own wolf bristle with fury. I had spent my entire life controlling my instincts, suppressing desires, putting the Pack’s needs before my own impulses. My voice dropped to a dangerous growl. “Are you suggesting your urges are stronger than the Pack Alpha’s?”
Bradley looked up, realizing his mistake, horror flashing across his face. “No, of course not-
“Then don’t blame your wolf for your human failings,” I cut him off, each word dripping with contempt. “Shifting responsibility to your nature rather than accepting it is not what a real man
does.”
My brother cringed. In some ways, my words might have hurt more than any physical blow. Bradley had always craved my approval, even while resenting my authority.
“I regret it every day,” he admitted quietly.
After a moment of silence, Bradley leaned forward, his expression earnest. “Derek, I need your help. I
want her back.”
He betrayed her, lied about her, and now expected me to help him reclaim her like some lost
property. My wolf surged forward violently, and I couldn’t control the change in my eyes, gold
completely replacing gray as I stared at my brother.
“She is someone else’s Soul Bond,” I growled, the words emerging from deep in my chest, more rumble than speech.
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Chapter 96
Bradley’s eyes widened at my reaction, finally understanding how close he was to triggering
something primal and dangerous. Yet he persisted. “That doesn’t matter, Soul Bonds can be resisted, can be broken. You and I both know that.”
I rose slowly to my full height, letting my Alpha aura fill the room until the air itself seemed to press down on him. Bradley visibly shrank back, his wolf instinctively displaying submission to such overwhelming dominance.
“Stop wasting your time on her,” I commanded, my voice carrying the weight of Alpha authority. “She doesn’t love you anymore.”
Bradley’s face paled. He searched my expression, perhaps looking for any sign that I was being deliberately cruel rather than truthful. Finding none, his shoulders slumped in defeat.
“How can you be so sure?” he asked, his voice small.
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