Chapter 8 My brother

Selena

"I'll be quiet I promise," I begged, tears burning hot trails down my cheeks. My voice cracked, desperation spilling out with every word. "I won't speak unless spoken to. I won't fight your woman. I'll make myself invisible. Just... please. Don't make me stay in your house."

But Stephen's eyes glittered with cruelty, like he'd been waiting for this moment.

Living under his roof before had been hell an unending nightmare that lingered even after I'd escaped. I'd sworn never again. Yet here I was, trapped in the snare of the very monster I feared most.

His fingers tightened in my hair, pulling my head back until my neck strained. Then just as suddenly he released me, his thumb brushing away a tear in a mockery of tenderness.

"Am I not your brother?" he murmured, lips curling in a smirk that made my stomach twist. "Shouldn't I take care of my dear sister?"

His hand slid down to my waist, gripping hard enough to make me flinch.

"Stop," I whispered, voice trembling.

Stephen only chuckled under his breath, then pulled out his phone. His tone was calm, but the menace laced in every word made my blood run cold.

Whatever he was planning, it wasn't good.

This was my chance.

Heart hammering, I inched backward. One step. Another. His focus was elsewhere, voice low as he spoke into the phone. The door was just a few feet away. Freedom within reach.

My hand stretched for the handle

CRACK.

Agony exploded at the back of my head. The world tipped sideways. Darkness swallowed me whole.

I woke to the scent of vanilla and expensive cologne. My skull throbbed, each pulse of pain rattling my thoughts.

Blinking through the haze, I sat up. The room around me glowed golden, draped in luxury creamy walls, silk curtains, furniture polished to perfection. Beautiful. Suffocating. A gilded cage.

"Where... am I?" I whispered, fingers brushing the tender knot at the back of my head.

I stumbled to the door and twisted the handle. Locked.

"No." My voice cracked. I shook the knob harder, pounding my fists against the wood. "No, no, no! Let me out! You can't keep me here!"

My throat burned as tears blurred my vision. I slid to the floor, curling against the door like it could shield me from him.

"I'll disappear," I whispered through sobs. "I'll vanish from your life forever. Just don't don't lock me away."

The door creaked open.

Every muscle in me froze.

Stephen stood in the doorway, his shadow stretching across the room like it owned me. His eyes were darker than I remembered empty pits that stripped away air and warmth.

I scrambled upright, heart thundering.

He stepped inside, slow and deliberate. "Tell me, Selena," he said softly, "were you trying to run from me in my office?"

The lie spilled out before I could think. "I wasn't. I wasn't trying to run."

Stephen smirked, predator amused by prey. "You know my rules. I hate liars. I hate disobedience. And you just broke both."

He circled me, a wolf toying with his catch. My knees buckled, and I dropped to the floor.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, shaking. "I'll follow the rules. Please... I don't want to be your prisoner."

He crouched before me, hands clamping around my face. His grip was iron, fingers digging into my cheeks.

"Don't you ever call me by my name again," he snarled, eyes burning into mine. "You address me as Master. Your father killed my mother, and yet you're still breathing. You don't deserve the privilege of speaking my name."

My blood turned to ice.

I should've stayed with Alpha Kingsley. I should've risked anything anything other than this. Now I was trapped with a man who hated me simply for existing.

Stephen's voice cut through my panic, chilling and final.

"Let's play a game."

Terror surged through me. Not again.

The last time we played one of his "games," I'd woken from a coma with nothing but pain and nightmares to remember.

"I don't want to play," I whispered, voice breaking.

"You don't have a choice." He rose to his feet, towering over me. "This is your warning, Selena. Disobey me again... and you won't wake up next time."

His cruel smile curved wider.

"Now run."

For a heartbeat, I couldn't move. Then instinct took over.

I ran.