Page 13
Mira
“That’s a bit too difficult to believe when the man in question happens to be my stepbrother.”
Griffin’s words echoed in my head, threatening to tear apart everything I’ve believed.
Victor was his stepbrother? I didn’t even know he had a stepbrother not to mention Victor being the one. Also, how did I miss Victor being of royal blood, not just by relation, but as a possible heir to the throne?
I could feel my chest tighten and a solid lump forming in my throat. It took every bit of control I had gathered over the years to not let out a scream.
Five years. Five whole years spent away from Griffin, five years of building a life where neither he nor anyone could walk in and treat me like dirt, five years of carefully hiding away only to find out I was never as far as I thought.
There were bits of him scattered in every part of my life.
From our son Noah to my business and now, my personal relationship .
The goddess wasn’t fair at all. I couldn’t have come this far to end up in the same family I fought so hard to escape.
And Victor—why did he keep something this huge from me? Did he know who I was the whole time and intentionally decide to mislead me?
No. That wasn’t possible. If I didn’t know about him, he might have known nothing about me, too. Plus, very few people knew about the bond between Griffin and me.
But even that did not excuse him from keeping such information from me.
I tucked the information into the back of my head. I would confront Victor when I was ready for him. Right now, it was Griffin in front of me, and I was determined not to give him the satisfaction of cornering me into a spot.
“Like I said, the world does not revolve around you, and the men I date have nothing to do with you.”
The smug look on his face immediately hardened into anger, and he looked like he wanted to punch something.
“So, it was intentional then.”
I shrugged. I wasn’t going to explain myself to him. He clearly believed I was out for him, and the last time I tried defending myself in front of him, I ended up in the dungeon. He could believe the worst of me for all I care.
“What was the end game, huh?” he said, his voice low and dangerous as he took a step forward, driving me further into the corner until there was barely enough room for a needle to pass between us.
“To run my business to the ground while my brother attacks the throne from the other end and afterward, he marries you and makes you queen? ”
Griffin’s words didn’t surprise me, but they never ceased to have the same face-smacking effect on me.
“Whore.”
“Ambitious Omega.”
“Social climbing Omega.”
The words resounded in my ears, a reminder of how my advances in the human world didn’t matter to my world and how I’d always be low-ranking.
Rage poured through me like lava as the familiar taste of humiliation burned in my throat. I straightened my back, refusing to let him see the effect his words had on me.
“You’re the one who forced a dance on me, had me investigated, and is currently harassing me in a public restroom. If I didn’t know, better Mr. Thorne, I’d think you’re the one who’s been scheming and plotting. Tell me, how would your beloved Lilith feel when she finds out what you’ve been up to?
The burning look that flashed through his eyes was the only warning I got before he slammed his fist into the wall next to my head, effectively putting an end to whatever I might have to add.
“You’ll not speak of Lilith.”
His voice was strained, and heavy puffs of breath enunciated them, but I didn’t miss the characteristic lack of tenderness in the way he said her name or the way he spat it out like it was poison. Whatever it was, I wanted no part in it.
“You will not bulldoze into my life and tell me what I cannot do, who I cannot date, and what deals I cannot go after. You don’t own me Mr. Thorne, and what I do with my life is none of your business.”
A sly smile spread across his lips, and he lifted his hand, twisting a lock of my hair around his finger. I fought back the urge to lean into his touch. He was barely touching me, but I could feel the heat from his skin sinking into me and sending my heart into overdrive.
He lowered his head to my ears, his breath fanning across my neck and leaving goosebumps in their wake. I gripped the wall to keep my knees from giving out.
“I own you, Mira.” The words shot through me like molten heat, settling deep in my core and causing my walls to clench.
He wasn’t done.
“I own every bit of you, from the heavy breaths pouring out your lungs to your moans of pleasure, and I’ll not hesitate to remind you. Get rid of him. I won’t be so nice with my request a second time.”
My wolf purred, clinging to the part where he implied we belonged to him with an almost nauseating desperation. Did she not learn anything from all we’ve been through?
I was an embarrassing mess of erratic heartbeat, molten heat, and an undeniable throbbing between my thighs.
Griffin took a whiff of air, his smile deepening by a fraction. Of course, he could perceive my arousal seeping into the air around us. Heat climbed from my core and settled deep in my face.
Years of resilience almost fell apart with one encounter. It was frustrating how much my body betrayed me when it came to him. He could be saying the cruelest thing, and somehow, it’ll find a way to give in to him.
“You are delusional.” I managed to cough out, proud of myself for not sounding as shaken as I was feeling.
He cocked a brow.
“You want to test that theory?”
“Go find someone else to entertain you. I’m not playing your stupid games,” I replied, pushing past him and walking out of the restroom .
“Are you okay? You spent a lot of time there,” Victor asked as soon as I returned to our seat.
I briefly toyed with the idea of confronting him about his identity and hearing what he had to say for himself, but I was already exhausted from my encounter with Griffin.
“I’m okay. I got a call from Noah’s nanny. I need to be home soon.”
“Is everything okay? Do you need me to drive you home?” Worry was etched on his face, and he looked so genuine I began to wonder if Griffin was messing with me. But then he tilted his head to the side, and I couldn’t miss the similarities in their bone structure.
He always had a look I would associate with snobby aristocrats. I attributed it to great genes and years of working out, but right now, standing in front of him, I couldn’t help the mental list of his similarities with Griffin forming in my head.
“It’s fine, Victor. It’s nothing serious. I’ll see you around.” I picked up my purse and made my way out of the restaurant.
*****
“You were very clear about not wanting to hear anything about him or the palace. Why the sudden change of mind?” Mary’s voice poured through my phone speaker, and I sighed, wondering if I should let her in on the events of the past days.
She was right. I had instructed her to say nothing about Griffin, his palace, or his family in any of our conversations, but after today, I was left with more questions than I’ve ever had.
“We ran into each other,” I finally said, and a subtle gasp followed.
“Are you okay? How about Noah? Did he see him?” She fired question after question at me, and I took a large gulp from my wine glass.
“Everything’s fine, Mary. He doesn’t know about Noah, thankfully. ”
I had gone from living a remotely peaceful life to a throbbing headache in the middle of the night from running into Griffin.
“Whew, thank God.”
“So?” I urged her in the direction I wanted the conversation to take. I could feel her reluctance to tell me about Griffin, but after reassuring her it was okay, she divulged the situation at the palace.
“I can’t say exactly when it started, but it became worse after her miscarriage. She sends maids to the infirmary every day, punishes guards for the slightest mistakes, and spends the rest of her day desperately chasing after the prince.”
I found it difficult to reconcile the soft elegant woman I knew to the tyrant Mary was describing, and despite being aware of her manipulative ways, I still found it difficult to put an aggressive face to her.
“What about Griffin? How is he holding up?” I felt my voice tremble as his name slipped from my lips. It was the first time I had said it out loud in years.
“He hasn’t changed much. He is still fighting for reform and protecting the weak, but you can tell the pressure from the court to produce an heir and Lilith’s behavior are weighing heavily on him.
There have been whispers in the palace about the court wanting to bring his brother as a replacement.
I still can’t believe Victor is the illegitimate prince. ”
The way he said her name in the bathroom and his complete disregard for her suddenly made sense.
Even his assumption that I was getting Victor in order to get back at him sounded a lot less like he was making things up.
I felt my chest tighten with empathy for him, but I reminded myself it wasn’t my place to feel sorry for him.
He wanted to choose his mate, and he got what he wanted. He’ll have to live with his choices .
“What are you going to do about the situation?” Mary’s voice pulled me back to the moment.
“Nothing. I’ll call my board and try to speed up whatever deals we have yet to tie up and leave the States as soon as possible. I didn’t spend all these years away to get sucked into a black hole of manipulation and royal tussles on my first year back.”
“What about Noah?” Mary asked. “He will grow to ask questions. You can’t continue to run forever.”
“I’m not running, Mary. I’m only protecting what is mine. If Griffin finds out about Noah, he’ll use him to secure his place on the throne, and I’ll lose my baby. I can’t throw him into the system that chewed me up and discarded me like used gum. They’ll tear him apart.”
A few moments paused before she finally spoke. “I understand you, Mira. I do. I just don’t want the past to come crashing in when you’re not ready.”
“I’ll be ready if it gets to that, but if I can, I’ll do whatever it takes to protect my baby.”
I could tell Mary wanted to say more but she decided against it, choosing to respect my decision.
She had voiced her displeasure at how Noah was being raised away from his people and how he would need the community for the changes he’ll encounter in the future.
But at the same time, she knew what I’ve been through and the reasons for my decision, and she respects it.
Sometimes, I don’t know what I would do without her support.
We said our goodbyes, and she promised to come visit whenever she found the time.
I sent a text to my COO to set up a board meeting first thing tomorrow. The sooner I concluded my stay here, the sooner I could leave this city before it all blew up in my face.